The AMD Ryzen 3 1200 CPU has been a value bargain for years now. It's reportedly been undergoing a transformation from its original 14nm Zen design to 12nm and the Zen+ architecture. Initial rumors of these first-gen chip makeovers showed up in December last year.
Now, as per German hardware publication ComputerBase , the 12nm Zen+ Ryzen 3 1200 has hit shelves at a German retailer for €54.73 or about $60.
That's not a lot of money for a quad- core CPU , especially considering that next to the improved architecture, AMD has kept the specifications for the chip identical. It still runs at the same 3.1 GHz base clock with a boost clock of 3.4 GHz, and it maintains the same 65W TDP.
AMD Ryzen 3 1200 Specs
| AMD Ryzen 3 1200 | AMD Ryzen 3 1200 AF* | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Cores / Threads | 4 / 4 | 4 / 4 |
| Base Clock | 3.1 GHz | 3.1 GHz |
| Boost Clock | 3.4 GHz | 3.4 GHz |
| Lithography | 14 nm | 12nm |
| Architecture | Zen | Zen+ |
| Codename | Summit Ridge | Pinnacle Ridge |
| L2 Cache | 2MB | 2MB |
| L3 Cache | 8MB | 8MB |
| TDP | 65W | 65W |
* Ryzen 3 1200 AF Specs not confirmed by AMD
With all other variables equal, the Ryzen 3 1200 AF should show a tiny boost in performance over the old model, thanks to the Zen+ architecture improvements. Zen+ offers slightly improved power consumption, a tiny increase in IPC , an update to Precision Boost 2 for better Turbo, faster cache and a memory controller capable of supporting faster RAM .
If you want to know which part you're buying, be on the lookout for part number YD1200BBM4K AF BOX for the new version. The old 14nm Ryzen 3 1200 was listed as YD1200BBM4K AE BOX. The boxed version comes with the Wraith Stealth cooler included as standard.