AMD Ryzen 3 1200 4-core AM4

Old but gold for budget builders. Overclock it, enjoy the free cooler, and don't pay more than $100.

The 6272 multi-core PassMark score lands it in the middle of the pack, but the real story is overclocking. The bundled Wraith Stealth cooler handles 3.7 to 3.8GHz on all cores without breaking a sweat, which is a nice bump from the 3.1GHz base. Single-thread performance is about average, so don't expect snappy everyday responsiveness compared to anything modern.

Against the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF, this thing gets absolutely smoked, but that's a $400+ chip, so it's not a fair fight. The Dell Xeon E5-2637 V2 is a more interesting comparison: it's older server silicon with more threads but worse single-core and no overclocking headroom. For a budget gaming or office rig, the Ryzen 3 1200 is the better pick if you're willing to overclock. The be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5 is a cooler, not a CPU, so ignore that noise.

At $84 in the US, this is a steal for a basic office or media PC. But European buyers should shop around: prices swing from EUR 168 to EUR 200 across vendors, and the best deal we found is on the German listing. Don't pay EUR 200 for this chip. That's used Ryzen 5 3600 territory.

The Ryzen 3 1200 is a budget quad-core that refuses to die. It's old, it's on a dead socket, and it still makes sense for cheap builds because it's unlocked and comes with a cooler that can actually handle a mild overclock. The one thing to know: this chip is all about value, not raw speed.

If you're looking for a CPU that can handle streaming, heavy multitasking, or modern AAA games, this isn't it. Go grab a used Ryzen 5 3600 or a newer Ryzen 5 5600 instead. The extra threads are worth every penny.

If you need a cheap, overclockable quad-core for a basic build and you can find it under $100 or EUR 170, grab it. If you're paying more than that, you're better off hunting for a used Ryzen 5 2600 or 3600. This chip is a budget hero, not a performance king.