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Ryzen 3 Review: 1200 and 1300X for Desktop PCs

With AMD's Ryzen 3, the Zen architecture has trickled down into the entry-level market. Lacking SMT, the affordable CPUs did fairly well in our tests regardless, and are most certainly a viable alternative and worthy of a recommendation for entry-level systems.

Introduction

For the original German article, see here.

In March of 2017, AMD released its first Ryzen processors 1700, 1700X, and 1800X. To this day, these high-end models are the fastest microprocessors based on AMD’s Zen architecture available. At the same time, Ryzen 5 CPUs were meant to bring new life to the somewhat stale middle class. And last but not least, Ryzen 3 1200 and 1300X are now finally available and aimed to fight Intel’s grip on the entry-level market for affordable and low-demand systems. Compared to the higher-end models, the number of available cores has been cut in half and the number of threads even quartered due to the lack of SMT.

Ryzen 3 1200 and 1300X

Like all Ryzen CPUs, the 1200 and 1300X are based on AMD’s Zen architecture that has remained unchanged even for these entry-level microprocessors. As such, both are still based on the same symmetrical design that we have already reviewed in depth during our Ryzen 7 review. Compared to the higher-end models Ryzen 5 and 7, only two cores per cluster are enabled. Accordingly, even the low-end models get full access to all 24 PCIe 3.0 lanes and 8 MB of L3-cache. Thanks to the unlocked multiplier overclocking is still fairly straightforward.

Selling for around $130, the Ryzen 3 1300X is clocked at 3.5 GHz with a maximum turbo boost of 3.9 GHz on a single, 3.7 GHz on two, and 3.6 GHz on three or more cores. Thus, its base clock speed is significantly higher than the Ryzen 5’s yet in return it has just four cores and threads in total. The $20 cheaper Ryzen 1200 is clocked at 3.1 GHz (turbo boosts of 3.45 GHz on one and 3.4 GHz on two cores) and both processors are rated at 65 W TDP.

Current Market Situation

Both Ryzen 3 models are positioned somewhere between the upper lower and the lower middle class of microprocessors. Traditionally dominated by Intel’s Core i3 lineup, this category also includes the $80 Pentium G4560; all of which are dual-core processors with SMT enabled and, not uncommon for Intel CPUs, fairly high clock speeds. And while SMT does improve performance noticeably, its benefits are far from doubling the available amount of physical cores. At least in optimized applications, that is.

Generally speaking even entry-level processors offer more than sufficient performance for everyday use even under more strenuous conditions. They are, however, no viable alternative for high-demand workstations for, say CAD rendering. Combined with a decent graphics card these affordable CPUs are even suitable for gaming, albeit restrictions apply in this case.

Model Cores - Threads Base Clock Turbo Boost (1-2 cores) Turbo Boost (3 or more cores) L3-Cache TDP Price
Ryzen 7 1700X 8-16 3.4 GHz 3.8 GHz 3.5 GHz 16 MB 95 Watt $300
Ryzen 5 1500X 4-8 3.5 GHz 3.7 GHz 3.6 GHz 16 MB 65 Watt $160
Ryzen 5 1400 4-8 3.2 GHz 3.4 GHz 3.2 GHz 8 MB 65 Watt $150
Ryzen 3 1300X 4-4 3.4 GHz 3.9/3.7 GHz 3.6 GHz 8 MB 65 Watt $130
Ryzen 3 1200 4-4 3.1 GHz 3.45/3.4 GHz 3.1 GHz 8 MB 65 Watt $110
Pentium G4560 2-4 3.5 GHz N/A N/A 3 MB 54 Watt $80
Core i3-7100 2-4 3.9 GHz N/A N/A 3 MB 51 Watt $120

Synthetic Benchmarks

Cinebench R15

Being an all-synthetic benchmark, Cinebench R15 allows for a quick and first assessment of a microprocessor’s raw computing prowess by throwing more than 200,000 polygons to render at it. It profits from high clock speeds and a high core count, and to a lesser degree also from large caches and Hyperthreading in the multi-thread test.

As expected, the Ryzen 3 1300X is faster than the Ryzen 5 1500X but slower than the 1600 in the single-thread test of this benchmark. However, it is outperformed by all of its relevant Intel-competitors. The high-end Ryzen 7 1800X is only 8 % faster, and the slower Ryzen 3 1200 is about as fast as the Ryzen 5 1400. The (much more expensive) Intel processors are faster in this test, even the Core i3-7100 manages to outperform AMD’s low-end offering.

