Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega

AMD's Ryzen 3 1300X faces off against Intel's Core i3-7350K with the GeForce GTX 1060/1070 and Radeon RX Vega 56 GPUs. Battle, begin!

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Updated
12 minutes & 41 seconds read time

Introduction

I've written over 16,500 articles in seven years with my time at TweakTown, cherishing every minute of it. I'm surrounded by enthusiast-class hardware like AMD Ryzen Threadripper, NVIDIA TITAN Xp graphics cards, AMD Radeon RX Vega graphics cards, 8K + 4K + 3440x1440 displays, and everything in between.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 10

But where the real fun is, would have to be testing the mid-range gaming PCs because that's what more people buy. It's fun and all testing the crazy high-end hardware, but I miss the days of working at my day job selling gamers their new desktop gaming PCs.

I'd normally never recommend Core i7 processors, opting for the Core i3 and Core i5 processors back in the day (I left that job in December 2012). Fast forward five years, and we're in a world where Ryzen is here and rocking the mid-range game right up to the enthusiast-class gear with Threadripper.

Most people think Core i3 processors aren't that great for gaming, but they really are. I've been toying around with the Core i3-7350K as my gaming PC for a couple of weeks now, teamed with a NVIDIA TITAN Xp graphics card and the Samsung CF791, a 34-inch 3440x1440 UltraWide gaming display with 100Hz refresh rate and Quantum Dot technology.

It's not the crazy high-end Threadripper 1950X next to it or the 8K display connected to the PC; it's one of the cheapest processors that I own. But the 2C/4T processor is a BEAST when it comes to gaming, and so is the AMD Ryzen 3 1300X which costs just over $100, but performs right next to Intel's Core i3-7350K.

CPUs Used: Ryzen 3 1300X + Core i3-7350K

The purpose of these articles was to look at some of the cheaper, but still very powerful quad-core CPUs, and see if we could game on them. I've started off by testing NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1070 and GTX 1080, side-by-side with AMD's new Radeon RX Vega 56 and RX Vega 64 graphics cards.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 05

I will have future articles looking at TITAN Xp performance inside of the Ryzen 3 and Core i3 gaming machines, which is really interesting. $130-$140 processor with $1199 graphics card? Awesome.

We worked with AMD, GIGABYTE, and Corsair on these builds, with GIGABYTE supporting us with their GA-Gaming K8 motherboard for the Core i3-7350K. AMD provided their Ryzen 3 1300X processor and the ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 motherboard, while Corsair kitted everything else out. We're talking CPU cooler, PSU, case, RAM, keyboards, mice, headsets, and even a freakin' gaming chair. Props out to Corsair for their support, and to GIGABYTE for supplying some kick-ass motherboards.

Core i3-7350K + GIGABYTE GA-Gaming B8

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 09

Core i3-7350K + GIGABYTE GA-Gaming B8 motherboard

Intel's Core i3-7350K is $20 more than the Ryzen 3 1300X at $149 on Amazon, and the GIGABYTE GA-Gaming B8 motherboard is also a little more expensive than the Ryzen-capable ASRock board. GIGABYTE's GA-Gaming B8 motherboard comes in at $104.95, down from $124.99 on Amazon right now.

Ryzen 3 1300X + ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 07

Ryzen 3 1300X + ASRock AB350 Gaming K4 motherboard

This is a damn good combo, as you're getting 2C/4T like the Core i3-7350K - but with Team Red. ASRock's Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 motherboard is just $89.99 on Amazon at the time of writing, down from $119.99. A steal, considering the Ryzen 3 1300X processor is just $129.99 as well.

System Specs

Both of the systems were matched with 16GB of RAM and a 750/850W PSU from Corsair, with OCZ providing 2 x 512GB RD400 M.2 SSDs that we've installed directly onto both our motherboards.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 08

I've run all of our games in two detail settings: Medium and High. Only two mainstream resolutions of what most gamers will use on this hardware, so we're looking at 1080p (1920x1080) and 1440p (2560x1440). If you want to see some 3440x1440 and 4K results, let me know in the comments below, and we'll get right into that.

For now... these are the systems we're using - on the next page, you can scope out the benchmarks between Core i3 and Ryzen 3.

Benchmarks: 1080p @ Medium

1080p @ Medium Settings

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 102

Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the best looking games on the market, a truly gorgeous game - and a wonder to benchmark. The team at Crystal Dynamics made a very scalable PC game that plays really well testing graphics cards. We've got DX11 and DX12 results in one here, showing the slight strengths of running DX12 mode.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 40
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 101

Far Cry Primal is a game built on the impressive Dunia Engine 2 with wide open, beautiful environments. It might look stunning, but the performance is actually quite good - but most cards will be stressed at 1440p, and especially so at 4K and beyond.

