All-time Value, Combo Comparisons and Ugh, Memory Pricing

Performance-wise the 2400G and 2200G are impressive. Both the CPU and GPU performance are exceptional at their respective price points. Additionally, the chips can be paired with existing B350 and X370 motherboards and they are excellent when it comes to functioning-per-watt, particularly in 3D workloads.

The Ryzen iii 2200G is coming in at just $99 and the Ryzen 5 2400G is $169, and both appear to be a great value.

For comparison, the Pentium G4560 currently costs $80, tin be installed on a $50 H110 motherboard and is complemented well past a GT 1030 for $90, and so all up a $220 combo. The Ryzen 5 2400G offers a similar gaming feel and vastly superior productivity performance, simply it costs but $twenty more, so $240 with a B350 motherboard.

The 2200G on the other hand is slightly slower overall, only comes in around $50 cheaper at $170 including the motherboard, and information technology's too much better than the G4560 for productivity workloads.

For gamers on a tight budget, the Ryzen iii 2200G seems like the way to get, while the Ryzen 5 2400G makes more sense and should prove to be a far better investment over fourth dimension.

The Cadre i3-8100 comparison is more difficult as nosotros're stuck with Z370 boards that cost at to the lowest degree $110 right now, only I'm going to pretend that's not the example and you tin become B360 boards for $seventy, and hopefully that reality isn't far away. Even so, with a $70 motherboard and the GT 1030 yous're looking at a total neb of well-nigh $300, which makes the 2400G a considerably better value as y'all essentially get the GPU for gratuitous.

So, this looks like a solid win for AMD across the board, though in that location is a slight hitch that needs to be addressed (memory pricing). Of course, memory prices are high across the board, but they are particularly loftier when looking at loftier-speed Ryzen-friendly RAM.

The DDR4-2400 16GB kit used for testing the Core i3-8100 for instance costs $160 and this is for a pair of 8GB modules. That's mighty expensive past 2022'southward memory prices only today is the norm. The G.Skill FlareX DDR4-3200 16GB kit that AMD provided for testing and I also use in my own Ryzen test rig, costs $250. That ways you're paying a little over 50% more than for the Ryzen memory.

I'm yet to figure out what DDR4 retentiveness volition work at 2933 and faster with the Raven Ridge APUs, so it'due south possible there is a cheaper retentivity option just I can't ostend that at this betoken. That said, I should note that DDR4-3200 memory starts at $225 for 16GB kits so that's still a xl% price premium. This margin is at least halved with 8GB kits so that'south something.

Right now information technology'southward DDR4 memory prices that are killing the value of these new AMD APUs. With a discrete graphics card retentiveness speed matters very trivial. If you throw the G4560 on an unlocked Z270 motherboard and pair it with DDR4-4000 memory, at all-time y'all'll see a few actress frames with a GTX 1050, 1050 Ti or fifty-fifty 1060. So given electric current retention prices, y'all're possibly better off going with a discrete graphics carte, which is a real shame.

One thing to call up when buying a Raven Ridge APU is that retention speed matters and you're going to want at least DDR4 memory capable of running at 2933 for them to actually make sense. The Ryzen 3 2200G combo with 8GB of DDR4-3200 memory will toll $275 ($105 just for the retention). Still, as I said, 8GB of DDR4-2400 RAM isn't much cheaper as yous'll be paying at least $85, and so the total bill for the G4560 combo however comes to $305.

It also depends on what you want out of the system. If you want to build the smallest gaming PC possible then the Raven Ridge APUs offer something unique. Only even if you build a Micro ATX or even a standard ATX case, the 2400G has legs and in the futurity when you tin afford a GTX 1060 or RX 580, information technology'll exist able to become the almost out of those GPUs.

I all the same can't work out which APU I prefer, they're both so good in their own right. Initially I idea it would be all about the Ryzen 5 2400G, just I've shifted away from that thinking as I kept testing. I really like what the Ryzen 3 2200G has to offering upkeep gamers. This APU, motherboard and memory combo for well under $300 simply can't be vanquish and for that reason, it's likely going to be a hot detail for gamers with limited funds.

It's worth noting that when we started testing these APUs a week ago the Vega drivers were quite buggy. AMD has since released an updated version that addressed stuttering issues we were seeing. The company also says further driver optimizations are coming and performance will get ameliorate. Given AMD's history, I believe that.

Shopping Shortcuts:

  • Ryzen iii 2200G on Amazon, Newegg
  • Ryzen 5 2400G on Amazon, Newegg

Pros: Exceptional CPU and GPU performance at their respective price points. GPU performance crushes Intel integrated graphics, around discrete GeForce GT 1030 levels. Included Wraith cooler. Bully motherboard back up, especially on a budget.

Cons: Current memory pricing messes with the full value offered by AMD's APU platform -- and retention speed matters in this case. Graphics drivers are a footling immature (this could plow out to be a pro in a few weeks' time).