AMD Ryzen 3 vs Intel i3: Which Is More Suitable For Your Gaming Setup?

AMD Ryzen 3 vs Intel i3 is a head-on competition as the two processor lines are priced exactly the same. So if you are building your own setup, which one should you go for to get the best value for money? Read on to find out.

AMD Ryzen 3 vs Intel i3 Processor Comparison

AMD Ryzen 3 is built on the company's Zen’ Microarchitecture. The line consists of quad-core processors featuring Simultaneous Multi-Threading. On the other hand, Intel Core i3 is dual-core and has Intel Hyper-Threading.

So, in theory, Intel core i3 vs AMD Ryzen 3, the latter should be the better chipset. However, in reality, since the latest Intel Kaby Lake and SkyLake are built on more superior architecture, they are more competent in completing IPC (instructions per cycle).

So the answer to the question of ‘AMD Ryzen 3 vs Intel i3, which one is better?’ boils down to what apps the end-user is going to use.

Intel Kaby Lake and Skylake Core i3 have integrated graphics processing circuitry, allowing them to handle output displays on their own without the need for a separate graphics card. Meanwhile, Ryzen chips don’t have that ability so users will have to invest in a dedicated graphics card for their setup.

Test Setup

For this test, the two systems we used are set up to be as similar as possible. Since the two processors are categorized into the mainstream tier, we used their stock coolers.

Please bear in mind that for this AMD Ryzen 3 vs Intel i3 comparison, we used the Intel Core i3 6100 which can prove only what a basic Intel Core i3 chip can do. Intel Core i3 7300, which has the same price as Ryzen 3 1300X, will be 15% faster.

Overclocking The Ryzen 3 1300X

AMD Ryzen lineup is made to handle a certain level of overclocking. In our test, the Ryzen 1300X could withstand being pushed to 3.95GHz. More importantly, all four cores achieved the 3.95GHz frequency simultaneously with the stock cooler.

Pushing the processor further than that and you risk running an unstable setup that couldn’t run the Prime95 CPU stability test. Throughout the test, its RAM frequency stood at 2933MHz.

Performance Benchmarks

To measure the performance of two processors, here we used the Cinebench R15.

While in the single-thread test, the Intel Skylake processor won over the Ryzen 3 1200 CPU, it is clear that a dual-core 4 logical threads chipset can’t hold a candle to a true quad-core processor. So it comes as no surprise that AMD Ryzen 3 vs Intel i3, the former outperformed the latter in multi-threaded benchmarks.

When we did overclock on Ryzen 3 1300X, we got 8.5% of additional performance, proving that the processor can show an even better performance with higher clocks.

To simulate and measure the two chips’ competency in real-world situations, next, we used PCMark 10 Productivity Suite of tests. With higher single-threaded performance and clocks, Intel Core i3 6100 came out the winner.

However, when the Ryzen 3 1300X came into play, it proved to be a far more powerful processor than the Core i3.

Game Benchmarks

To gauge the two chipsets’ performance in gaming, we conducted a series of tests with popular titles at 1080p resolution.

Ryzen 3 1300X aced even the most demanding games. In Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation, the processor is 10% better than its rival - the Intel i3-6100. With some other games we tested, Ryzen vs Intel, the latter actually came out with 30% better performance.

Temperatures

To measure the temperature of the two chipsets, we used the HWMonitor software application to record both load and idle situations. The former was taken 3 minutes after the Prime95 “small FTT” test while the former 3 minutes after the computer restarts.

Interestingly, AMD Ryzen 3 vs Intel i3, while the latter is dual-core, it generated more heat under load than the former due to the lower-grade thermal interface material.

AMD excels in this respect thanks to its new heat sink fan design, making heat dissipation more efficient.

Conclusion

AMD Ryzen 3 vs Intel i3, the results above point to a tie. Intel i3-6100 excels in most games we tested but got hotter than AMD chip. The processor also has integrated graphics processing circuitry, saving users quite a lot of money that they would otherwise spend on a graphics card.

Meanwhile, Ryzen 3 1300X is better for multitasking and games that call for more cores. Its weakness here is the lack of an integrated graphics card.

If the setup you want is used to surf the web or do light tasks, your best choice is definitely the Intel i3-6100. On the other hand, Ryzen 3 1300X is what PC gamers want.

Moreover, in a bid to win the AMD Ryzen vs Intel race, AMD has worked with multiple game studios to improve its chipsets performance, giving users more reasons to give the Ryzen line a try.

>>> AMD's New Ryzen 3 Processors Promise Up To 75% More Speed Than Intel Processors