If you are on a budget and looking for the best APU processor for your gaming and graphics needs then you are in the right place. This is because of the fact that AMD has launched its new Ryzen based Accelerated Processing Units (APU), codenamed Raven Ridge with Radeon Vega Graphics. Ryzen series CPUs from AMD delivers excellent performance in games, multi-threaded applications, and video editing. On the other hand, VEGA is an advanced GPU architecture from AMD that is designed for high-end gaming and also in workstation GPUs for professional applications.
These latest Ryzen Raven Bridge APUs are pretty powerful both in CPU and GPU department and can handle almost everything you throw at them. One is a Ryzen 5 generation processor which is the medium or mainstream range of Ryzen series, and the other one is a budget segment Ryzen 3 series processor. Both these Ryzen APUs offer best value for money and are a perfect choice for building a powerful budget gaming PC or console killer PC, HTPC or a Work PC. With these latest Ryzen APUs, you can play all of the older games and most of the modern-day latest games at 1080p with respectable frame rates. Like other Ryzen CPUs, these Ryzen APUs also require a Socket AM4 motherboard for their working. Here in this post, I am going to tell you more about these powerful APUs with their specifications.
Related: Best Budget APUs for Gaming, HTPC and Work
Top AMD Ryzen APUs with Vega Graphics
Here are the top AMD APUs with Vega GPUs that you can get for your gaming and other graphics needs.
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
The best APU that you can buy for your PC. It has the most powerful onboard graphics which can even beat GeForce GT 1030, a good budget discrete graphics card from Nvidia. Also, the Ryzen 5 5700G is quite powerful and is only a little slower than the Ryzen 5 5800X. AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is an 8 Core 16 Threads processor and is built on the latest Zen 3 architecture on 7nm fabrication process. When it comes to graphics then it is powered by Vega graphics that has got 8 Compute Units and 512 Stream Processors. The graphics engine clock runs at 2000 MHz and shares the DDR4 memory with the system. The integrated graphics or iGPU is quite powerful and is up to 35% faster than the GeForce GT 1030. It is quite an achievement and you will be able to play most of the games on low to medium settings with comfortable frame rates.
The CPU performance of the Ryzen 7 5700G is also very good and comes very close to the Ryzen 7 5800X levels. The decline in performance is largely attributed to the fact that Ryzen 7 5700G comes with 16MB cache only while Ryzen 7 5800X has got 32MB. Also, Ryzen 7 5700G lacks PCIe 4.0 support which is not a deal-breaker for many but some may not like it. Besides good overall performance, the major advantage Ryzen 7 5700G has over its competitors is that it is very power efficient and has a rated TDP of only 65W. So, if you are looking for an APU that is fast, power-efficient, and has got very capable iGPU then you won’t find anything better than AMD Ryzen 7 5700G.
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G Specifications | |
CPU Cores | 8 Cores / 16 Threads |
Clock Speed | 3.8 GHz / 4.6 GHz (Base/Boost) |
Cache | 16MB L3 + 4MB L2 |
GPU | Vega |
GPU Cores | 512 Stream Processors / 8 Compute Units |
Memory Support | Up to 3200MHz DDR4 |
Socket | AM4 |
TDP | 65W |
Buy AMD Ryzen 7 5700G Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G Processor
Ryzen 5 2400G is one of the most powerful budget APUs built on 14nm technology from AMD, and it comes with Radeon RX Vega 11 graphics. It has got CPU base and turbo clock speed of 3.6 GHz and 3.9 GHz, and it comes with 6MB cache (L2/L3). This is a quad-core processor with 4 CPU cores but can execute 8 threads at once, which can give you an immense boost in multi-threaded applications. The performance of this Ryzen 5 processor is comparable to an Intel Core i5 series Kaby Lake CPU. This is an unlocked CPU (unlocked multiplier) which means you can overclock it to higher frequencies on a supported AM4 Socket motherboard.
On the graphics side, the Radeon RX Vega 11 GPU in this processor comes with 11 graphics cores, 704 Stream Processors and has graphics core clock of 1250 MHz. It is a pretty powerful GPU and its performance is almost equal to that of Radeon RX 550 and GeForce GT 1030, which are two most popular budget gaming graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia respectively. This RX Vega 11 GPU is powerful enough to run the latest games like GTA 5, Overwatch, Doom on medium settings at 1080p with playable frame rates (40 to 60 FPS). You can also play games like Rise of the Tomb Raider and PUBG at 1080p but on low graphics settings @30FPS. Below you can see some of the game benchmarks of the Ryzen 5 2400G APU Processor.
Game | Graphics Settings | Resolution | Frame Rate |
Overwatch | High Preset | 1080p | 60 to 70 FPS |
GTA V | Unknown | 1080p | 50 to 78 FPS |
Killing Floor 2 | High Preset | 1080p | 40 to 50 FPS |
Rise of the Tomb Raider | Low Preset | 1080p | 32 FPS average |
Dirt Rally | Medium Preset | 1080p | 57 FPS average |
Dirt Rally | Ultra Preset | 1080p | 32 FPS average |
Doom 2016 | Unknown | 1080p | 38 to 45 FPS |
Here is gaming comparison of AMD Ryzen 5 2400G with Intel Core i5-8400 Processor that comes with integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 onboard graphics. Below you can clearly see that Ryzen 5 2400G with RX Vega 11 graphics beats Core i5 8400 with Intel UHD Graphics 630 hands down.
