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The processor you select has a huge impact on the performance of your PC and what your PC is capable of especially for gaming. Gaming PCs typically focus on one aspect of a processor and this is single-core performance. If you can find a processor with decent single-core performance, then your processor should be great at gaming.
Ryzen 3 processors are a budget tier processor developed by AMD, and they’re made to compete directly with Intel I3 processors. Budget processors typically lack cores and sometimes come at a lower clock speed compared to their stronger alternatives (Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7, Ryzen 9).
Answer: Ryzen 3 processors can be decent gaming processors if you know what you’re looking for, there are some Ryzen 3 processors that aren’t suitable for gaming due to the single-core performance. But if you select a Ryzen 3 processor such as the 5300G, then you may be able to put together a great budget gaming build.
Who Are The Ryzen 3 Processors For?
Straight away I can tell you that Ryzen 3 processors are best suitable for users looking for a budget processor simply because they’re the cheapest priced AMD processors. Budget processors can be a great option if you’re going for a single-purpose PC that isn’t doing anything extravagant (Video editing, Streaming).
Performance-wise the Ryzen 3 processors come with low core counts, typically around 6 with conservative clock speeds, additionally, they come with low TDPs which means they consume little power. Due to this, the Ryzen 3 processors are perfect for users building a power-friendly PC that doesn’t generate a lot of heat. Due to the low TDP, you can expect the Ryzen 3 processor to generate little heat, this is great considering they also come with a stock cooler.
Additionally, Ryzen 3 processors will also come with an integrated graphics card, so you can get an idea of how budget-friendly this processor can be. The main intention of the Ryzen 3 processor is to provide a user with all the necessities without breaking the bank. The addition of the integrated graphics means you don’t have to spend money on a dedicated GPU, this is great for saving money.
As you can see from the table below, the Ryzen 3 5300G is the only option that comes with a stock cooler as well as an integrated graphics solution, this is a decent bang for your buck. As for the pricing, its MSRP is undisclosed, but in general, the Ryzen 3 processors are the cheapest options you can find, they’re meant to compete with Intel I3 processors.
| Stock Cooler? | Integrated Graphics? | MSRP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 9 5950X | No | No | $799 |
| Ryzen 7 5800X | No | No | $449 |
| Ryzen 5 5600X | Wraith Stealth | No | $299 |
| Ryzen 3 5300G | Wraith Stealth | Radeon™ Graphics | N/A |
So Are Ryzen 3 Processors Good For Gaming?
For a CPU/Processor to be a good gaming processor, it has to not bottleneck the GPU, this is usually done by having decent single-core performance. Typically with processes, the higher the clock speed, the better the single-core performance is, but only following the clock speed is a bad idea. IPC is another metric that plays a huge role in single-core performance.
Clock speed refers to how fast the clock cycles per second, if your CPU has a clock speed of 5GHz, then each individual core will cycle 5 billion times per second. IPC refers to how much work a CPU can do per clock cycle, so a higher IPC means a stronger CPU. This is why newer processors with lower clock speeds will perform better than older processors with higher clock speeds, this is all due to IPC improvements.
Games only really benefit from single-core performance as most games aren’t easily parallelized, this means games mainly benefit from one processing core. The idea of parallelization is to split the workload into two or more instruction sets so they can be processed simultaneously, this is notoriously hard for games. Due to this, having more cores in a way becomes redundant but not completely useless, you need cores to handle background tasks such as the operating system.
Ryzen 3 processors can be great budget gaming processors, the Ryzen 3 5300G has a boosted clock speed of 4.2GHz. Also, the Ryzen 3 5300G is overclockable, this means you can push the single-core performance by modifying the clock speed modifier in the BIOS. Overclocking is a great way to increase the frame rate in games.
Ryzen 3 Vs I3 Processors For Gaming
The Ryzen 3 lineup of processors aims to compete with the I3 processors for the budget computing market, these users are looking for the cheapest option for their PC. These budget processors never had the intention of being great gaming processors, they mainly exist to provide a user with the means of using their system.
For gaming, gamers typically go up a tier going for Ryzen 5 or I5 processors, this is because they come with stronger clock speeds and more cores. So for a gamer to use a Ryzen 3 processor, they’re usually looking for an entry-level processor, perhaps they’re building their first gaming PC, and not trying to break the bank.
Intel processors are known to come with stronger clock speeds than Ryzen processors, this is because Intel focuses more on the gaming audience. So, you’ll notice gamers gravitate more towards Intel processors as they can typically overclock higher and come with higher clock speeds out the box. But if we’re comparing the Ryzen 5000 processors to the Intel 10th generation processors, you’ll notice that the Ryzen 5000 processors are stronger in single-core performance. This is because the Ryzen 5000 processors have a 15% IPC increase compared to the Intel 10th generation processors.
| Processor | Core/Thread Count | Max Clock | Cinebench Score(Single Core) | Passmark Score(Single Core) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 3 5300G | 4/8 | 4.2GHz | 1269 | 3052 |
| Core i3 10320 | 4/8 | 4.6GHz | 1288 | 2849 |
| Ryzen 5 5600x | 6/12 | 4.6GHz | 1524 | 3379 |
| Core i5 10600K | 6/12 | 4.8GHz | 1381 | 2936 |
Do Ryzen 3 Processors Have Enough Cores?
As previously stated, the core count isn’t extremely important, but they’re definitely nice to have as it allows you to do more things with your PC. More cores can be helpful especially when you’re looking to get into streaming. Many gamers love to stream their gaming builds, and we typically recommend at least 6 cores for a smooth seamless stream.
The Ryzen 3 5300G only comes with 4 cores and 8 threads, this may not be enough to stream effectively, and you may run into stuttering/lag issues. 4 cores aren’t the sweet spot anymore, most gaming builds should come with at least 6 cores to be truly effective. This is why we recommend at least a Ryzen 5 processor for gaming.
So to answer your question, Ryzen 3 processors are lacking in the core department, but it doesn’t make a Ryzen 3 build useless, it just reduces its capabilities severely. Ryzen 3 processors are perfect for light computing and casual gaming, you don’t need a lot of computing power for that. But the moment you want to play graphically intensive games, you may require a stronger CPU.
Also Read: More Cores Or More GHz For Gaming
Verdict
Finally, Ryzen 3 processors naturally aren’t meant for gaming, but they can serve as great entry-level gaming PCs. If you’re building your first PC, or you’re looking to build something inexpensive, then the Ryzen 3 processors can be a great option.
They also come with dedicated coolers, and integrated graphics, this only makes the Ryzen 3 processors more budget-friendly. You can save a lot of money going for a Ryzen 3 processor, the saved money can be allocated to better components such as a dedicated GPU.
