Starved for a New GPU? AMD Debuts Two Ryzen Zen 3 APU Chips With Integrated Graphics. What is ryzen apu

Therefore, despite the seemingly painful price tag of $ 359, we believe the Ryzen 7 5700G is a winner. It can hang and even beat Intel 11th and 10th generation chips in CPU related tasks. When it comes to gaming performance when using built-in graphics, it just destroys them.

Starved for a New GPU? AMD Debuts Two Ryzen ‘Zen 3’ APU Chips With Integrated Graphics

The Ryzen 5 and 7 form the basis of the company’s new Ryzen 5000G series. Desktop processors will use the latest processor architecture and the venerable Vega silicon chip to power core games on a tight budget – no graphics card required.

With the great shortage of graphics cards in 2020-21 there is no end in sight, alternatives to find them are welcome. Whether it’s to squeeze more out of an older graphics card or the latest integrated graphics, the compromises you’ll make today will be as deep as those required by previous cards during the cryptocurrency mining boom of 2017 and 2018.

Despite comments last week from AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su about some of the weaker chip productions that were redirected due to demand for higher power (and presumably higher margin) silicon, AMD today unveiled two new APU chips at Computex – its own AMD’s term for “Accelerated Computing Units” – to provide a different CPU choice for PC builders and upgrades who are struggling with affordable graphics performance. Meet the Ryzen 5000G series, based on the company’s latest processor architecture, “Zen 3.”

Zen 3 Comes to APUs

A new pair of Zen 3-based desktop processors use AMD Radeon Vega integrated graphics. This is unusual for AMD desktop processors. All of them, with the exception of a few models in the G series, do not have integrated graphics processors (IGPs) and require a separate graphics card to function. Nowadays, given the price of graphics cards, this could be a breakthrough.

Enter new chips. Earlier retail versions of the G-series were decidedly inexpensive processors, with the last two offered by AMD in retail, the Ryzen 3 3200G and the Ryzen 5 3400G, were priced at $ 99 and $ 149, respectively. Here in 2021, with inexpensive graphics cards so thin on the ground, it is practically a magical feat to find any of these 3000G series chips anywhere close to the suggested retail price.

But the two new APU 5000Gs do not focus on the same market targets and are not intended to relieve pain at a really low level. These are the most expensive Ryzen-based APUs to date at MSRP of $ 259 and $ 359, respectively, for the new Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 chips.

They are also the first new G-series chips to be sold to end users for some time. The Ryzen 3 3200G and Ryzen 5 3400G made their debut in 2019, and while AMD has manufactured (and is doing) the Ryzen 4000G series of chips with IGP, they are only offered on select OEM systems and not for end-users except for the dark side channels.

Both of the new APUs are 65-watt chips and come in retail packaging along with an AMD cooler. They work in the AMD AM4 socket, which has been the backbone of AMD Ryzen chips for years, but AMD has yet to reveal which AMD chipsets the new APUs will work with. You’ll also want to be sure your AM4 motherboard has video outputs; not all, as most AMD Ryzen processors do not have integrated graphics.

Where is the Ryzen 7 5700G? In a convenient, fifth place, between the 8-core 11th Gen Core i9-11900K and the 10-core Core i9-10850K. All three are basically a tie, which is a pretty good place for a low APU, right?

APUs: What are they?

APU or Accelerated Processing Unit is a term given to a series of processors that essentially function as a processor (Central Processing Unit) and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) on a single chip matrix. These are essentially processors with built-in graphics.

PCs with an APU on the motherboard already have a graphics processor inside the processor instead of a processor, thus eliminating the need for a dedicated graphics card to boot the system, perform graphics tasks or play games. APUs can also be found on game consoles that do not have a dedicated GPU that is separate from the CPU. Examples are consoles such as Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One 8th generation.

While the term APU traditionally refers to a series of AMD 64-bit processors that come with Vega graphics built-in, you also get Intel processors with graphics built-in. Although Intel chips do not support HSA, which is the heterogeneous system architecture.

What makes APUs so popular?

When building a PC for work or gaming, the CPU and graphics card will be the two most important components. However, it also makes these two components the most expensive components for your computer. While a decent Intel or AMD processor can cost anywhere from 15,000 rupees to 30,000 rupees depending on your needs, a graphics card can be significantly more expensive given the current rising prices, costing over 1 lakh rupees for top GPUs.

