AMD Relaunches the Athlon 3000G AM4 Processor
AMD has officially reintroduced its aging dual-core processor, the Athlon 3000G, under the relaunch banner. The chip was shipped to Japan bundled with a new cooler and packaging for around ¥5,790 (approximately $40). The new part number is YD3000C6FHSBX.
Specifications of the Athlon 3000G
The chip was initially released back in 2019 as one of the entry-level offerings on the AM4 platform, suitable for overclocking since it had an unlocked design. The other salient specifications include:
- CPU Cores/Threads: 2 Cores / 4 Threads (Zen Architecture)
- Clock Speed: 3.5 GHz
- L3 Cache: 4MB
- Integrated Graphics: Vega 3 (3 CUs, 192 cores) at 1.1 GHz
- TDP: 35W
Refreshed Architecture "Dali"
The most recent release is the 2023 refresh of the chip using the newer "Dali" architecture. Performance-wise, it is identical to the older "Raven Ridge" version with a different underlying die. The Dali die being a native dual-core chip presents an economical manufacturing advantage. The original Raven Ridge version utilized the quad-core die with two of the cores disabled.
This is reflected in the part number: models with the "FH" designation (like this one) use the Dali die, while the older models with "FB" use the Raven Ridge die.
Market Strategy for Older CPUs
A six-year-old CPU reboot is a deliberate strategy to serve the existing low-cost component market. Very few would bat an eyelid as AMD or Intel have practiced this often. AMD has locked such CPUs as the Ryzen 5 5500X3D in regions, while Intel has turned to the Core i5-110, based on a five-year-old Comet Lake architecture.
Important Note on Motherboard Compatibility
While the Athlon 3000G uses the AM4 socket, its age may pose a compatibility hurdle. AMD has released many AM4 processors over the years, and due to this huge number, some modern AM4 motherboards, especially the 500-series boards, may not have sufficient memory resource on the BIOS firmware to include these older CPU support.
The interested user should check if the particular AM4 motherboard BIOS has the official support for the Athlon 3000G before buying it.