In the multi-thread test of this benchmark, the new entry-level Ryzen CPUs are massively handicapped compared to their middle class and high-end brethren due to their lack of cores and threads. They even end up performing worse than AMD’s 2012-released FX-8350. However, this time Intel’s Core i7-7100 doesn’t stand a chance and is 13 % slower than even the Ryzen 3 1200.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Intel Core i7-7740X
195 Points +28%
Intel Core i7-7700K
194 Points +28%
Intel Core i5-7600K
191 Points +26%
165 Points +9%
Intel Core i7-6950X
164 Points +8%
Intel Core i7-6950X
147 Points -3%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
164 Points +8%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
157 Points +3%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
157 Points +3%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
152 Points
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
149 Points -2%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
148 Points -3%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
147.6 Points -3%
Intel Core i7-5960X
139 Points -9%
Intel Core i3-7100
135 Points -11%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
134.5 (133.01min - 136.04max) Points -12%
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
105 Points -31%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
100 Points -34%
AMD FX-8350
97 Points -36%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Intel Core i7-6950X
1859 Points +233%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
1657 Points +197%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
1647 Points +195%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
1557 Points +179%
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
1550 Points +178%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
1418 (1413.38min - 1425.16max) Points +154%
Intel Core i7-5960X
1387 Points +149%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
1143 Points +105%
Intel Core i7-7740X
988 Points +77%
Intel Core i7-7700K
984 Points +76%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
818 Points +47%
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
738 Points +32%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
692 (676.26min - 706.89max) Points +24%
Intel Core i5-7600K
688 Points +23%
AMD FX-8350
636 Points +14%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
558 (546.34min - 558max) Points
Intel Core i3-7100
480 (478.58min - 481.77max) Points -14%
417 Points -25%

Truecrypt

The benchmark included with Truecrypt measures a CPU’s performance by running multiple encryption algorithms. Not very likely to ever occur in the real world as such, this benchmark does offer a glimpse of real-world performance and a processor’s potential nevertheless. The encryption method in question is the Rijndael algorithm, which is better know under its three-letter acronym AES. It profits from a high core count and high frequencies.

And since today’s contestants are lacking in both departments they were not particularly fast in this test, at least when compared to their in-house competition. Compared to Intel’s i3-7100, the 1300X was quite a bit faster.

Performance Rating - Percent
Intel Core i7-6950X
100 pt
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
82.4 pt
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
80.8 pt
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
78.4 pt
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
77.8 pt
Intel Core i7-5960X
68.5 pt
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
56.5 pt
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
51.9 pt
Intel Core i7-7740X
49.4 pt
Intel Core i7-7700K
49.1 pt
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
41.2 pt
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
35.5 pt
Intel Core i5-7600K
32.5 pt
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
25.5 pt
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
22 pt
TrueCrypt
Serpent Mean 100MB
Intel Core i7-6950X
1.4 GB/s +378%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
0.945 GB/s +223%
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
0.917 GB/s +213%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
0.898 GB/s +206%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
0.862 GB/s +194%
Intel Core i7-5960X
0.712 GB/s +143%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
0.655 GB/s +124%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
0.649 GB/s +122%
Intel Core i7-7700K
0.554 GB/s +89%
Intel Core i7-7740X
0.551 GB/s +88%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
0.465 GB/s +59%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
0.41 GB/s +40%
Intel Core i5-7600K
0.367 GB/s +25%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
0.293 GB/s
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
0.253 GB/s -14%
Twofish Mean 100MB
Intel Core i7-6950X
1.7 GB/s +270%
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
1.6 GB/s +248%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
1.5 GB/s +226%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
1.4 GB/s +204%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
1.4 GB/s +204%
Intel Core i7-5960X
1.3 GB/s +183%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
1 GB/s +117%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
1 GB/s +117%
Intel Core i7-7740X
0.944 GB/s +105%
Intel Core i7-7700K
0.939 GB/s +104%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
0.744 GB/s +62%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
0.647 GB/s +41%
Intel Core i5-7600K
0.611 GB/s +33%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
0.46 GB/s
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
0.395 GB/s -14%
AES Mean 100MB
Intel Core i7-6950X
10.5 GB/s +250%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
9.6 GB/s +220%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
9.4 GB/s +213%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
9.3 GB/s +210%
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
8.7 GB/s +190%
Intel Core i7-5960X
8.2 GB/s +173%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
6.7 GB/s +123%
Intel Core i7-7740X
5.6 GB/s +87%
Intel Core i7-7700K
5.5 GB/s +83%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
5.3 GB/s +77%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
4.9 GB/s +63%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
4.1 GB/s +37%
Intel Core i5-7600K
3.7 GB/s +23%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
3 GB/s
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
2.6 GB/s -13%