The result is that builders of budget gaming PCs have unlimited waiting times for GPU prices to drop so they can complete their build. However, unless they have a graphics card, the rest of the built-in computer is practically useless as it cannot run without a GPU.

AMD’s Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 5 APUs are some of the popular APU options for budget gaming PCs. (Image source: AMD)

The APUs offer a simple solution – get a CPU with a decent onboard GPU for now, and switch to a suitable GPU later when you can afford it. If your computer runs on an APU, it may boot without a separate dedicated GPU or graphics card. Moreover, if you install a dedicated graphics card, then the APU will continue to function as a regular processor.

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Comparing to Desktop CPUs

We were asked to show the difference between processors and APUs.

Variants of the AMD Ryzen 5600
AnandTech	Core / Thread	Base Freq	Turbo Freq	GPU CUs	GPU Freq	PCIe	L3 MB	TDP	SEP
Ryzen 5 5600X	6/12	3700	4600	–	–	4.0×24	32	65 W	299
Ryzen 5 5600G	6/12	3900	4400	7	1900	3.0×24	16	65 W	259

If we juxtapose the Ryzen 5 5600X processor with the Ryzen 5 5600G side by side, we will see many similarities. Both have six cores and 12 threads, both run at 65W and both have 24 PCIe lanes.

However, there are also a number of differences. The 5600X processor has an additional +200 MHz on the turbo frequency, while the 5600G APU has +200 on the base frequency and also has integrated graphics. Moreover, the CPU has PCIe 4.0 instead of PCIe 3.0 and the CPU has dual cache.

The price difference makes the 5600X $ 40 more expensive, but it’s probably still the processor of choice for anyone wanting a fast system with a discrete graphics card.

If we go to the 8-core parts, this disproportion will change a bit.

Variants of AMD Ryzen 7 5000
AnandTech	Core / Thread	Base Freq	Turbo Freq	GPU CUs	GPU Freq	PCIe	L3 MB	TDP	SEP
Ryzen 7 5800X	8/16	3800	4700	–	–	4.0×24	32	105 W	449
Ryzen 7 5700G	8/16	3800	4600	8	2000	3.0×24	16	65 W	$ 359

There is no fundamental frequency difference in this comparison, but the turbocharger is higher on the 5800X. The APU still has integrated graphics, but it is only PCIe 3.0 out of the processor and not PCIe 4.0 like the processor. We still have the cache difference.

So the question is, what would you rather have – 100-200MHz additional CPU frequency, double L3 and PCIe 4.0 cache, or rather integrated graphics? With a price difference of $ 90, it suddenly got interesting.

Ryzen Pro 5000G and Full Ryzen 5000-Series Desktop Processor List

Along with the two new Ryzen 5000G processors that will hit retail, AMD is also announcing some additions to the Ryzen Pro stack at both the 65W and 35W power points. W are identical to counterparts from other manufacturers.

Adding the price to our full CPU list gives you the following information:

AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors for desktop computers Zen microarchitecture 3
AnandTech	Core/ Thread	Base Freq	1T Freq	L3 C$	IGP	PCIe	TDP	SEP
Ryzen 9 5950X	16	32	3400	4900	64 MB	–	4.0	105 W	$ 799
Ryzen 9 5900X	12	24	3700	4800	64 MB	–	4.0	105 W	549
Ryzen 9 5900	12	24	3000	4700	64 MB	–	4.0	65 W	OEM
Ryzen 7 5800X	8	16	3800	4700	32 MB	–	4.0	105 W	449
Ryzen 7 5800	8	16	3400	4600	32 MB	–	4.0	65 W	OEM
Ryzen 7 5700G	8	16	3800	4600	16 MB	Wega8	3.0	65 W	$ 359
Ryzen 7 5700 GE	8	16	3200	4600	16 MB	Wega8	3.0	35 W	OEM
Ryzen 5 5600X	6	12	3700	4600	32 MB	–	4.0	65 W	299
Ryzen 5 5600G	6	12	3900	4400	16 MB	Wega7	3.0	65 W	259
Ryzen 5 5600GE	6	12	3400	4400	16 MB	Wega7	3.0	35 W	OEM
Ryzen 3 5300G	4	8	4000	4200	8 MB	Wega6	3.0	65 W	OEM
Ryzen 3 5300GE	4	8	3600	4200	8 MB	Wega6	3.0	35 W	OEM
Ryzen 5000 Pro
Ryzen 7 Pro 5750G	8	16	3800	4600	16 MB	Wega8	3.0	65 W	OEM
Ryzen 7 Pro 5750GE	8	16	3200	4600	16 MB	Wega8	3.0	35 W	OEM
Ryzen 5 Pro 5650G	6	12	3900	4400	16 MB	Wega7	3.0	65 W	OEM
Ryzen 5 Pro 5650GE	6	12	3400	4400	16 MB	Wega7	3.0	35 W	OEM

