AMD launched the Ryzen 3 1200 on 27 July,2017. It was an entry level CPU for budget gamers with more Cores and cache than Core i3 along with upgradable platform and overclock ability. This made it more future proof than the Core i3.
Mostly budget gamers purchased it so that they can pair it with a good budget GPU and play games and do other tasks. Back in the days when it was launched, it was much better than Core i3 in many tasks and due to its overclockability it could even outperform the Core i3 in gaming.
The entry level Ryzen 3 1200 which used to cost $100 - $110 now costs $60 but should you buy it?
It is the weakest and slowest desktop Ryzen CPU and like all first generation Ryzen CPUs it is based on AMD's Zen Micro-architecture and fabricated on 14 nm FinFET technology. It is a very basic 4 core and 4 threaded CPU which has no hyperthreading.
It comes with a Base Clock Frequency of 3.1 GHz and Boost Clock Frequency up to 3.4 GHz on all 4 cores. You can't use it without a GPU as it does not have any integrated graphics. It has 8 MB of l3 cache and 65 W of TDP.
It can support upto 64 GB DDR4 Memory (the memory capacity depends on the motherboards actually) which have the Frequency of 2667 MHz. You can pair this CPU on any AM4 socket Mother-board like A320, B350, B450, etc. If you are on very short budget then use the A320 Mother-board but you won't be able to overclock the CPU.
Now in mid 2020 when many new CPUs like Ryzen 2nd and 3rd genration have been launched the 1st generation purchasers have decreased very much but this cheapest Ryzen CPU can help someone who has low budget and want to pair it with a discrete Graphics card. If you don't want to pair it with a GPU then buy a cheaper $50 Athlon 200GE or $70 Ryzen 3 2200G.
This CPU performs pretty similar to a Core i3 7100. Because its Unlocked, this CPU can outperform even the 7100 in gaming and the more cores make it more future proof than the i3.
You can pair this entry level CPU with a Graphics Card like GTX 1060 at the most but I will suggest pairing a RX 570 or GTX 1050ti as they will produce no bottleneck and would be perfect with them.
Benchmarks of the AMD RYZEN 3 1200 are given below. The Ryzen 3 1200 is paired with 2666 MHz DDR4 16 GB dual channel Memory (having more Frequency Memory would not help you as this is the maximum it supports) and for the Graphics Card a Radeon RX 570 4 GB is paired.
Cinebench R15 and 5 games at 1080p Ultra settings are tested.
The Ryzen 3 1200 scored 482 points in Cinebench R15 Multicore tests which are good for the price but you would not be able to do heavy editing, streaming, etc. On the other hand in Single core tasks it scored 134 points which are just okay if you want to game on 60 FPS (while paired with a good GPU) but if you are an E-sports player or need even a single Frame then it might not be an option for you.
This CPU can game your favourite titles at good FPS easily and because of that easily upgradable platform you can upgrade your CPU to a better one without replacing the motherboard.
If you have less budget and want to make a real gaming computer then you should use it. Also their is a refreshed version of this CPU which is the Ryzen 3 1200 AF that performs better than the normal one and is fabricated on 12nm FinFET technology. If you get an AF one then you would be even luckier.
Those were my opinions, you can have different ones and tell me your opinions in the comment section.