This processor comes with Wraith Stealth Cooler that is rated at 65W, which also happens to be the TDP of this processor. So, if you are on budget and want a processor with great CPU and GPU capabilities for decent gaming performance as well as for professional use then this is the APU processor that you should get. Also, you can build a powerful cheap gaming PC or console killer PC using this Ryzen APU. Highly Recommended by me.
Check out: Best Budget AM4 Socket CPU Coolers
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G Specifications | |
CPU Cores | 4 Cores / 8 Threads |
Clock Speed | 3.6 GHz / 3.9 GHz (Base/Boost) |
Cache | 6MB (L2+L3) |
GPU | Radeon RX Vega 11 |
GPU Cores | 11 / 704 SP |
Memory Support | DDR4-2933 |
Socket | AM4 |
TDP | 65W |
Buy AMD Ryzen 5 2400G Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G Processor is nothing but a faster version of the Ryzen 5 2400G, and comes with higher CPU and GPU clock speeds. This means except for clock speeds, the specifications of both these APUs remain the same. Other thing that is a little bit different in the newer Ryzen 5 3400G is that it based on Zen+ architecture and is manufactured on smaller 12nm process. Also, it requires a motherboard that supports the latest Ryzen 3000 series processors. The CPU has got base clock speed of 3.7 GHz and Boost speed of 4.2 GHz, which 100 MHz & 300 MHz greater than the Ryzen 5 2400G. The total cache is 6MB and it supports DDR4-2933 RAM. It has got the same Radeon RX Vega 11 GPU that comes with 704 Stream Processor but has higher GPU clock speed of 1400 MHz.
The processor has the same TDP of 65W and comes with the Wraith Spire CPU Cooler. It is also an unlocked CPU and can be overclocked to higher frequencies for increased performance. When it comes to gaming and other tasks then it does beat the older Ryzen 5 2400G by some margin, because of higher clock speeds for both CPU and GPU. So, if you can spend a little bit more and can get a compatible motherboard that supports Ryzen 3000 series processors then definitely go for it.
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G Processor Specifications | |
CPU Cores | 4 Cores / 8 Threads |
Clock Speed | 3.7 GHz / 4.2 GHz (Base/Boost) |
Cache | 6MB (L2+L3) |
GPU | Radeon RX Vega 11 |
GPU Cores | 11 / 704 SP |
Memory Support | DDR4-2933 |
Socket | AM4 |
TDP | 65W |
Buy AMD Ryzen 5 3400G Processor
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G Processor
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G is a budget APU that is well suited to build a cheaper gaming PC compared to the above mentioned Ryzen 5 2400G APU. Ryzen 3 2200G is also a 14nm quad-core CPU but with 4 threads and 6MB cache. It has got base/boost clock speed of 3.5 / 3.7GHz which is only slightly less than the Ryzen 5 2400G. The performance of this CPU can be compared to an entry-level Intel Core i5 processor or top of the line Core i3 Kaby Lake CPU. This is an unlocked processor and can be overclocked on a supported AM4 motherboard.
The GPU paired with this CPU is Radeon Vega 8 which is obviously less powerful than the Radeon RX Vega 11 GPU found in Ryzen 5 2400G. This Radeon Vega 8 GPU comes with 8 Graphics Core having GPU core clock speed of 1100 MHz and 512 Stream Processors. This GPU can give you graphics performance lower than the Radeon RX 550 and GeForce GT 1030 dedicated graphics card. On this GPU, you can play all of the older and less demanding games at 1080 resolution with high settings and latest AAA games on low settings.
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G also comes with a Wraith Stealth CPU cooler and has got the same TDP of 65 Watts. This is a great budget APU for building an entry-level or eSports Gaming PC and for building a fairly powerful HTPC.
Check out: Best Budget Graphics Cards for eSports Gaming
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G Specifications | |
CPU Cores | 4 Cores / 4 Threads |
Clock Speed | 3.5 GHz / 3.7 GHz (Base/Boost) |
Cache | 6MB (L2+L3) |
GPU | Radeon Vega 8 |
GPU Cores | 8 / 512 SP |
Memory Support | DDR4-2933 |
Socket | AM4 |
TDP | 65W |
Buy AMD Ryzen 3 2200G Processor
Note: Some other key features for both these AMD APUs include AMD SenseMI Technology, AMD Ryzen Master Utility, Enmotus FuzeDrive for AMD Ryzen, Radeon Software. To get the most performance out AMD APUs, you should use high-performance Gaming DDR4 RAM.
See also:
- Best B450 Motherboards for AMD Ryzen 2nd Gen Processors
- Best Budget X470 Motherboards for AMD Ryzen 2000 Series Processors
Final Words
AMD has really upped its game in the budget gaming market by launching these amazing Ryzen APUs that are very much affordable and packs a lot of power in both the CPU and GPU department. Both these powerful APUs with Radeon Vega Graphics will attract lot of users, especially the ones who love eSports gaming but do not have the budget to spend money on a dedicated graphics card. These APUs are also great for budget workstations, video editing and for building a powerful media PC. If you have got any doubts regarding them, then feel free to ask me by leaving a comment below.
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Thank you for this review!
I want to build small HTPC based on AMD, so i am not sure which one is better investment for (4k videos and online stream/IPTV/Netflix etc..)
2200G or spend few more and get 3200G?
I will probably go for ASRock Mini-ITX Motherboard (B450 Gaming-ITX/AC).
Thanks
I think you should be fine with Ryzen 3 2200G only.
aaaand what about 3400g?
It is one of the best but performs almost the same as Ryzen 5 2400G.
What about AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3350G?
It is good for budget builds.