AMD has announced a pretty great plan for users on a budget. The Ryzen 3 CPUs, notably the quad-core Ryzen 3 1200, is being updated to a 12nm architecture in lieu of the 14nm versions of the CPU. AMD has already offered a similar refresh for the hex-core Ryzen 5 1600, so this seemed a like ea logical step. “The newer Ryzen 3 1200 is a 12nm, 2nd-gen Ryzen part we created to replace the 1st gen Ryzen 3 1200,” AMD said. “We can no longer make the original, as the 1st Gen model is based on old 14nm wafers that we can no longer supply.”
This move is being made as part of the buildup to the release of Ryzen 3 3100 and 3300X chips. AMD has also announced that the new 4000 series Ryzen CPUs will be getting microcode support for older mobos like the B450. This is all part of AMD’s strategy to run very lean with their CPUs, meaning that they clear out old stock by extending support for older parts for users on a budget. The approach directly counters Intel’s commonly detested practice of moving very quickly to new generations, with little backwards compatibility.
According to a report from PCGamer, AMD announced the plan to deal with part shortages while also offering support for budget-oriented users. If you do decide to pick one of these up, keep in mind that you need to update the BIOS on your X370 or B350 motherboard to enable support for the newer 12nm versions. The newer CPU is shipped under a new SKU, YD1200BBAFBOX as opposed to the original YD1200BBAEBOX, that way there’s no confusing 12nm and 14nm. Although you need to make sure you get the AF model to get the new version.
“So we created the updated part to service markets where the Ryzen 3 1200 is still very important and popular. We didn’t want to confuse the market with another part number and since there are no down-sides for the consumer, we were OK with keeping the name.”
So the question remains, are these new Ryzen 3 CPUs worth grabbing? Effectively what users are getting is a Zen+ CPU instead of the first-generation Zen architecture. And prices for the new Ryzen 3 CPUs looked to be around $55, which is pretty good for a budget quad-core. Thing is, it may not be the best option for long. The next generation of CPUs is due soon, and AMD could well offer a much faster and more efficient CPU in the $100 price range as part of that launch.