This last point is very important when you are considering purchasing a Ryzen 7 5700G chip versus a non-G chip. Its performance in discrete GPU games is good, but in discrete GPU games it takes a back seat to non-GPU chips. G.

Ryzen 5000 Gets a G

AMD processors with integrated graphics on board known as APUs have easily identifiable product names as they all end with a G as I suppose for graphics. AMD has launched several generations of APUs built on its Ryzen architecture:

• Ryzen 2000G (Raven Ridge), built on 14nm Zen with Vega 11
• Ryzen 3000G (Picasso), built on 12nm Zen + from Vega 11
• Ryzen 4000G (Renoir), built on a 7nm Zen 2 with Vega 8
• Ryzen 5000G (Cezanne), built on a 7nm Zen 3 with Vega 8

Both the 2000G and 3000G offered parts at retail, however we’ve never seen an official retailer for the Ryzen 4000G. This product line has been focused on the pre-fabricated market, especially for “PRO” business use. We ended up receiving three APUs in this market and putting them to the test.

Today, the Ryzen 5000G series is entering the game, again for off-the-shelf systems, but AMD is making it clear this time that it will also be retailed for regular gaming systems and systems. These new Ryzen 5000G APUs are built on TSMC’s 7nm process and will feature eight Zen 3 cores with Vega 8 graphics. All processors will also have 24 PCIe 3.0 lanes and will support DDR4-3200.

AMD Ryzen 5000G Series APUs
AnandTech	Core / Thread	Base Freq	Turbo Freq	GPU CUs	GPU Freq	PCIe *	TDP
Ryzen 5000G
Ryzen 7 5700G	8/16	3800	4600	8	2000	16 + 4 + 4	65 W
Ryzen 7 5700 GE	8/16	3200	4600	8	2000	16 + 4 + 4	35 W
Ryzen 5 5600G	6/12	3900	4400	7	1900	16 + 4 + 4	65 W
Ryzen 5 5600GE	6/12	3400	4400	7	1900	16 + 4 + 4	35 W
Ryzen 3 5300G	48	4000	4200	6	1700	16 + 4 + 4	65 W
Ryzen 3 5300GE	48	3600	4200	6	1700	16 + 4 + 4	35 W
Ryzen 4000G
Ryzen 7 4700G	8/16	3600	4400	8	2100	16 + 4 + 4	65 W
Ryzen 7 4700 GE	8/16	3100	4300	8	2000	16 + 4 + 4	35 W
Ryzen 5 4600G	6/12	3700	4200	7	1900	16 + 4 + 4	65 W
Ryzen 5 4600GE	6/12	3300	4200	7	1900	16 + 4 + 4	35 W
Ryzen 3 4300G	48	3800	4000	6	1700	16 + 4 + 4	65 W
Ryzen 3 4300GE	48	3500	4000	6	1700	16 + 4 + 4	35 W
* PCIe lanes on SoC are listed in GFX + Chipset + Storage

AMD has several products with Zen 3, including the regular Ryzen 5000 and EPYC 7003 processor lines, and the 5000G will use the same feature set. This means AMD will take care of eight-core CCX projects with a unified L3 cache across all CCX cores. While Ryzen and EPYC processors offer 32MB of L3 cache for eight cores, the Ryzen 5000G will have 16MB of L3, but each core will have access to the full 16MB. The Ryzen 5000G series remains a monolithic structure.