wPrime

wPrime uses Newton’s method for estimating functions in order to calculate square roots, verifying the results by squaring them, and comparing the result with the original input. This highly iterative algorithm profits from a high core count, and is as such fairly similar to the Truecrypt benchmark.

And once again the two entry-level Ryzen CPUs are not particularly fast. Intel’s Core i5-7600K is 22 % faster than the 1300X. Compared to its bigger brother, the Ryzen 5 1600, the 1300X is 162 % slower, which is proof for the Zen architecture’s excellent scaling.

wPrime 2.10
1024m
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
393.1 s * -17%
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
390.1 s * -17%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
334.8 s *
Intel Core i5-7600K
259.5 s * +22%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
237.3 s * +29%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
210.6 s * +37%
Intel Core i7-7700K
169.8 s * +49%
Intel Core i7-7740X
167.2 s * +50%
Intel Core i7-5960X
116.8 s * +65%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
109 s * +67%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
103 s * +69%
Intel Core i7-6950X
94 s * +72%
32m
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
12.5 s * -16%
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
12.31 s * -14%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
10.8 s *
Intel Core i5-7600K
8.3 s * +23%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
7.8 s * +28%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
6.9 s * +36%
Intel Core i7-7700K
5.5 s * +49%
Intel Core i7-7740X
5.4 s * +50%
Intel Core i7-5960X
4.25 s * +61%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
4 s * +63%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
3.8 s * +65%
Intel Core i7-6950X
3.5 s * +68%

* ... smaller is better

Other Synthetic Benchmarks

We won’t analyze and discuss the following benchmarks in detail. All we can say is that they serve to reinforce our hitherto observations. Unfortunately, WinRAR tends to be very unreliable on some CPUs, and returns reproducibly incomprehensible results.

