AMD has launched two Ryzen 3000 CPUs: the Ryzen 9 3900 and the Ryzen 5 3500X. Following in the footsteps of the desktop family launched on July 7, 2019, these processors pack the latest 7nm Zen 2 architecture in all its glory. But there is a catch, these chips will only be available to OEMs and system integrators as AMD scales up its commercial efforts.
The AMD Ryzen 9 3900 features the exact same core count as its supercharge client sibling, the Ryzen 9 3900X, with 12 cores and 24 threads in total. Where these two chips differ is in clock speed, and there’s serious variance between the two. While the Ryzen 9 3900X manages 3.8GHz base and 4.6GHz boost (single-core), the new Ryzen 9 3900 manages just 3.1GHz base and 4.3GHz boost.
That likely helps OEMs meet thermal, power, and price solutions, and offers AMD a place to shift its lowest performing 7nm chiplets. The Ryzen 9 3900 features a 65W TDP, slightly less than its full-fat counterpart. Both the Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 5 3500X are unlocked, however, meaning there should be some overhead for overclocking if your system is sturdy enough.
The Ryzen 5 3500X will be a little harder to track down for most of us, however. This six-core/six-thread chip will only be available in China, and is only a little shy of the specs of the Ryzen 5 3600 – our pick for the best gaming CPU.
| Ryzen 9 3950X | Ryzen 9 3900X | Ryzen 9 3900 | Ryzen 7 3800X | Ryzen 7 3700X | Ryzen 5 3600X | Ryzen 5 3600 | Ryzen 5 3500X | |
| Cores/threads | 16/32 | 12/24 | 12/24 | 8/16 | 8/16 | 6/12 | 6/12 | 6/6 |
| Turbo clock | 4.7GHz | 4.6GHz | 4.3GHz | 4.5GHz | 4.4GHz | 4.4GHz | 4.2GHz | 4.1GHz |
| Base clock | 3.5GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.1GHz | 3.9GHz | 3.6GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.6GHz | 3.6GHz |
| TDP | 105W | 105W | 65W | 105W | 65W | 95W | 65W | 65W |
| Price | $749 | $499 | – | $399 | $329 | $249 | $199 | – |
So that could mean cheap, proficient systems for the Chinese market. But, as of today’s announcement, it seems unlikely this chip will ever see a release in the US/UK in OEM systems or as a standalone part.
Neither chip has an official price from AMD, but with the Ryzen 9 3900X and Ryzen 5 3600 coming in at $499 and $199 respectively, we estimate moderate savings for OEMs on both. How much of that saving the customer will see will ultimately remain up to OEMs and system integrators.