The Ryzen 3 3100 and 3300X are the latest addition by the AMD in its Ryzen 3rd gen processor lineup. Together, these processors belong to the Ryzen 3 section of that 3rd-gen series and target budget gamers.
Although Ryzen 3 section is already populated with the likes of Ryzen 3 3200g and Ryzen 5 3400g, both released last July, what makes Ryzen 3100 / 3300X so different is their architecture.
Unlike Ryzen 3200g/3400g, the 3100 and 3300X are based on the 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture – like their higher end siblings such as 3600 and 3700x.
Moreover, 3100 and 3300X are traditional CPUs with no integrated graphics unit, as opposed to the 3200g/3400g APUs that had Vega graphics units. It means you would have to use a graphics card with these new CPUs.
You can check out our separate blog post as well if you want to know more about CPUs and APUs.
Best Motherboard For Ryzen 3 3100 And 3300X [June 2020]
Motherboard
ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 AM4 AMD Promontory B450 SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
MSI Arsenal Gaming AMD Ryzen 2ND and 3rd Gen AM4 M.2 USB 3 DDR4 DVI HDMI Crossfire ATX Motherboard (B450 TOMAHAWK Max) (B450TOMAMAX)
Gigabyte X570 Gaming X (AMD Ryzen 3000/X570/ATX/PCIe4.0/DDR4/USB3.1/Realtek ALC887/HDMI 2.0B/RGB Fusion 2.0/Realtek GbE 8118 LAN/Gaming Motherboard)
Form Factor
mATX
ATX
ATX
Max. Memory
32 GB
128 GB
128 GB
PCIe X16
1
2
1
VRM Config.
4+3
4+2
10+2
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Motherboard
ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 AM4 AMD Promontory B450 SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Form Factor
mATX
Max. Memory
32 GB
PCIe X16
1
VRM Config.
4+3
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Motherboard
MSI Arsenal Gaming AMD Ryzen 2ND and 3rd Gen AM4 M.2 USB 3 DDR4 DVI HDMI Crossfire ATX Motherboard (B450 TOMAHAWK Max) (B450TOMAMAX)
Form Factor
ATX
Max. Memory
128 GB
PCIe X16
2
VRM Config.
4+2
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Motherboard
Gigabyte X570 Gaming X (AMD Ryzen 3000/X570/ATX/PCIe4.0/DDR4/USB3.1/Realtek ALC887/HDMI 2.0B/RGB Fusion 2.0/Realtek GbE 8118 LAN/Gaming Motherboard)
Form Factor
ATX
Max. Memory
128 GB
PCIe X16
1
VRM Config.
10+2
Check Price
Ryzen 3 3100 vs Ryzen 3 3300X
With both Ryzen 3100 and 3300X having 4 cores and 8 threads, it may appear that there’s little difference between them.
But this statement couldn’t be any further from the truth.
The Ryzen 3100 has base and boost clock frequencies of 3.6 GHz and 3.9 GHz respectively, while Ryzen 3300X has those frequencies clocked at 3.8 GHz and 4.3 GHz respectively.
Moreover, there’s a big difference in the CCX layout of both CPUs.
Ryzen 3 3300X has a single-CCX layout with 4 cores per CCX, while the Ryzen 3 3100 comes with a two CCX layout with 2 cores per CCX.
In simple terms, it means that the 3100 will have more inter-CCX latency as compared to the 3300X, and it shows in their real-world performances as well.
In different gaming tests done by us as well as other reviewers, the Ryzen 3300X has been found to be roughly 15-20% faster than the 3100 on average – across a number of games including GTA V, CS-GO, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and RDR2.
Yes, 15-20% better performance in just $30 price difference.
In fact, when it comes to only gaming, it falls short to Ryzen 5 3600 (a processor that costs almost 80 bucks more than 3300X) by only 4-5%. In content creation though, the 3600 still performs much better than 3300X especially in multi-threaded applications.
Overall, the Ryzen 3300X is a great processor for 1080p gaming and you should prefer it over the 3100 (or even the Ryzen 3200g/3400g APUs), unless you’re seriously tight on budget.
3 Best Motherboards For Ryzen 3 3100 And 3300X
Now that we have wrapped it up, we can finally go ahead and start looking at the best motherboards for ryzen 3100 and 3300X
ASRock B450M-HDV
Best Budget Motherboard For Ryzen 3 3100 And 3300X
AsRock as a manufacturer has a solid history that has been backing them up for some time now. The company is not only well known for their higher end Taichi series of motherboards but also their affordable options that have managed to get a lot of traction over the past couple of years.
Here we are looking at the ASRock B450M-HDV, one of the more affordable options in AsRock’s lineup, but is it any good?
That is what we are going to find out.
The great thing about the ASRock B450M-HDV is that it is really affordable.
The motherboard is basic at best, but given the limitations of the processor and the asking price, it is not a downside at all. AsRock has been clever to ensure that no extra or gimmicky features added into this motherboard and that allows people to just get what they are paying for.
The black PCB is also great because it keeps everything decent and under the tone, as well. You do not have to worry about mixing and matching colours since that is not the case here.