Geekbench 4.0
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Intel Core i7-7740X
5619 Points +32%
Intel Core i7-7700K
5480 Points +29%
Intel Core i5-7600K
5225 Points +23%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
4499 Points +6%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
4333 Points +2%
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
4321 Points +2%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
4250 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
4179 Points -2%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
4149 Points -2%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
4130 Points -3%
Intel Core i7-6950X
4049 Points -5%
Intel Core i7-5960X
3980 Points -6%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
3885 Points -9%
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
3881 (3872min - 3888max) Points -9%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
2961 Points -30%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Intel Core i7-6950X
26761 Points +127%
Intel Core i7-5960X
22382 Points +90%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
22009 Points +86%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
21194 Points +80%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
21038 Points +78%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
19784 Points +68%
Intel Core i7-7740X
18383 Points +56%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
17937 Points +52%
Intel Core i7-7700K
17800 Points +51%
Intel Core i5-7600K
15030 Points +27%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
14463 Points +23%
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
14026 Points +19%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
12785 Points +8%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
11803 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
10545 (10477min - 10597max) Points -11%
WinRAR - Result
Intel Core i7-6950X
8450 KB/s +216%
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
7269 KB/s +172%
Intel Core i7-5960X
7049 KB/s +163%
Intel Core i7-7740X
6417 KB/s +140%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
6323 KB/s +136%
Intel Core i7-7700K
5823 KB/s +118%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
4120 KB/s +54%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
3999 KB/s +49%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
3910 KB/s +46%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
3687 KB/s +38%
Intel Core i5-7600K
3570 KB/s +33%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
3147 KB/s +18%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
2677 KB/s
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
2481 KB/s -7%
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 1
Intel Core i7-7740X
233.6 (231.9min - 233.6max) fps +29%
Intel Core i7-7700K
230 fps +27%
Intel Core i5-7600K
223 fps +23%
Intel Core i7-6950X
196 fps +8%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
195 fps +7%
Intel Core i7-5960X
191 fps +5%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
186 fps +2%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
181.6 fps
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
177 fps -3%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
177 fps -3%
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
164.8 fps -9%
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
160 fps -12%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
154 fps -15%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
136.6 fps -25%
Pass 2
Intel Core i7-6950X
101 fps +163%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
95 fps +147%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
90.6 fps +136%
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
85.2 fps +122%
Intel Core i7-5960X
82.3 fps +114%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
79.1 fps +106%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
68.7 fps +79%
Intel Core i7-7740X
61.7 (61.6min - 61.8max) fps +61%
Intel Core i7-7700K
61.6 fps +60%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
49.5 fps +29%
Intel Core i5-7600K
46.2 fps +20%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
43.4 fps +13%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
38.4 fps
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
33.34 fps -13%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Intel Core i7-7740X
5347 Points +17%
Intel Core i7-7700K
5042 Points +10%
Intel Core i5-7600K
4749 Points +4%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
4746 Points +4%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
4647 Points +2%
Intel Core i7-4790K
4624 Points +1%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
4613 Points +1%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
4573 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
4485 Points -2%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
4437 Points -3%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
4346 Points -5%
Intel Core i7-6950X
4323 Points -5%
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
4264 Points -7%
Intel Core i7-5960X
4122 Points -10%
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
4069 Points -11%
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
3816 Points -17%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5234 Points
Intel Core i7-7700K
5167 Points
Intel Core i7-7740X
4977 Points
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
4557 Points
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
4529 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
4511 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
4487 Points
Intel Core i7-6950X
4451 Points
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
4431 Points
Intel Core i7-5960X
4413 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
4410 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
4402 Points
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
4401 Points
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics
Intel Core i7-6950X
21692 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
18915 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
18407 Points
Intel Core i7-5960X
16942 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
16830 Points
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
16522 Points
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
16369 Points
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
15818 Points
Intel Core i7-7740X
14432 Points
Intel Core i7-7700K
14325 Points
Intel Core i7-4790K
12492 Points
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
10848 Points
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
10455 Points
Intel Core i5-7600K
9292 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
6925 Points
2560x1440 Time Spy CPU
Intel Core i7-6950X
9697 Points
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
8470 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
8252 Points
Intel Core i7-5960X
7884 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
7806 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
7806 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
7415 Points
Intel Core i7-7740X
5632 Points
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
5542 Points
Intel Core i7-7700K
5490 Points
Intel Core i7-4790K
4970 Points
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
4189 Points
Intel Core i5-7600K
4152 Points
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
4067 Points
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
3700 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
2809 Points
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance Physics
Intel Core i7-6950X
16403 Points +149%
Intel Core i7-5960X
15217 Points +131%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
14150 Points +115%
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
13219 Points +101%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
13124 Points +99%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
13047 Points +98%
Intel Core i7-7740X
12322 Points +87%
Intel Core i7-7700K
12026 Points +83%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
11164 Points +70%
Intel Core i7-4790K
11053 Points +68%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
9566 Points +45%
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
9462 Points +44%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
8177 Points +24%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
6579 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
5975 Points -9%
3DMark 06 - CPU - CPU Score
Intel Core i7-6950X
10658 Points +69%
Intel Core i7-7740X
10229 Points +62%
Intel Core i7-7700K
10156 Points +61%
Intel Core i7-5960X
9924 Points +57%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
8940 Points +42%
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2
8843 Points +40%
Intel Core i5-7600K
8532 Points +35%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
8222 Points +30%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
8174 Points +30%
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7761 Points +23%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
7403 Points +17%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
6599 Points +5%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
6310 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
5419 Points -14%

Preliminary Verdict

So far, the synthetic benchmarks show a significant expansion of AMD’s Zen architecture in both price and performance range. The lack of Simultaneous Multithreading becomes painfully obvious when compared to the Ryzen 5 1400. You might end up saving $20 but the more expensive processor might turn out to be significantly more future-proof in the end. As expected, the Ryzen 3 1200 is a little bit slower than the 1300X, however it is much faster than Intel’s Core i3-7100.

