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At the heart of most Windows PCs is usually an Intel processor. AMD has always had market share, but Intel has generally been a top dog by a comfortable margin. But that could very will be about to change. Any computer geeks will know that AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) launched their Ryzen 3000 series processors this week. These are the first processors based upon 7 nanometer dies.

For non-geeks, this means AMD can now run data through a channel that is 7 nanometers wide. The smaller the channel, the more transistors for a given amount of area. Creating a 7 nanometer chip is something Intel has not been able to do. A lot of their chips are 14 and 10 nanometers. (I'm running an older Intel Lynnfield Intel I7 processor. It was made on a 45 nanometer die.)

So in the simplest terms, AMD has made a significant technological jump over Intel. For 90% of average computer users, AMD chips now offer more bang for the buck. In addition AMD has adopted a chip architecture that will enable them to make improved chips without changing the chip socket design. That means you will be able to drop a new chip into the same motherboard a couple of years from now, extending the useful life of your computer.

Intel is trying to fight back, lowering some prices and altering their chip lineup. But in the short term AMD will be offering a better product for most consumers. You can't sell a processor by telling a consumer it will make them younger or sexier. Both Intel and AMD will quote performance numbers that show their respective products in the best light, but no one who looks at the numbers is saying that this is a win for Intel.

I nearly bought the previous generation of AMD processor (Ryzen 2000 series). I'm definitely going to build my first new PC in 9 years, based on the new AMD chip (I will still wait a month or two. You always want to see which motherboard BIOS and which memory works best in concert with the new processors).

Regardless, there could be a large shift in the CPU wars this fall.

I built my current comp with an AMD Ryzen 5 1600.

I looked at the new 3000's based on this post and the cost / performance gains made my brain hurt.

Man... memories.

Before moving to Brazil I built computers for friends and family.

I always liked AMD but there were only a few times throughout the years that it surpassed Intel in performance, and it was usually in brief spurts. It was considered great option when on a budget. Much better than a Celeron but at roughly the same price.

I haven't paid any attention to anything relating to the CPU wars since 2007.

If AMD can start reducing power draw and heat generation... woo-doggy.

Financial phenom Bach might caution business owners to forego the "Black Edition" for these Ryzen 3000 processors, in order to feel safe at their workstations. No need to subject your loved ones to these "Threadrippers"!!!

The Ryzen 5 3600 is a 65 watt (low power consumption) CPU: 6 cores and 12 threads, currently going for about $203 at Amazon. Check out the performance numbers. It doesn't win everything, but as a bang-for-the-buck processor, I don't think it can be beat.

I've got a Ryzen 5 1600 in my current computer. I really like it. It runs very cool and it's the quietest computer I've ever had.

Well I just pulled the trigger:

CPU: Ryzen 3700x
Motherboard: MSI MPG X570 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4
Memory: G.Skill Flare X Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CAS latency 14
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX

I'll swap my old Blu Ray Drives and graphics card from my old PC. I'm sure I'll be upgrading the graphics card eventually.

I'm really amazed at how cheap this can be. If you swap out a 3600 for the 3700x, use a x470 motherboard and Cl16 ram, you can build this rig dirt cheap. CL14 Ram is quite a bit more, but it is built on a different die than a lot of Cl14 memory and it is supposed to be more stable and easier to overclock. I'm also spending a little more on an X570 motherboard, because when PCI-e 4.0 become more mature, you will see some blazingly fast drives. There are PCI-e 4.0 drives, but they are all 1 or 2 terabytes and are north of $200, so I'm waiting for the prices to fall.

When I build a PC, I get all geeky for a couple of weeks while I research it and put it together. 6 months from now I will probably forget all the minutiae that I agonized over when parts picking. by the way, if anyone is building a PC I would recommend PC Parts Picker as a good place to start.

I'll post a followup when it is built.

When you build a computer, there is a moment of truth.

Hours of patient (and sometimes impatient) assembly, putting tiny screws into tiny places, looking at incomprehensible assembly diagrams, they all culminate into a moment where you finally plug it in and turn it on. Will it work? Did you accidently fry something with static electricity during assembly? Did you just spend over a thousand dollars to make a box that just sits there?

I put in the power cord, turned on the power supply in the back and...nothing. Part of you panics and assumes the worst, that you fried the motherboard or something...shit-shit-shit-shit....

After several minutes of agony, computer genius that I am, I remembered to turn on the power button on the front of the computer. The RGB fan begins spinning and glowing, and I see the motherboard logo splash screen on the monitor...

It works.

Thank you Jesus! It's a great moment, made all the sweeter from all of the anxiety that it would not work.

Initial impressions: Most single tasks are slightly faster, but honestly my old computer wasn't that slow. Where this thing really shines is multi-tasking. No matter what you throw at this thing, it does not slow down. If I were to compare the Ryzen CPU to a car engine, it would be overbuilt and under-stressed, with a MASSIVE amount of torque.

So far, happy as a clam.