You can buy Far Cry Primal at Amazon.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 41
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 104

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is one of the most graphically intensive games we test, with Monolith using their own Lithtech engine to power the game. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.

You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Amazon.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 42
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 107

Ubisoft's latest installment in the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series is Ghost Recon Wildlands, an open world tactical shooter with some of the best graphics on the market, with Ubisoft Paris using a modified version of the AnvilNext engine.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 44
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 105

Metro: Last Light Redux comes from developer 4A Games, making the Redux version of Metro: Last Light the 'definitive' version of the game. Redux had a fresh coat of paint on the already impressive 4A Engine, and it really pushes our GPUs to their limits.

You can buy Metro: Last Light Redux at Amazon.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 43

Benchmarks: 1080p @ Very High/Ultra

1080p @ Very High/Ultra Settings

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 102

Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the best looking games on the market, a truly gorgeous game - and a wonder to benchmark. The team at Crystal Dynamics made a very scalable PC game that plays really well testing graphics cards. We've got DX11 and DX12 results in one here, showing the slight strengths of running DX12 mode.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 20
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 101

Far Cry Primal is a game built on the impressive Dunia Engine 2 with wide open, beautiful environments. It might look stunning, but the performance is actually quite good - but most cards will be stressed at 1440p, and especially so at 4K and beyond.

You can buy Far Cry Primal at Amazon.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 21
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 104

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is one of the most graphically intensive games we test, with Monolith using their own Lithtech engine to power the game. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.

You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Amazon.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 22
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 107

Ubisoft's latest installment in the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series is Ghost Recon Wildlands, an open world tactical shooter with some of the best graphics on the market, with Ubisoft Paris using a modified version of the AnvilNext engine.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 24
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 105

Metro: Last Light Redux comes from developer 4A Games, making the Redux version of Metro: Last Light the 'definitive' version of the game. Redux had a fresh coat of paint on the already impressive 4A Engine, and it really pushes our GPUs to their limits.

You can buy Metro: Last Light Redux at Amazon.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 23

Benchmarks: 1440p @ Medium

1440p @ Very High/Ultra Settings

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 102

Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the best looking games on the market, a truly gorgeous game - and a wonder to benchmark. The team at Crystal Dynamics made a very scalable PC game that plays really well testing graphics cards. We've got DX11 and DX12 results in one here, showing the slight strengths of running DX12 mode.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 50
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 101

Far Cry Primal is a game built on the impressive Dunia Engine 2 with wide open, beautiful environments. It might look stunning, but the performance is actually quite good - but most cards will be stressed at 1440p, and especially so at 4K and beyond.

You can buy Far Cry Primal at Amazon.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 51
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 104

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is one of the most graphically intensive games we test, with Monolith using their own Lithtech engine to power the game. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.

You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Amazon.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 52
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 107

Ubisoft's latest installment in the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series is Ghost Recon Wildlands, an open world tactical shooter with some of the best graphics on the market, with Ubisoft Paris using a modified version of the AnvilNext engine.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 54
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 105

Metro: Last Light Redux comes from developer 4A Games, making the Redux version of Metro: Last Light the 'definitive' version of the game. Redux had a fresh coat of paint on the already impressive 4A Engine, and it really pushes our GPUs to their limits.

You can buy Metro: Last Light Redux at Amazon.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 53

Benchmarks: 1440p @ Very High/Ultra

1440p @ Very High/Ultra Settings

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 102

Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the best looking games on the market, a truly gorgeous game - and a wonder to benchmark. The team at Crystal Dynamics made a very scalable PC game that plays really well testing graphics cards. We've got DX11 and DX12 results in one here, showing the slight strengths of running DX12 mode.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 30
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 101

Far Cry Primal is a game built on the impressive Dunia Engine 2 with wide open, beautiful environments. It might look stunning, but the performance is actually quite good - but most cards will be stressed at 1440p, and especially so at 4K and beyond.

You can buy Far Cry Primal at Amazon.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 31
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 104

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is one of the most graphically intensive games we test, with Monolith using their own Lithtech engine to power the game. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.

You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor at Amazon.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 32
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 107

Ubisoft's latest installment in the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series is Ghost Recon Wildlands, an open world tactical shooter with some of the best graphics on the market, with Ubisoft Paris using a modified version of the AnvilNext engine.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 34
Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 105

Metro: Last Light Redux comes from developer 4A Games, making the Redux version of Metro: Last Light the 'definitive' version of the game. Redux had a fresh coat of paint on the already impressive 4A Engine, and it really pushes our GPUs to their limits.

