AMD Releases Two Ryzen 3 Processors: Budget-Level Quad-Core CPUs

AMD rounded out its Ryzen family of CPUs today by releasing two budget-friendly Ryzen 3 processors. Both the Ryzen 3 1300X and 1200 come equipped with four cores and four threads, but differ in clock speeds. The slightly stronger R3 1300X sports a 3.5 GHz base clock and 3.7 GHz boost clock while the R3 1200 has a 3.1 GHz base clock and 3.4 GHz boost clock. These are the cheapest current-generation quad-core CPUs; the R3 1300X goes for $130 and the R3 1200 costs $110.

CPU	Cores / Threads	Base / Boost Clock	TDP	Price
Ryzen 3 1300X	4 / 4	3.5 GHz / 3.7 GHz	65 Watts	$130
Ryzen 3 1200	4 / 4	3.1 GHz / 3.4 GHz	65 Watts	$110

All Ryzen CPUs are unlocked, but those with the "X" moniker (like the 1300X) are capable of higher overclocks. Overclocking does require an AM4 socket motherboard with either the X370, B350, or X300 chipset. Included with both Ryzen 3 CPUs is AMD's Wraith Stealth air cooler which is said to be a low-noise cooling solution. The Wraith Max air cooler can also be purchased separately for $60 if you need a more robust option for keeping temperatures down.

Intel offers the Core i3 series of CPUs at around the same price range as Ryzen 3, but Intel only offers dual-core options. AMD also asserts that its 1300X beats out the Core i3-7300 by at least 10% in games such as The Division, Overwatch, and Dota 2 at 1080p resolution. With its two-core advantage, the Ryzen 3 CPUs also outpace their Intel counterparts in video production tasks by a significant margin. Ryzen 3 is also said to strong enough for virtual reality applications.

Now with Ryzen 7, 5, and 3, AMD's place in the modern CPU market is nearly complete; the high-end desktop Threadripper CPU series is set to release early next month with 12-core ($800) and 16-core ($1000) options. For more on AMD's processors, check out our review of the Ryzen 7 1800X and Ryzen 5 1600X / 1500X.