Retail Systems

HP Germany has the system listed, Omen 25L Desktop GT12-1300ng. The Ryzen 7 5700G with the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti makes us wonder what the APU part of the processor is for.

Comparing to Desktop CPUs

We were asked to show the difference between processors and APUs.

Variants of the AMD Ryzen 5600
AnandTech	Core / Thread	Base Freq	Turbo Freq	GPU CUs	GPU Freq	PCIe	L3 MB	TDP
Ryzen 5000G
Ryzen 5 5600X	6/12	3700	4600	–	–	4.0×24	32	65 W
Ryzen 5 5600G	6/12	3900	4400	7	1900	3.0×24	16	65 W

If we juxtapose the Ryzen 5 5600X processor with the Ryzen 5 5600G side by side, we will see many similarities. Both have six cores and 12 threads, both run at 65W and both have 24 PCIe lanes.

However, there are also a number of differences. The 5600X processor has an additional +200 MHz on the turbo frequency, while the 5600G APU has +200 on the base frequency and also has integrated graphics. Moreover, the CPU has PCIe 4.0 instead of PCIe 3.0 and the CPU has dual cache. If we go to the 8-core parts, this disproportion will change a bit.

Variants of AMD Ryzen 7 5000
AnandTech	Core / Thread	Base Freq	Turbo Freq	GPU CUs	GPU Freq	PCIe	L3 MB	TDP
Ryzen 5000G
Ryzen 7 5800X	8/16	3800	4700	–	–	4.0×24	32	105 W
Ryzen 7 5700G	8/16	3800	4600	8	2000	3.0×24	16	65 W

There is no fundamental frequency difference in this comparison, but the turbo is higher on the CPU. The APU still has integrated graphics, but it is only PCIe 3.0 out of the processor and not PCIe 4.0 like the processor. We still have the cache difference.

So the question is, what would you rather have – 100-200MHz additional CPU frequency, double L3 and PCIe 4.0 cache, or rather integrated graphics? There are interesting times ahead of us.

Chipset Support

AMD has confirmed that the X570, B550 and A520 motherboards will support the new 5000G processors. X470 and B450 motherboards can also be supported, but this depends on the motherboard manufacturer. Right now, anyone lucky enough to get one in the open market will need special Beta BIOSes to ensure full performance.

Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 7 5800: New CPUs also OEM Only

In addition to the official APU announcement, two more processors have appeared on the AMD parts list. The Ryzen 9 5900 and the Ryzen 7 5800, both without the X on the end, are equivalent to 65W parts, but are also intended for the OEM market. At the moment, AMD has not announced whether these processors will ever go to retail.

The math of money is simple and attractive: it takes the Ryzen 3 1200 CPU performance for $ 105 and the almost $ 110 Radeon RX 550 graphics performance and turns it into one Ryzen 3 2200G for $ 99.

Ryzen 7 5700G Gaming Performance

So far you can see that with the Ryzen 7 APU you get eight outstanding AMD Zen 3 cores that give little to Intel and its siblings. But we know you’re probably considering a Ryzen APU because you can’t afford or even find a GPU.

To that end, Sebastian’s results stick to your only real choices: the new Ryzen 7 5700G and its 8 CU Radeon cores; previous Ryzen 5 3400G (note that the Ryzen 4000 APUs were not generally offered to consumers); and Intel UHD 750 11th generation and UHD 630 10th generation graphics cards. The results show graphics performance at typical DDR4 / 3200 CL14, as well as what you get with the Ryzen 7 5700G at DDR4 / 3600 CL16.

First, Metro Exodus is set to 1080p and uses a low preset. If you’re a gamer used to high-end gaming performance, the results won’t set your world on fire. You don’t really see the huge advantage over the previous Ryzen 5 3400G in retail. Still, all three Radeon-based chipsets offer a higher frame rate, which is fair. This is especially good compared to the UHD 630 graphics that don’t work at all.

While the 10nm-based 11nm Intel Tiger Lake processor has impressive integrated performance in its Xe chips. Intel actually chose CPU performance over GPU performance as it had to use the older 14nm process for 11th Gen Rocket Lake CPUs.

