Best AMD Ryzen APU For Gaming In 2022
AMD Ryzen Integrated Graphics Could Be The Answer For A Budget-Focused Gamer?
Back in 2011, AMD debuted their APUs or Accelerated Processing Units. While the first few generations were somewhat impressive, AMD’s aging CPU architecture bogged down subsequent releases of APUs, and for a long time, it seemed like the dream was dead. But what is the best Ryzen APU?
Fortunately for us, AMD didn’t stop there. After releasing the incredible Ryzen series of processors, featuring an entirely new processing architecture, AMD was able to release new APUs utilizing their latest cutting-edge CPU and GPU technologies on a single chip.
So which AMD Ryzen APU is the best? Well, today, we’re going to walk you through each APU, explain its best attributes, and help you pick the best one for your needs.
Watch our video rundown
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Our Top Picks
The Best AMD Ryzen APU
In-depth Review
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
The Ryzen 7 5700G is AMD’s current flagship APU and is widely considered to be the world’s most powerful thanks to the integrated graphics the chip comes paired with. Unlike the previous gen, this features a higher amount of cores, increased speeds, and a more efficient design.
The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G comes equipped with 8 cores and 16 threads, respectively. It features impressive clock speeds of 3.8GHz base and 4.6GHz boost, alongside a total of 16MB L3 cache and 4MB L2 cache. TDP will be equivalent to its predecessor at 65W and it brings VEGA 8 integrated graphics, with 8 CUs and 512 stream processors (all running at 2.0GHz).
While the 5700G is the most expensive APU from AMD to date, it is also by far the most powerful. With the current GPU climate, the 5700G can provide you with solid processing power and integrated graphics. While the integrated graphics may not be good enough for everyone, basic 1080p performance is there. Furthermore, when you finally get your hands on a dedicated GPU, you can easily slot it in with this APU for a quality overall gaming PC.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
The more affordable Ryzen 5 5600G is aimed more towards the budget-focused builders out there. With comparable gaming performance to the older 3400G, we have a processor here that now brings more cores and more threads into the mix, along with a more efficient design.
By comparison, the Ryzen 5 5600G features 6 cores and 12 threads – clocked at 3.9GHz base and 4.4GHz boost. Like the 5700G, the 5600G will also feature 16MB of L3 cache – but only 3MB of L2 cache. The APU will showcase a 65W TDP and will comes equipped with AMD’s VEGA 7 iGPU. This will be clocked at 1.9GHz and feature 448 stream processors.
Vega 7 may seem like a step backwards at first glance, however, the efficiency increases has compensated for this reduction in cores, meaning the graphical performance doesn’t suffer!
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G
The 3400G is AMD’s older-gen flagship APU and is widely considered to be one of the world’s most powerful thanks to the integrated graphics the chip comes paired with. Unlike the 3200G, the 3400G comes with 4cores and 8threads, 6MB of cache, and the impressive VEGA 11 graphics engine.
It clocks at 3.7GHz with a boost clock speed of 4.2GHz which is a vast improvement over its predecessor. According to AMD, the Ryzen 5 3400G comes with high-quality metal TIM and is supported by AMD’s precision boost overdrive. This is a feature that auto overclocks the chip whenever it feels fit to do so.
The iGPU operates at 1,400MHz base clock making it 150MHz faster than the 2400G. Like the 3200G, this chip comes with AMD’s Wraith Spire CPU cooler.
If all that didn’t impress you, then the price tag is sure to change that. It retails at under $150 which is fantastic value for money. Especially when you consider the 2400G debuted at $170.
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
Until recently, the 2400G from AMD was thought of as the best APU money could buy. Thanks to their impressive new 3rd Gen processors, that is no longer the case. That being said, its embedded graphics performance still trounces any Intel integrated graphics solution by a rather severe amount, making it possible to play many modern games at 720p medium/high or 1080p low/medium settings.
The main downside of this chip is that, at least from a pure value perspective, it doesn’t totally live up to what the 2200G offers. The graphics performance doesn’t increase all that much, despite the seemingly-large jump in numbers. Just think of this as an option for those who want to complete their build with a high-end GPU down the line, rather than a mid-range one.
All being said, the 2400G still offers a great all-round product which would be perfect for any newcomer to PC building.
AMD Ryzen 3 3200G
AMD Ryzen 3 3200G
At the beating heart of this excellent, well-balanced, APU comes the VEGA 8 graphics engine. It has the ability to perform under the pressure of many AAA games titles thanks to its newly boosted clock speed. Like its predecessor, the Ryzen 3 3200G carries on the quad-core trend. Unfortunately, AMD has again decided to hold back on the multithreading technology for this one.
That being said, it does come with a few surprises like higher operating clock speeds and more available cache. The 3200g comes equipped with Vega 8 graphics clocked at 1,250MHz. That’ll be 150MHz faster than the last-gen 2200G.
Like all Ryzen chips, the 3200G comes with its own CPU cooler. In this case, it’s the Wraith Stealth. I was happily surprised with the performance power and instant cooling it gave the chip.
One area that has not been improved upon is the TDP, which still lies at 65W. That isn’t a huge deal though if truth be told, and the price tag only sweetens the deal further.
Final Word
So, there you have it, the best AMD Ryzen APUs all listed in order of performance. Each of these APUs offers incredible value and performance for the budget-minded gamer.
Personally, we’d recommend the Ryzen 5 3400G. Value-wise, it’s one of the best price/performance processors and is an ideal jumping-on point for the AM4 platform as a whole.
Which of these APUs seem most enticing to you, and why? We’d love to hear your opinions!