› AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
The 3900X may have just been supplanted by the 3950X at the top of the
stack, but it remains our go-to chip for anyone seeking phenomenal
performance at a reasonable price. This 12-core, 24-thread CPU has
more than enough processing power for serious work, and manages
to challenge enthusiast-class chips in the process. Throw in support
for PCIe Gen 4 (and those tasty SSDs, in particular), and the fact that it
comes with a decent air cooler, and this is a great overall package.
$500 http://www.amd.com
Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 9, Page 72› AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
If your funds don’t quite stretch to the top of AMD’s Zen 2 stack, the Ryzen 7
3700X is where the sensible money sits. Your $330 nets you an eight-core,
16-thread processor that can chew through the majority of tasks easily,
and thanks to the support for PCIe Gen 4, you won’t be waiting around
for your data either. Overclocking headroom is admittedly a little weak,
and Intel still gets the nod for dedicated gaming, but don’t let that detract
from a phenomenal package.
$329 http://www.amd.com
Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 10, Page 74› ASRock X570 Taichi
Regardless of whether the steampunk styling is to
your taste, the X570 Taichi makes for a great starting
point for any prospective Ryzen 3000 build. Strong
performance comes as standard, and thanks to
the swathes of metal covering the lower half of the
board, this is a sturdy base as well. Power draw is
a tad higher than similar X470 offerings, but M.2
throughput makes up for that, while the connection-
rich I/O panel, complete with integrated shield,
makes for a versatile basis for any machine.
$300 http://www.asrock.com
Reviewed: Vol. 24, No. 10, Page 82gear of the year
28 MAXIMUMPC JAN 2020 maximumpc.com