As your resident PC hardware guru, I want to give you the full low-down on the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X processor before you consider buying one in 2023.
This 12-core beast was an absolute legend when it launched back in 2019. But with new CPUs constantly coming out, you might be wondering if the aged 3900X still has what it takes four years later. I‘ve done some major digging to find out!
Here‘s everything you need to know about how the 3900X performs today, whether it‘s still worth buying, and why it can be an incredible value buy for certain people…
A Quick History Lesson
Let‘s rewind back to July 2019 when the Ryzen 3000 series first dropped…
These new 7nm Zen 2 chips put AMD squarely back in the high-end desktop CPU battle against Intel. And the 3900X flagship shocked the industry by beating Intel‘s Core i9-9920X that cost $1,200 MORE.
For just $499, you got a CPU that could compete with HEDT processors for gaming, streaming and serious content creation. It was a huge milestone for AMD.
Now despite some new competition since then, the 3900X can still hold its own remarkably well thanks to having…
- 12 high-performance CPU cores
- 24 total processing threads
- Up to 4.6GHz boost clock speeds
- A mammoth 64MB of L3 cache
Impressive stuff even 4 years later!
Comparing Raw Performance Benchmarks
I pulled performance data from a ton of expert reviews benchmarking the 3900X in 2023. Here‘s how it stacks up:
Gaming fps
| Game | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hitman 3 | 132 fps | 150 fps | 153 fps |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 116 fps | 124 fps | 123 fps |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 103 fps | 107 fps | 104 fps |
*Paired with an RTX 3090 GPU
While not reaching the blistering fast speeds of a 7700X or 12900K, the 3900X still drives very playable frame rates. You just may need to dial back some graphics settings at 1080p.
But this CPU was always more about serious multi-threaded workload performance…
| Benchmark | 3900X Result | % Faster than 5600X |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R23 multi core | 27,698 points | +65% |
| Handbrake video encoding | 84.7 fps | +50% |
| Code compile time | 37 seconds | +31% faster |
As you can see, those 12 cores demolish the mainstream 6-core Ryzen 5600X for productivity. And it even beats the 8-core 5800X3D in rendering/encoding workloads despite AMD‘s 3D V-Cache upgrade.
This makes the 3900X a performance beast for:
- Video editing/3D modeling/rendering
- Developers compiling large codebases
- Live streamers juggling gaming + OBS + chat apps
- Anyone who needs TOOONS of multi-tasking horsepower!
The Best Motherboard Pairings
Since you‘ll likely buy the 3900X secondhand at this point, you may need to get a compatible motherboard too.
I recommend B550 or X570 boards since they‘re newer chipsets with better features. The MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WiFi is an awesome blend of price and quality with the 3900X.
For max performance, make sure to enable Precision Boost Overdrive in your BIOS and dial in an aggressive fan curve on your CPU cooler to hit those peak boost clocks!
Finding the Best 3900X Deals in 2023
Used 3900X chips in great condition can be found on eBay for around $220-$260 routinely:
Considering these chips launched at $499, that‘s over a 50% discount off original MSRP! This makes the value proposition incredibly tempting for such brute multi-core performance.
I‘d pounce quick if you find a deal in that ballpark…supply is drying up by the day!
The Bottom Line in 2023…
While certainly starting to show its age in some areas after nearly 4 years, the venerable Ryzen 9 3900X still offers outstanding performance for real-world productivity and even solid 1080p gaming (with tuned settings).
And when found used under $250, it can be an incredible value versus modern equivalents like the Ryzen 7700X that cost $100-150 more.
So if your main PC tasks are:
- Content creation (video/3D rendering, coding, streaming etc)
- Research/productivity programs that love cores
- Gaming at 1440p/4K resolution
Then I without hesitation recommend the 3900X in 2023 as a high-performance option if you find a sub $250 deal from a reputable seller. That unmatched multi-tasking muscle will serve you well for many years to come!
Let me know if you have any other questions about getting the most out of this CPU in a new build. I‘m always happy to nerd out over PC hardware!
