RyZen is AMD’s answer to Intel’s Coffee Lake, and the red team has made some very interesting choices with its second-generation CPU architecture. The new Ryzen chips are again built on a process that’s a generation old (TSMC 28nm) and they’re also almost exclusively aimed at the mainstream market.
However, unlike the first-generation Ryzen CPUs which were almost all locked at 4 GHz as well as locked in terms of peripheral support, the new Ryzens are unlocked across the board. This means better performance right out of the box.This article takes an in-depth look at AMD’s new $169 Ryzen 5 2400G accelerated processing unit with varsity graphics. It’s essentially a quad-core version of the successful second-generation Ryzen >GPU> APUs like the Ryzen 3 2200G which also includes a discrete Vega-based graphics processor with 512 stream processors and 11 compute units running at 1100 MHz with 4 GB GDDR5 memory connected directly to it via standard PCIe lanes for fast data transfer speeds...
What’s New?
AMD has made some interesting choices with its second-generation CPU architecture. The new Ryzen chips are again built on a process that’s a generation old (TSMC 28nm) and they’re also almost exclusively aimed at the mainstream market. Unlike the first-generation Ryzen CPUs which were almost all locked at 4 GHz as well as locked in terms of peripheral support, the new Ryzens are unlocked across the board.
This means better performance right out of the box. This is the first time AMD has made a core/thread-agnostic architectural decision for its mainstream line of processors. However, AMD has been very clear that more cores don’t necessarily make better performance. At the same clock speed, fewer cores with higher thread counts will almost always win. On the other hand, in situations where cores are kept at high clock speeds, like in AMD’s new Ryzen 5 2400G APU, fewer cores are actually detrimental.
This is because the cores need to stay active for longer periods of time which increases overall energy consumption. AMD has acknowledged this fact and has done a lot of work on improving its core-logic interconnect as well as power management systems to make sure that doesn’t happen. The Ryzen 5 2400G has a nominal TDP of 65 W, but it can sustain up to 95 W of average power consumption without any hiccups.
Inside the Ryzen 5 2400G APU
AMD has essentially created an octa-core processor that’s also an 11 CU (compute unit) graphics card as well with the Ryzen 5 2400G. The company has used a singular die with four cores, two CCXs each with two cores, and a single interconnect. One of the CCXes has been disabled which means that the chip is essentially a quad-core processor with a fully functional graphics unit that is connected directly to the iGPU.
This helps save costs and also improves power consumption because the iGPU doesn’t need to be clocked as high as the dedicated graphics card for gaming. AMD has used a 14 nm FinFET++ process for the new Ryzens. This essentially means that the second-generation Ryzens are built on Global Foundries’ 14 nm++ architecture that makes use of a tweaked version of the original 14 nm FinFET node. They’re essentially a generation behind Intel’s 10 nm CPUs but AMD has made this choice because it’s financially viable and has the added advantage of being able to use the same node for its upcoming 7 nm CPUs down the line.
Test Setup
The test setup for this review consists of the following components: - Motherboard: Asus B450-I Gaming - CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2400G - RAM: 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3000 MHz - Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM HDD - PSU: Cooler Master 750 W - OS: Windows 10 64-bit The CPU was overclocked to 4.2 GHz using 1.425 V. The graphics card was overclocked to 1550 MHz with the GPU core voltage set to 1150 mV. The system was equipped with a Corsair Carbide SPEC-02 case. The test setup was connected to a Corsair ML120 Pro LED 120 mm fan LED LED illuminated radiator fan at full speed using a Cooler Master V850 W power supply. The ambient temperature in the room was 25°C.
Benchmarks: CPU-only Testing
The first set of benchmarks was performed with the Ryzen 5 2400G APU configured with just the CPU cores enabled. The results show a significant boost in performance over AMD’s previous generation of mainstream processors. | AMD Athlon 200GE | AMD Athlon 220GE | AMD Athlon 240GE | AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | AMD Ryzen 5 2600 | Intel Pentium G4560 | Intel Core i3-8100 | The Athlon 200GE is an entry-level chip that is priced at $55. The Athlon 220GE will cost you $60, while the Athlon 240GE will set you back by $65. The Ryzen 5 2400G, on the other hand, costs $169 with a bundled cooler. Note that the Athlon chips are intended for budget scenarios and won’t deliver optimal performance in gaming. The Athlon 240GE is a quad-core processor, although it has a lower thread count compared to the Ryzen 5 2400G APU. The Athlon 200GE, on the other hand, is a dual-core chip that has no chance of running modern games at playable frame rates. Intel’s Pentium and Core i3 chips cost significantly more than the AMD chip and are also a generation behind.
Benchmarks: Gaming tests with APU
The gaming benchmarks were performed with the Ryzen 5 2400G APU configured with both the CPU and GPU cores enabled. The results indicate a significant improvement in performance over the previous generation of Ryzen APUs. The APUs are still behind Intel’s current-generation processors when it comes to pure gaming performance. They continue to deliver playable frame rates at 1080p, but they won’t cut it for 2560 x 1440-pixel resolutions. Most modern games will require a discrete graphics card for optimal performance. AMD’s new APUs are targeted at budget gamers and casual gamers who don’t want to spend a significant amount of money on a GPU.
Bottom line
The Ryzen 5 2400G is an excellent APU for the money. It delivers significantly higher performance compared to the previous generation of midrange AMD APUs and is also significantly more power efficient. The Ryzen 5 2400G costs $169 and makes for a great processor for casual gaming at 1080p. It’s also an excellent choice for video editing or content creation, but you’ll need to pair it with a discrete graphics card. Keep in mind that the APU is best paired with a B-series motherboard because the integrated graphics unit requires only 16 PCI lanes. The other boards in the A-series can run the iGPU with less bandwidth.
