AMD Ryzen 3 1300X And 1200 Processor Review: More Affordable Zen

Name: AMD Ryzen 3
Brand: AMD

by Marco Chiappetta — Thursday, July 27, 2017, 09:00 AM EDT

Performance Summary: The AMD Ryzen 3 1300X and Ryzen 3 1200 performed well in our testing, especially when you consider their price points. With multi-threaded workloads, the Ryzen 3’s quad-core configuration generally gives it an edge over the dual-core / quad-thread Core i3 and in some cases allows it to compete with more expensive Core i5s. With single or lightly threaded workloads, however, Kaby Lake-based Core i3s are likely to pull ahead due to their increased IPC and typically higher clocks, as we saw with JetStream and in the audio encoding tests.

AMD Ryzen 3 Processors -- Find Them At Amazon

AMD Ryzen 3 processors should be available immediately from your favorite retailers. Pricing for the two processors we’ve show you here is as follows:

At those prices, AMD's Ryzen 3 offering is competitive and undercuts some of the higher-end Intel Core i3s. Pair one of these chips with an inexpensive B350 based motherboard -- many of which are available for under $100 -- and you’d have the foundation of a relatively high-performance, modern, quad-core PC, for right around $200, give or take a few bucks. We should point out, however, that for only slightly more money, there is significantly more performance to be had. For example, AMD's Ryzen 5 1400 quad-core / eight-thread processor can be found for right around $159, and it offers better multi-threaded performance due to its support for SMT. If, you’re on an extremely tight budget, however, and can’t manage higher than Ryzen 3’s price points, they represent a solid choice for a mainstream desktop PC, with all of the modern amenities of a current-generation system.


Good Performance All Quad-Cores Low Power Consumption Competitive Pricing	Typically Trails Core i3 In Single-Thread Workloads Moderate Overclocking

Tags: AMD, CPU, processor, ryzen, ryzen 3

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com