SHOP TALK
Whatare your top three tips
forpeople considering
an upgrade to the new
Ryzen CPUs?Jaya , Mwave:
“Consider the new X570 chipset to
enable the full feature set on offer
from the Ryzen 3000 series CPUs
(PCie 4.0, Gen 4 NVMe SSDs,
enhanced bandwidth for robust
I/O options).
If using an older chipset such as
a B450 or X470, then spend time
to investigate how to update your
proposed motherboard’s BIOS
before purchase.
Check out reviews and
benchmarks of the new Ryzen
3000 series that specifically show
real world performance for apps or
games that you plan to use.“John, TI Computers:
There are actually four key things
to consider:
X570 is not the absolute option for
Ryzen 3000 series. You can
consider the rich variety of X570/
X470/B450/A320 to suit your
application if you are not looking
to use PCIe 4.0 or heavy
overclocking with Ryzen 9.
You may not need to go for
the highest Ryzen. Thanks to the
vast improvement in per core
performance, the Ryzen 5, or even
Ryzen 3 is competent enough to
handle most workloads you may
throw at them.
Considering not all CPUs come
with integrated graphics, read the
specs carefully before you buy.
Lastly and most importantly,
rather than DIY, it will be wiser to
consider finding a reliable shop
to build the system for you. Shops
can definitely help iron out all the
complications and headaches
while you enjoy the end results.“I
t’s been over ten years since AMD
has been able to beat Intel. And
now, like then, it has made the
CPU landscape very exciting for
those looking to upgrade.
One of the amazing things about
Ryzen since its launch two years ago is
AMD’s commitment to the AM4 socket.
That commitment has created a
wonderful ecosystem for those that
bought in early to the AM4 platform, as
it allows simple drop in upgrades to the
latest processors without needing to
rebuild your system around a new
motherboard, but it also provides a
plethora of choices for those new to the
platform. Here are some things to keep
in mind when looking to upgrade or
switch to the new Ryzen CPUs.
Choose wisely. Currently, the 3600X
and 3800X products are just over 20%
more expensive then their very
similarly specced 3600 and 3700X
siblings, yet only provide about 5%
more performance. Lean towards the
latter two for best performance for
your dollar.
Get a good aftermarket cooler!
Instead of paying more for the likes of
the 3600X or 3800X, spend your
savings on a beefier cooler as Ryzen’s
are thermally constrained CPUs.
Simply putting a better cooler on like
an AIO water cooler will net you
100-200MHz extra in clock speeds
without you having to do anything else
thanks to AMD’s smart inbuilt auto
overclocking features.
Don’t board the X570 hype train. The
only real reason anyone should buy an
X570-based motherboard to go with
their new Ryzen is if it offers
something current B450 or X470
motherboards don’t. For the most partthat’ll only be PCIe Gen 4.0 support. If
you’re not going to use a PCIe
4.0-capable SSD, save yourself the
expense and go for a B450/X470 as you
won’t see any performance loss and
your wallet will thank you. Just make
sure where you buy it from can flash
the latest BIOS on it for you, so it’ll be
compatible when you receive it.
If you’re already on an A320/B350/
B370/B450/X470 motherboard and
want to drop in a 3rd-gen CPU, research
if your particular motherboard
supports the desired CPU on the
manufacture’s website. If so, update to
the latest BIOS revision before pulling
your old CPU out and dropping the new
one in. Keep an eye on BIOS update
release notes for the next few months
as AMD has been issuing new AGESA
updates in rapid succession to fix bugs
and performance issues post launch.
Finally, if you’re using an older
motherboard that doesn’t have the
strongest of VRMs, don’t be afraid to
drop in the beastly 3900X CPU (if it’s
supported). It won’t be ideal as the
VRMs could get stressed to their limits
under high loads. Counter-intuitively,
if you use the stock CPU cooler that
comes in the box instead of going for a
watercooler you may well find yourself
some extra performance. Over-
stressed VRMs will cause the CPU to
throttle back on speed so the
motherboard doesn’t cook itself, but
with the included Wraith Prism cooler
the CPU fan will push air all around the
CPU socket including the VRMs,
cooling them down and allowing your
motherboard to pump out the full
wattage this hungry CPU needs
without overheating and throttling.With Ryzen 3rd-gen CPUs having finally
launched, Mark Williams offers some advice
for those looking to purchase.
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