(Image credit: AMD)

The AMD Ryzen 3 1200 CPU has been a value bargain for years now. It's reportedly been undergoing a transformation from its original 14nm Zen design to 12nm and the Zen+ architecture. Initial rumors of these first-gen chip makeovers showed up in December last year.

Now, as per German hardware publication ComputerBase, the 12nm Zen+ Ryzen 3 1200 has hit shelves at a German retailer for €54.73 or about $60.

That's not a lot of money for a quad-core CPU, especially considering that next to the improved architecture, AMD has kept the specifications for the chip identical. It still runs at the same 3.1 GHz base clock with a boost clock of 3.4 GHz, and it maintains the same 65W TDP.

AMD Ryzen 3 1200 Specs

AMD Ryzen 3 1200 AMD Ryzen 3 1200 AF* CPU Cores / Threads 4 / 4 4 / 4 Base Clock 3.1 GHz 3.1 GHz Boost Clock 3.4 GHz 3.4 GHz Lithography 14 nm 12nm Architecture Zen Zen+ Codename Summit Ridge Pinnacle Ridge L2 Cache 2MB 2MB L3 Cache 8MB 8MB TDP 65W 65W

* Ryzen 3 1200 AF Specs not confirmed by AMD

With all other variables equal, the Ryzen 3 1200 AF should show a tiny boost in performance over the old model, thanks to the Zen+ architecture improvements. Zen+ offers slightly improved power consumption, a tiny increase in IPC, an update to Precision Boost 2 for better Turbo, faster cache and a memory controller capable of supporting faster RAM.

(Image credit: ComputerBase)

If you want to know which part you're buying, be on the lookout for part number YD1200BBM4KAFBOX for the new version. The old 14nm Ryzen 3 1200 was listed as YD1200BBM4KAEBOX. The boxed version comes with the Wraith Stealth cooler included as standard.