In Metro Exodus, Radeon is doing quite well, especially alongside Intel’s integrated graphics.

Next up is Shadows of the Tomb Raider set to Very Low in 1080p.

The Ryzen 7 5700G once again leads with about 15 percent higher average FPS than the older Ryzen 5 3400G. Yes, indeed, the 8 CU of the Ryzen 7 5700G is more efficient than the 11 CU of the older Ryzen 5 3400G. Intel parts show a glaring weakness here again. Rocket Lake is not Tiger Lake.

The latest Ryzen 7 5700G is seeing an average frame rate increase of around 15% compared to the previous top retail APU: the Ryzen 5 3400G.

Both Metro Exodus and Shadows of the Tomb Raider – even at the lower settings – are quite difficult games for integrated graphics. Honestly, while they are playable, they are not the games most gamers with integrated graphics play.

So our next game is Counter Strike Global Offensive in 1080p and set to low. Yes, CS: GO is so low that even an Intel UHD 630 can hit an average frame rate of 57fps – although with such low dips it is 7fps. More interesting is the Ryzen 7 5700G, which can hit an impressive 149fps average, about 30 percent higher than the Radeon 5 3400G. You can also get a decent boost by going for DDR4 / 3600, but it’s not free.

CS: GO is the most popular game on Steam.

Next comes another extremely popular game: Epic’s Fortnite. This game is so popular and important it allowed Epic to hit it all on its own and create its own Valve shadow store. His ability to run on almost any computer on the planet helped a lot. We say this because even Intel’s UHD 630 graphics can run it with a decent clip.

AMD would like to show all parents who buy their kids a system of these longer bars on top that all come from AMD Ryzen APU chips. Yes, parents, if you want your child to stop complaining about bandwidth, you’ll need an AMD APU.

Should you upgrade your Ryzen 5 3400G to the Ryzen 7 5700G? Probably not. This increase of around 10 percent is cool, but probably isn’t worth investing in that one IGP game.

Conclusion

We know: If GPUs were plentiful and inexpensive, you wouldn’t even consider an APU. In the world we live in, having a chip with a good graphics core is better than not having anything you can afford.

Therefore, despite the seemingly painful price tag of $ 359, we believe the Ryzen 7 5700G is a winner. It can hang and even beat Intel 11th and 10th generation chips in CPU related tasks. When it comes to gaming performance when using built-in graphics, it just destroys them.

Are you going to complain that the $ 359 Ryzen 7 5700G is an insult to the Ryzen 5 3400G memory, whose suggested price was $ 149? You will, you will be. But given the present state of the world, we understand its price and see its potential for people who can truly become a system. For example, you can build a Ryzen 5 5700G today and get exceptional CPU performance along with good gaming performance.

If GPUs go back to earth sometime in 2022 or 2023, you can ditch the GPU and still get great CPU performance with a bit slower but still exceptional gaming performance. Moreover, if you come across a surprise, you can upgrade the same AM4 motherboard to a 12-core or 16-core Ryzen.

It wouldn’t make sense if you could buy a Ryzen 5 5600X with a GPU today, but we can tell you that won’t happen at $ 359.

For Intel 10th generation systems, Asus ROG Maximus XII Extreme with XMP support enabled is used. The 11th generation Intel processor was tested on an Asus ROG Maximus XIII Hero with XMP support enabled. MultiCore Enhancement is disabled on both Intel systems.

reader comments

AMD introduced minor additions to its dedicated GPUs and processor lines at today’s CES press conference, but the biggest announcement was the introduction of new APUs for the Ryzen 6000 series laptops. These chips use the new Zen 3+ processor architecture and manufacturing process, but most importantly, their integrated GPUs are replacing the old Vega architecture with the modern RDNA2 architecture used in Radeon 6000 series graphics cards, the latest Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and the upcoming Steam Deck.

AMD says new chips will start appearing in February 2022, with more laptops being released “within a year.”

