The SKUs within a tier of CPUs are usually just clocked differently. But we have a unique situation with the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X, which isn’t a merely higher clocked 3100. So how exactly is the Ryzen 3300X different? Well, it goes all the way down to the architecture itself.
More To It Than Just Frequency
The Zen 2 microarchitecture is set up in such a way that there are 4 cores and 16MB L3 cache max per Core Complex(CCX). Also, each CPU Core Die(CCD) can house up to 2 CCXs. This means that for 4 core CPUs such as the 3100 and 3300X will have 1 CCX seated in the CCD. But that is where the difference kicks in. The Ryzen 3 3100 has 2 CCX holding 4 core (2 each) whereas the 3300X has all 4 cores nested in one CCX.
Now one might be wondering how does this configuration help in the 3300X performing better. And the answer is pretty simple, the cores in the CCX interact with each other using the infinity fabric. So, by eliminating the assignment of cores in different CCXs. And all of the 16MB of L3 cache on the same CCX, AMD have reduced the inter-core latency.
This is a common practice in the industry known as binning. It is used to salvage the wafers which don’t meet their standards. For instance, the Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core CPU which doesn’t divide perfectly by the 4 cores per CCX. So what happens is 1 core is disabled from each CCX to get a 6-core CPU.
So not only does the 3300X enjoy a 400MHz higher clock compared to the 3100, but it also has lower latency. Which makes it a beast for it’s asking price more so than the 3100.
Is the $20 mark up in price for the 3300X over the $99 price tag of the 3100 worth it? Wait for our more in-depth synthetic and real-world benchmarks to find out. Also, keep your eyes peeled out for the best budger build with the Ryzen 3 chips paired with the incredible B550 MotherBoard.