Gaming Benchmarks

Test System

Due to the contestants’ comparatively low raw performance we don’t expect a less powerful graphics card to ever become the system’s primary bottleneck. Nevertheless, for the sake of comparison we have paired both, the 1300X and the 1200, with the fastest currently available GPU: Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080. Mounted on an Asus Crosshair VI X370 and equipped with DDR4-2933 RAM, the processors were already overclocked as per official specification (fastest officially supported memory speed: DDR4-2677).

Frame Rates

Unsurprisingly, both CPUs were comparatively slow when running For Honor in low resolution and with low details, a benchmark scenario that puts more strain on the CPU than on the GPU. As a result, average frame rates were 21 and 26 percent lower than on the Ryzen 5 1400. In Farming Simulator 17, where a microprocessor’s performance can be assessed even in high details, the Ryzen 3 1300X managed to outperform the 1400 in average frame rates but had a significantly lower minimum frame rate.

The most important benchmark for us is The Witcher 3 at a resolution of 1024 x 768 and low details. In this test, both Ryzen 3 contenders do very poorly compared to the Ryzen 5 1400 in both, minimum and average frame rate.

Farming Simulator 17 - 3840x2160 High Preset AA:2xMS AF:2x
Intel Core i7-7740X
213 (195min - 262max) fps +23%
Intel Core i7-6950X
211 (195min - 258max) fps +22%
Intel Core i5-7600K
205 (191min - 241max) fps +18%
Intel Core i7-4790K
204 (190min - 250max) fps +18%
Intel Core i7-7700K
204 (188min - 248max) fps +18%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
195 (188min - 203max) fps +13%
Intel Core i7-5960X
191 (175min - 228max) fps +10%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
191 (180min - 203max) fps +10%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
188 (177min - 194max) fps +9%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
181 (172min - 189max) fps +5%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
179 (167min - 198max) fps +3%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
173 (155min - 180max) fps
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
170 (164min - 177max) fps -2%
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
162 (157min - 167max) fps -6%
The Witcher 3
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Intel Core i7-7740X
102 (87min - 116max) fps
Intel Core i7-7700K
100 (86min - 113max) fps
Intel Core i7-6950X
99 (85min - 114max) fps
Intel Core i7-4790K
98 (83min - 112max) fps
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
98 fps
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
97 (83min - 110max) fps
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
97 (84min - 112max) fps
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
96.4 (84min - 110max) fps
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
96.3 (83min - 110max) fps
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
95 (80min - 108max) fps
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
89.5 (77min - 105max) fps
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing
Intel Core i7-7740X
327 (258min - 363max) fps +62%
Intel Core i7-4790K
322 (297min - 348max) fps +59%
Intel Core i7-6950X
317 (279min - 360max) fps +57%
Intel Core i7-7700K
313 (284min - 344max) fps +55%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
297 (267min - 336max) fps +47%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
274 (243min - 310max) fps +36%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
269.8 (234min - 312max) fps +34%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
254 (237min - 292max) fps +26%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
250 (226min - 287max) fps +24%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
225 (202min - 256max) fps +11%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
202 (180min - 227max) fps
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
185 (160min - 211max) fps -8%
For Honor
3840x2160 High Preset AA:T AF:8x
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
79 (47min - 115max) fps +2%
Intel Core i7-7700K
79 (46min - 117max) fps +2%
Intel Core i7-7740X
79 (63min - 135max) fps +2%
Intel Core i7-6950X
78 (50min - 93max) fps +1%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
78 (63min - 91max) fps +1%
Intel Core i5-7600K
77.9 (23min - 105max) fps +1%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
77.8 (63min - 89max) fps +1%
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
77.7 (63min - 90max) fps 0%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
77.6 (63min - 91max) fps 0%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
77.4 (56min - 90max) fps
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
77.1 (62min - 89max) fps 0%
Intel Core i7-4790K
77 (58min - 131max) fps -1%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
77 (62min - 91max) fps -1%
Intel Core i7-5960X
76 (30min - 107max) fps -2%
1280x720 Low Preset
Intel Core i7-7740X
347 (240min - 500max) fps +89%
Intel Core i7-7700K
333 (184min - 467max) fps +81%
Intel Core i7-4790K
318 (198min - 467max) fps +73%
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
271 (193min - 400max) fps +47%
Intel Core i5-7600K
263 (17min - 383max) fps +43%
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
250 (187min - 317max) fps +36%
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4
248 (86min - 333max) fps +35%
AMD Ryzen 5 1400
233 (145min - 317max) fps +27%
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
230 (187min - 300max) fps +25%
Intel Core i7-5960X
224 (168min - 283max) fps +22%
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
208 (159min - 273max) fps +13%
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
184 (129min - 262max) fps
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
173 (126min - 242max) fps -6%
Intel Core i7-6950X
161 (125min - 187max) fps -12%