Ryzen H, HS and HX series chips are 35W and 45W processors for laptops and gaming workstations that have higher CPU and graphics clock speeds than U series chips. Ryzen 5 6600U and Ryzen 7 6800U have TDP 15 to 28W, which laptop manufacturers can adjust depending on how much cooling they can provide – the higher the TDP, the longer the CPUs will be able to run at top speed. All Ryzen 9 and Ryzen 7 models include Radeon 680M graphics cards with 12 GPU cores, while Ryzen 5 models use weaker Radeon 660M graphics cards with 6 GPU cores.

The Zen 3+ processor architecture uses TSMC’s new 6nm manufacturing process, not the 7nm process most Zen 3 processors use. High-speed SSDs will benefit from PCI Express 4.0 support, the first with AMD’s APU. The new chips support full-board DDR5 RAM, which will provide more memory bandwidth for both the CPU and the graphics card (although there is no DDR4 support at all, which could make these systems more expensive and more difficult to upgrade in the near future).

Integrated RDNA2 GPUs support hardware accelerated ray tracing and DirectX 12 Ultimate, just as the dedicated RDNA2 cards do. AMD says they run “up to 2.1 times faster” than the Vega GPUs included with the 5000 Series APU, allowing “most games” to run smoothly at 1080p. The Radeon 600 brand is actually inherited from a much older line of laptop GPUs introduced in 2019, which says something about how AMD tries to position them: not to the level of a full-fat Radeon RX 6000 chip, but completely bypasses the need for a cheap, better-than-integrated laptop GPU mobile graphics processor layer.

Enlarge / Integrated RDNA2 graphics processor. Note that Ryzen 5 versions of this will only have half the GPU compute count.

Finally, all Ryzen 6000 chips contain the Microsoft Pluto security processor, which is designed to increase the security of Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs. Pluto is designed to standardize security updates at the firmware level so that they can be installed via Windows Update . Pluto also provides an emulated TPM for Windows, which has the same advantages as a separate hardware or firmware TPM but eliminates the communication bus between the processor and the TPM. This removes the attack surface that could otherwise be exploited by people with physical access to your computer.

Each of the 5000G CPUs will have 5000GE equivalents targeted at 35W TDP. This change in TDP is reflected in lower fundamental frequencies and possibly lower sustained power.

Five reasons to buy a Ryzen APU

1. Boot your gaming PC from scratch or almost from scratch

The Ryzen APU makes the most sense if you’re building a new or mostly new computer. For someone moving from a PC gaming console or replacing core components, you just can’t beat the roughly $ 158 APU and motherboard cost.

DOTA 2 is still one of the most popular games.

2. You just want a taste of the glory of PC gaming

PC games are great, and many players who switch to PC never come back to them. But it’s not for everyone, so if you just want to see what it’s like on the other side and experience the elation of Steam’s sales, APU Ryzen will get you there in the cheapest way possible. Even if you decide to go back to your controller and game console, you’ll still have a decent box for document, photo or video editing and browsing the web.

Data from Camelcamelcamel.com shows that the $ 113 GeForce GTX 1050 Ti hits $ 250.

3. You want to wait out the 2018 GPU crisis

There can’t be a worse time to build a gaming PC than right now. A graphics processor that cost $ 250 just two months ago now costs $ 600. And this $ 600 Radeon Vega 64? Expect to collect 400,400 for this – if you can find it at all.

While most of the problems are focused on over $ 300 GPUs, high prices have plunged to low-end cards. For example, while Camelcamelcamel.com had a low price of $ 116 for the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti card last year, the same card has risen to $ 294. As of this writing, that is $ 260 to $ 270.

If you don’t like the idea of ​​paying almost 2.5x for a relatively older graphics card, you can build on the Ryzen APU and wait for the GPU storm to end before purchasing a higher-end graphics card.

In some of the more difficult games, the Ryzen APUs are definitely weaker GPUs, but not that much.

4. It is almost as good as a cheaper card

Some skeptics believe the new Ryzen APU is irrelevant as, well, the performance of the $ 99 Ryzen 3 2200G is lower than that of the $ 110 Radeon RX 550 card. The more expensive $ 169 Ryzen 5 2400G barely hits par.

It’s true that the $ 110 RX550 is generally faster than both APUs, but does that performance difference really make it worth $ 110? We don’t think so. It’s hard to beat the price

Five reasons not to buy a Ryzen APU

While APU Ryzen is a great chip, some users shouldn’t buy it. This is why.

