
AMD finally releases Ryzen 3 processors, nearly i5 performance for half the price
Today, AMD has announced two new “Ryzen 3” processor SKUs, completing the consumer Ryzen lineup. This announcement confirms AMD considers dual-core CPUs dead, as both SKUs feature 4 cores.
The SKUs are as follows:
AMD Ryzen 3 1300X: 4 cores and 4 threads at 3.5GHz (3.7GHz boost) for $129 USD
AMD Ryzen 3 1200: 4 cores and 4 threads at 3.1GHz (3.4GHz boost) for $109 USD
As with every AM4 CPU, these processors are multiplier unlocked allowing for extremely low-cost overclockable systems. And, since they have 4 cores, they are fantastic alternatives to Intel’s Core i5 series — the $129 AMD Ryzen 3 1300X is only 17% less performant than the $242 Intel Core i5–7600K, but these numbers are both at stock clock speeds. When overclocked, it’s not unreasonable to assume the 1300X can reach the same performance as the i5–7600K at just a little more than half the price.
AMD has also announced 6 new 7th generation APUs and 3 new 7th generation Athlon X4s, all for the AM4 platform. The APUs contain either “Radeon R5 Series” or “Radeon R7 Series” graphics, depending on the model. Unfortunately, benchmarks and prices of these processors don’t seem to be published, however it’s nice to see AMD covering everything from the ultra low end to the ultra high end.
On a similar note, it seems like Threadripper is coming very soon. It will be very interesting to see how it performs and how it’s priced.

