AMD Ryzen 5 2400G & Ryzen 3 2200G Raven Ridge APU Review

The fact that AMD has added a Vega graphics core to a quad-core Ryzen CPU while retaining the AMD package is impressive. This is a very simple way to swap the CPU in a PC to an APU. Conversely if you buy a new Raven Ridge PC in 2018 you will be able to upgrade the CPU and/or add a PCI Express graphics card at a later date. The options are almost endless and the flexibility of the AM4 platform is exemplary.

While you have the options for endless mixing and matching of hardware we imagine most customers of Ryzen 3 2200G will be impressed by the small form factor, lower power and negligible levels of heat. In return you get a competent PC that can play casual games such as World of Warcraft and Rocket League. If you indulge in overclocking you will raise your levels of performance by a noticeable amount, however you have some very hard limits on AAA game play and will need to settle for 1280×720 resolution.

Ryzen 5 2400G lets you push slightly further and can entertain the notion of 1920×1080 gaming but the fact we could not overclock the graphics is a significant factor. If updates to the BIOS, Ryzen Master or the graphics drivers makes this easier, then it clearly increases the appeal of the more powerful APU. As things stand Ryzen 5 gives you SMT and extra CPU threads but does not unlock much in the way of extra graphics performance, and that means the extra cost is a big black mark.

It makes more sense to buy the Ryzen 3 2200G at US$99 – rather than the Ryzen 5 2400G at US$169 – and then start saving for a Sapphire RX 550 at £130 or better yet an RX 560 at £160. Ultimately, if you are balancing price and performance the new Ryzen 3 2200G is an absolute diamond.

We are happy to concede that any gamer who wants performance at any cost, or who demands 4K gaming, will simply pass on Raven Ridge and these APUs. That’s fine, they’re not meant for you anyway but there is a huge potential market of PC users who have never experienced proper graphics and they ought to grab Raven Ridge with both hands.

We don't yet have confirmed UK pricing, but US MSRPs are as follows: Ryzen 3 2200G – $99. Ryzen 5 2400G – $169.

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Pros:

• Same AM4 socket as every Ryzen CPU means there are heaps of motherboards on the market.
• Ryzen 3 2200G is only priced at US$99
• DirectX 12 gaming performance from integrated graphics
• Graphics driver support is surprisingly good.
• Vega 8 graphics core easily overclocked to 1400MHz
• Ryzen 5 2400G is a better CPU than Ryzen 5 1500X
• Ryzen 3 2200G APU is cheaper than Ryzen 3 1300X and comes with a graphics core

Cons:

• Raven Ridge demands high DDR4 speeds
• Ryzen Master software has a high CPU overhead
• We could not overclock Vega 11
• Ryzen 5 2400G is too expensive compared to Ryzen 3 2200G

KitGuru says: AMD Ryzen 3 2200G delivers new levels of performance at this low price point.

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