5. It’s only quad core.

It can’t be denied that the Ryzen APU is a good deal, but if you’re the kind of person who really needs more cores for video editing and encoding or 3D rendering, there are better options. For example, if your choice is the Ryzen 5 2400G, a quad-core SMT chip for a total of eight threads of power, you’ll only pay $ 20 for the Ryzen 5 1600, which is 6 SMT cores per 12 threads. You’ll also need to buy a GPU, but it’s probably worth it if you do this kind of work. In fact, Intel’s 6-core Core i5-8400 is only $ 17 off it (although it lacks Hyper-Threading). For tasks that rely heavily on the number of cores and threads, it is worth an extra $ 17 or $ 20 for six-core processors.

Very broadly speaking, these are probably the comfort zones of various graphics APUs and processors: how much you’d have to pay to get them, and what to expect from graphics performance. (Click to zoom.)

4. You want to play 1080p

The new Ryzen APUs are great layouts – if you have reasonable expectations. In our book, that means playing at 720p with most of the newer titles. While it handles a lot of games, especially the less demanding ones, at 1080p fine, its comfort zone is really in the lower definition.

If your idea of ​​a gaming PC is nothing more than pushing over 50fps at 1080p at medium to high, you’ll likely be disappointed in the Ryzen APU. Even in combination with the fastest DDR4 memory, it will have problems with newer titles at this resolution. Instead, choose at least a GeForce GTX 1050 or Radeon RX 560 for your version and be prepared to get some scratching.

The x16 PCIe lane will run at x8 speed after installing the Ryzen APU.

3. Has “only” x8 PCIe lanes

One of the cost-effective decisions made with the Ryzen APU processors was to cut the PCIe lane support in half compared to Ryzen processors. For example, connect a graphics card to a motherboard with a Ryzen 3 1200 and it will run at x16 Gen 3 speed, which is theoretically 32 GB / s. Replace that processor with a Ryzen 3 2200G and the PCIe bandwidth will drop to x8 Gen 3, which is 16 GB / s.

This sounds bad, but the average gamer will likely never experience any impact on PCIe reduction as few games actually use that bandwidth. However, many people don’t like the idea of ​​”losing” bandwidth. So, if you’re the type of person who likes to remove the 130mph speed controller from your car just “because” – then yes, that might annoy you enough to want to get the full x16 chip instead.

2. You do not have an old CPU to update the BIOS to the new APU

Another reason for bypassing the Ryzen APU is that many motherboards on the shelves will require an updated UEFI / BIOS to run it. Yes, that means if you buy a motherboard for $ 70 to run your APU for $ 99, the only way you can use it first (assuming it’s not updated) is to upgrade with an older CPU.

This step may break the contract for many. Readers told us that MicroCenter stores will update the BIOS for $ 20, but not all of us live near one of its stores.

For those who can’t get into MicroCenter or convince a friend to take their PC down and borrow that Ryzen for 10 minutes, there’s another option: AMD will borrow older chips so you can complete the upgrade. You’ll need to go to the AMD Warranty RMA website, provide some information, and then select “Boot Kit Required.” To do this, you need the correct AMD chip with part number and serial number.

. Budget GPUs aren’t that much faster than APUs, which guarantees their price today.

For example, we valued the cost of the Ryzen 3 2200G build. Including $ 99 for the operating system, it was $ 505. If we had decided to build around a Ryzen 3 1200 for $ 105 with the Radeon RX 550, we would have had to spend $ 621 for a slightly higher performance. Even a build with the Ryzen 5 2400G, which offers almost the same graphics performance as the Radeon RX 550 (and four more virtual CPU cores compared to the Ryzen 3 2200G), only costs $ 575 per build (including $ 99 for Windows). 10). We’d rather put this money in a bigger SSD, more RAM, or a mattress to feed it for the day the much faster GPUs come back to Earth.

In the Cinebench R15 multi-thread test, quad-core chips easily outperform the dual-core Intel.

5. Actually, it’s also a great processor

The Ryzen APUs can offer some impressive graphics power, but their Zen cores matter too. The older A-series APUs were quite weak at traditional CPU tasks. These new Ryzen chips do very well with Intel’s best processors.