You can buy Metro: Last Light Redux at Amazon.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 33

Performance Analysis

1080p Medium

Rise of the Tomb Raider at 1920x1080 and the Medium preset in DX12 pushes nearly 100FPS+ on all of the cards and CPUs, with 96FPS the low point on the 7350K + GTX 1060, compared to 103FPS on the Ryzen 3 1300X system. But with the GTX 1070 FE, both the AMD and Intel systems rise to 120FPS average... perfect.

Far Cry Primal is another great example between the Intel and AMD processors, and even the AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards. Once again, we have 60-75FPS minimum and 90FPS+ average on every single system combination we tested. 90FPS+ is totally perfect for a 1080p 60FPS gamer, as you can enable some of those visual settings and still maintain 60FPS+ in Far Cry Primal.

When the testing reached Shadow of Mordor, we can see that it's more CPU intensive with Intel's Core i3-7350K winning by a long shot. Starting with the GTX 1060 FE, we have 144FPS average with the Core i3-7350K system, while the Ryzen 3 1300X system "only" pushed out 126FPS average.

Again, we're looking for anything over 60FPS here - so 126FPS average being the lowest score is still a major win. Even if you had a 1080p 120Hz gaming display, you can enjoy Shadow of Mordor at 1080p/Medium with 120FPS+ on a Ryzen 3 1300X + GTX 1060 FE!

1080p Very High/Ultra

Next up we have the Very High/Ultra preset runs, with Rise of the Tomb Raider once again enjoying 76FPS+ on the GTX 1060 FE + Core i3 system, and 72FPS on the Ryzen 3 build. 60FPS+ average goodness, on systems that are cheap as chips (when compared to Core i7 + GTX 1080 Ti).

We saw nearly 100FPS average across the board with Far Cry Primal @ 1080p/Medium, but with the Ultra preset in tow, we still have 60FPS+ average. There is only 3FPS difference between Intel and AMD here with the GTX 1060, 4FPS difference between the GTX 1070 FE runs, and just 6FPS difference between the RX Vega 56 runs.

The Ultra preset in Shadow of Mordor is hardcore on our hardware, but there are bigger wins for AMD's Ryzen 3 1300X here. Compared to 20FPS+ differences on the Medium preset for Shadow of Mordor, we have just 2FPS difference between Core i3 and Ryzen 3 on the GTX 1060.

Moving onto the GTX 1070 runs, where we have 12FPS difference between Intel and AMD, and then 14FPS difference with the RX Vega 56 runs. Not too damn bad at all.

1440p Medium

Even at 2560x1440, you don't need to run out and buy a GeForce GTX 1080/GTX 1080 Ti or AMD's new Radeon RX Vega 64 for most games. We're still looking at 60FPS+ for most of the games, which is great considering we're spending just $250 on the CPU and motherboard side of things.

Starting with Rise of the Tomb Raider at 2560x1440 on the Medium preset, we have just 3FPS between the Core i3-7350K and Ryzen 3 1300X with the GTX 1060 FE, coming in at 66/69FPS, respectively. An amazing result, hitting 60FPS+ in a game as gorgeous as ROTTR on a relatively cheap gaming PC.

Far Cry Primal enjoys the same 60FPS+ goodness as ROTTR, with just 5FPS difference between Core i3 and Ryzen 3 at 1440p, while there's 1FPS difference with the GTX 1070 and our Core i3 and Ryzen 3 PCs, but Vega 56 loses big time in the Ryzen 3 PC for some reason.

Shadow of Mordor performance continues to blow me away, with 92FPS average on the Core i3-7350K + GTX 1060 FE setup, 7FPS faster than the Ryzen 3 1300X. Still, nearly 100FPS average at 1440p in Shadow of Mordor on a GTX 1060 FE??? Crazy good.

Ramping up to the GTX 1070 we have 127FPS average on the Ryzen 3 1300X system which is beyond impressive, while the Core i3-7350K build manages a huge 139FPS. AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 continues to do well here, with 134FPS average on the Ryzen 3 1300X, and a huge 148FPS on the 7350K.

1440p Very High/Ultra

This is where I expected things to fall apart: 2560x1440 @ Very High/Ultra, as it's quite demanding... even for higher-end Core i7/Ryzen 7 processors mixed with much faster GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics cards, but the systems still performed well, especially considering the $250 entry cost for the CPU/motherboard.

Rise of the Tomb Raider dropped under 60FPS average on our GTX 1060 FE graphics card, with 50FPS average on the Core i3-7350K and 51FPS average on the Ryzen 3 1300X. Just 1FPS difference between Intel and AMD's mid-range CPUs here.