Frame Time Analysis

The frame time analysis for both new Ryzen 3 processors turned out conspicuously inconspicuous. While neither of them managed to achieve the Ryzen 5 1500X’s frame rates we found no noticeable deviations worth mentioning. Accordingly, frame rate stability was very good. Translated into real world experience, this means they both offer sufficient performance for gaming purposes. In most cases, the GPU is going to become the bottleneck instead.

frame time analysis
frame time analysis
Model Ryzen 5 1500X Ryzen 3 1200 Ryzen 3 1300X
Frametime (Median, in µs) 3,965 5,300 4,841
min. 20 % deviation 2.463% 3.545% 5.616
min. 50 % deviation 0.246% 0.336% 0.391%
min. 100 % deviation 0.061% 0.103% 0.077%
min. 300 % deviation 0.007% 0.019% 0.000%

Energy Efficiency

Power consumption is measured at the outlet and is therefore the sum of all components - motherboard, CPU, and hard disk drive. Accordingly, the significance in regard to microprocessor-specific power consumption is rather limited.

Once again, both Ryzen CPUs were fairly unremarkable, and as expected the Ryzen 3 1200 was ever so slightly more efficient than the 1300X. However, both were less efficient than expected under load: while the delta between the two and the Ryzen 5 1500X was fairly small, the Ryzen 7 1700X and Core i7-7700K had a much better points-per-watt ratio.

We also ran a second series of benchmarks using the new Seasonic Focus+ Platinum 850 W power supply, and noticed a significantly lower power consumption. When idle, both Ryzen 3 processors as well as the Ryzen 7 1700X dropped to 47-48 W. Under load, power consumption was around 5-10 W lower than before.

idle power consumption (lower is better)
idle power consumption (lower is better)
energy efficiency (higher is better)
energy efficiency (higher is better)

Verdict

Both new Ryzen 3 processors, the 1300X and the 1200, are very affordable quad-core CPUs for all intents and purposes. AMD’s biggest advantage is the fact that Intel does not offer any quad-core processors in this price range whatsoever. In our personal view, four physical cores are the advisable minimum for 2017 not only because of higher sustainability in the long run but also because of the immediate advantages available today. Combined with a cheap B350 mainboard both CPUs can be easily overclocked thanks to their unlocked multipliers.

Those on a very tight budget might want to take a closer look at the G4560 despite the fact that AMD’s AM4 platform is much more future-proof. Due to their lack of integrated graphics Zen-based CPUs may not yet be the best choice when it comes to pure office/business or multimedia demands. The extra graphics card required in this case might make the resulting PC more expensive than a comparable Intel design.

In the very near future, AMD’s mobile Ryzen APUs combining a Zen CPU with a Vega GPU are going to address this issue in the mobile devices segment, and we expect corresponding desktop APUs next year.

Review Samples

The samples for this review have been provided mostly by AMD (Ryzen CPUs, Asus motherboard, memory kit, Noctua cooler). The Core i7-6950X and i7-5960X have been provided by Intel, the X99-E motherboard has been provided by Asus. Noctua has provided us with an NH-U12S cooler for the AM4 and the X99 motherboard. Special thanks go to PCO Computer Handels GmbH for providing is with a Core i7-7700K, 7600K, memory kit, and a Gigabyte motherboard on very short notice. The power-efficient 850 Watt Focus+ Platinum power supply was provided by Seasonic.

PCO from Wels has been able to provide is with several hardware samples on short notice.
PCO from Wels has been able to provide is with several hardware samples on short notice.
Noctua NH-U12S CPU cooler
Noctua NH-U12S CPU cooler
Asus X99-E motherboard
Asus X99-E motherboard
Seasonic Focus+ Platinum 850W
Seasonic Focus+ Platinum 850W
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Ryzen 3 Review: 1200 and 1300X for Desktop PCs
Silvio Werner, Klaus Hinum, 2017-11- 9 (Update: 2020-06-11)