As far as the downsides are concerned, we cannot really think about a lot to complain. Granted, if this was a really expensive motherboard, it would have made sense, but for a motherboard that costs as much the ASRock B450M-HDV, there is nothing to hate.
Overall, the ASRock B450M-HDV is a pretty decent motherboard that should give you the performance you are looking for without sacrificing a lot of money.
Pros
- Excellent performance.
- Stability.
- Affordable.
- All black PCB is nice to have.
Cons
- Doesn’t have advanced features.
Sale
ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 AM4 AMD Promontory B450 SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
- Cup: socket AM4, 6 power Phase design, supports CPU up to 105W
- Chipset: AMD Promontory B450
- Slots : 1 PCIe 3.0 x16, 1 PCIe 2.0 x1
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MSI B450 Tomahawk Max
Best Value Motherboard For Ryzen 3 3100 And 3300X
In case you have some extra budget, and don’t like the ASRock B450M-HDV for its bare minimum feature set, you can take a look at MSI’s B450 Tomahawk Max as well.
Like ASRock B450M-HDV, Tomahawk Max is based on the B450 chipset but has many extra bells and whistles that pretty much justify the extra cost.
Granted, it does not have any X-factor that’ll make it standout in your gaming rig, but it carries all the necessary features you can find in a good motherboard these days.
In terms of design, it has a black PCB with different shades of gray and white color used in different areas, particularly the heatsinks.
As far as the power delivery is concerned, Tomahawk Max comes with a 4+2 power phase which, although may not look too good on paper, is good enough to handle CPUs more powerful than the Ryzen 3300X.
In fact, MSI has stated that this board can handle the Ryzen 9 CPUs as well. Although we only recommend the absolutely best motherboards to handle such beasts, the above statement should give you a clear idea how capable tomahawk max is.
Another good thing I found here is that you can put up to a total of 128 GB (32×4) RAM memory with up to 4133 MHz speed.
Other than this, you get six SATA III ports along with a single M.2 slot and six USB ports – one of which is USB Type-C.
For graphics cards, you get a primary PCIe 3.0 x16 metal-reinforced slot and a secondary slot in case you want a 2-way crossfire setup. Moreover, you get three PCIe x1 slots as well.
The only downsides I am able to find here are the lack of secondary M.2 slot and not so great onboard audio performance. But since this motherboard to geared toward gamers, I don’t think the latter is a deal-breaker by any means.
Tomahawk max has a predecessor in the form of Original B450 Tomahawk as well, but we choose the latest version because of extra RAM support, USB 3.2 ports, bigger BIOS chip, and almost no difference in the price.
All in all, this motherboard fits best for Ryzen 3 3100 and 3300x.
MSI Arsenal Gaming AMD Ryzen 2ND and 3rd Gen AM4 M.2 USB 3 DDR4 DVI HDMI Crossfire ATX Motherboard (B450 TOMAHAWK Max) (B450TOMAMAX)
- Supports 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen/ Ryzen with Radeon Vega Graphics and 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen with Radeon graphics/ Athlon with Radeon Vega Graphics desktop processors for socket AM4
- Supports DDR4 memory, up to 4133(OC) MHz
- Extended heatsink design: MSI extended PWM heatsink and enhanced circuit design ensures even high-end processors to run in full speed.
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Gigabyte X570 Gaming X
Best X570 Motherboard For Ryzen 3 3100 And 3300X
The last motherboard on our list is from Gigabyte and it should come without a surprise that the company is known for delivering some of the finest options that are available in the market.
If you are looking for something that is excellent in terms of the performance, this is the motherboard that you should be going for. The Gigabyte X570 Gaming X is amazing in almost every aspect.
It has great I/O options, great looks, and more importantly, the fact that you can also use it for overclocking.
Another great thing is that you can have the PCI-e 4.0, which will only make it better for you if content creation is in your grand plans.
As far as the downsides are concerned, we don’t really have anything in mind that can make this motherboard less amazing. It delivers on all fronts and more than makes up for the price Gigabyte is charging for this motherboard.
Overall, the Gigabyte X570 Gaming X is one of the best budget gaming motherboards available in the market and if you are looking an excellent motherboard.
The performance is going to be amazing regardless of the processor your pair with this.
Pros
- Looks amazing.
- Has a lot of performance oriented features.
- Great I/O on the back.
- Easy to overclock.
- PCI-e 4.0.
Cons
- None.
Gigabyte X570 Gaming X (AMD Ryzen 3000/X570/ATX/PCIe4.0/DDR4/USB3.1/Realtek ALC887/HDMI 2.0B/RGB Fusion 2.0/Realtek GbE 8118 LAN/Gaming Motherboard)
- Supports AMD 3rd Gen Ryzen/ 2nd Gen Ryzen/ Ryzen with Radeon Vega Graphics Processors
- Dual channel ECC/ non-ECC unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMs
- True 12 phase digital VRM
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Conclusion
In conclusion, if you are in the market looking for a good motherboard for your AMD Ryzen 3 3100 or 3300X, the good news is that there are some great options available and this list takes a look at some of the finest that are available. For anyone who wants to have the best possible performance, buying these motherboards is the way to go.
Each of the motherboard that we have listed here is not going to disappoint you as they deliver best value for money, as well as performance. Catering to users of different nature.