GTX 1070 still manages 70/71FPS average on the Core i3/Ryzen 3, respectively... while we have 66FPS average for both the runs of Radeon RX Vega 56 on Intel and AMD processors.

Far Cry Primal performance also dips below 60FPS at 1440p and Ultra, with the Core i3 + GTX 1060 FE system managing 48FPS average (40FPS minimum, too) while the Ryzen 3 + GTX 1060 FE system pushed out 45FPS average (and 38FPS minimum).

The GTX 1070 managed 66FPS average in both systems, with identical results between Core i3 and Ryzen 3, while the Radeon RX Vega 56 squeezed out even more performance than the GTX 1070 FE, with 71FPS average on the 7350K, and 70FPS average on the Ryzen 3 1300X.

Shadow of Mordor somehow scales beautifully well, with 71/68FPS on the GTX 1060 FE with Core i3/Ryzen 3, respectively. The GTX 1070 smashes it, with 99FPS average at 1440p/Ultra on Shadow of Mordor, up from 94FPS on the Ryzen 3 system. Radeon RX Vega 56 pushes on, with GTX 1070 beating performance in SoM with 104FPS average on Core i3, and 102FPS average on Ryzen 3. Impressive stuff there from AMD.

Final Thoughts

From the thousands and thousands of benchmarks and tests that I've done over the years, this is one of the most exciting as there's not much difference between Intel and AMD with the graphics cards that we've tested here today: GTX 1060 FE, GTX 1070 FE, and RX Vega 56.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 05

I see it all the time, either online, on Facebook, or even when I'm in a retail store somewhere: people wanting to buy the Core i7 or Ryzen 7 because they've seen it's "faster" than the Core i3/i5 and Ryzen 3/5. But for gaming purposes alone, is it worth it? Not really, no.

Intel prices its Core i3-7350K at $149, while the Core i7-7700K is $299... double the price. Does it offer double the gaming performance? No. Does it offer double the synthetic/multi-threaded CPU performance for applications like video editing, encoding, etc. - yes, definitely.

Keep in mind the extra $150 you spend on the CPU would typically go into a higher-end board, so let's look at the price of the GIGABYTE AORUS Z270X-Gaming K7 motherboard that costs $182.90 on Amazon right now, adding another $70 to the total cost, pushing us up to $220+ more than buying the Core i3-7350K + GIGABYTE GA-Gaming B8 motherboard.

That $220 is the difference between the Core i3/Core i7 and the respective motherboards, could be pumped into a much better graphics card. There is a $200 price gap between the GeForce GTX 1060 and GTX 1070, so gamers could opt for the Core i3, and then spend more money on their graphics card.

Ryzen 3 vs. Core i3 benched on GTX 1060/1070 & RX Vega 08

Alternatively, gamers could spend the additional $200 on a better gaming display - especially if they needed to buy one anyway. That $200 will score you a 2560x1440 @ 60Hz panel, or a good 1080p 120/144Hz gaming panel. We've shown you that running Medium detail (and most games go lower, with Low/Lowest presets) that will give you 100FPS+ in major titles like Battlegrounds, League of Legends, or CS:GO.

The tests on the AMD Ryzen 3 1300X system were interesting, considering how damn cheap the bundle is for the Ryzen 3 1300X + motherboard. Even more interesting when you stick to Team Red and bundle it with the Radeon RX Vega 56, which is a great alternative to the GTX 1070.

Grabbing the RX Vega 56 over the GTX 1070 makes sense if you're starting new and building a gaming PC, especially in the heights of the Battlegrounds hype. You will need a gaming display, with FreeSync displays being much cheaper than G-Sync alternatives.

This is where big savings can happen, with another couple of hundred dollars being saved on a FreeSync display that you can pump into other areas of the gaming PC: peripherals (mouse, keyboard, headset = all expensive for higher-end gear).

All-in-all, this was one of the more exciting articles I've worked on... so coming up next: Intel Core i5-7600K versus Ryzen 5 1500X. After that, all four of those configurations + 7700K and Ryzen 7 1800X in Battlegrounds. Keep your eyes peeled on TweakTown!

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Anthony joined the TweakTown team in 2010 and has since reviewed 100s of graphics cards. Anthony is a long time PC enthusiast with a passion of hate for games built around consoles. FPS gaming since the pre-Quake days, where you were insulted if you used a mouse to aim, he has been addicted to gaming and hardware ever since. Working in IT retail for 10 years gave him great experience with custom-built PCs. His addiction to GPU tech is unwavering and has recently taken a keen interest in artificial intelligence (AI) hardware.

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