I admit that I’m an Intel guy and almost always choose their processors for my computers. That may not always be the best choice, just the choice I’ve made. So today I’m going to share one of the latest AMD processors to give you an alternative choice if you so desire. Yes, there will be an Amazon link that delivers me a puny commission. No, I didn’t get anything for writing about this chip.

As we compare processors, not everything can be directly compared. The AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT has 12 cores and 24 threads. For those running lots of processes, it can divide them up quite well. Clock speeds are a base clock of 3.8 GHz and go up to 4.7 GHz which means it can run that processes really fast.

If there is any knock against the chip, it is that the change from last year’s 3900X is minimal. The older chip includes a CPU cooler, albeit a very basic one, in the box and the new chip does not. Most users would want to purchase a better cooler so I don’t consider this a dealbreaker, but something to include in your purchasing decision.

If you are going to get either of these chips, you’ll need a compatible motherboard and for that I’d recommend the Asus ROG Strix X570-E Gaming ATX Motherboard. Combine the Ryzen 9 3900XT with this motherboard and you have a great start for a very fast and powerful machine.