AMD pads out 3rd-gen Ryzen desktop line with 3 new XT CPUs

AMD today announced that it's expanding its lineup of 3rd-generation Ryzen desktop CPUs with the introduction of the Ryzen 5 3600XT, Ryzen 7 3800XT, and the Ryzen 9 3900XT. The new CPUs won't be here until next month, but AMD is revealing some of the specifications for them today. In addition to that, AMD also announced the A520 chipset today, but details on that are still very slim.

These three new CPUs mark the first time we've seen XT branding on Ryzen CPUs, though if you currently already own a Ryzen 3000 processor, it probably isn't worth the upgrade to the XT version. Still, as the naming conventions suggest, these processors cover a fairly wide range of specs, starting with the Ryzen 5 and its 6 cores that are clocked at 3.8GHz with a boost frequency of 4.5Ghz.

The Ryzen 5 3600XT is, unsurprisingly, the cheapest CPU of the bunch, coming in at $249. The Ryzen 7 3800XT sports 8 cores and 16 threads, a base clock speed of 3.8Ghz, and 36MB total cache for $399. Finally, the Ryzen 9 3900XT serves up 12 cores and 24 threads with a base clock speed of 3.8GHz and 70MB total cache for a not-insignificant $499.

If you're looking for a workstation CPU, something like the Ryzen 9 3900XT could be a good choice, but if you're just looking for a CPU for a gaming PC, you could probably stick with the Ryzen 5 3600XT and come out just fine. More detailed specifications are available in the table you see above.

In addition to revealing these new CPUs today, AMD also announced the A520 chipset that will support third-generation Ryzen desktop processors and later. Detailed specifications weren't available today, but AMD said that we can expect to see A520 motherboards from companies like ASRock, ASUS, Biostar, Colorful, Gigabyte, MSI, and more beginning in August 2020. Meanwhile, all three of these new Ryzen desktop CPUs will be launching on July 7th, so keep an eye out for those.