What AMD’s new Ryzen desktop APUs mean for budget gamers

Not so long ago, the status quo for gamers who wanted to get any decent gaming done on a PC was to chunk out for a discrete graphics card. Not anymore, though as AMD’s new family of Ryzen Desktop processors dubbed Accelerated Processing Units aka APUs have just hit the market.

For the uninitiated, AMD’s new Ryzen APUs now come with built-in Radeon Vega graphics,  essentially compacting a CPU and a GPU into a single die. AMD’s two new desktop APUs, designated as the AMD Ryzen 5 2400G and the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G combine their latest ‘Zen’ CPU core along with AMD’s Radeon ‘Vega’ architecture onto a single chip.

Minus the more technically obtuse bits, the new Ryzen APUs sport what AMD called SenseMI tech, which in itself consists of several other technologies that work together to ensure lower power usage and reduce memory latency at higher frequencies – this means that even if you ramp up usage it shouldn’t drain buckets of juice while their Precision Boost 2 algorithm ensures that it can achieve higher frequencies as needed for intensive applications like gaming. More importantly, the new AMD Ryzen APUs support their FreeSync tech, which appears in existing compatible displays to ensure silky smooth gameplay.

On paper, the Ryzen 5 2400G has about the same graphics performance as an Intel Core i5-8400 processor paired with an NVIDIA GeForce GT1030 graphics card crammed into a single chip. This enables it to handle games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, CS:GO and DOTA 2 on comfortable settings. The integrated Radeon Vega graphics also allows it to handle 4K UHD displays too.

Will it make your premium top-shelf gaming rig cheaper? That’s an unlikely prospect at best. It won’t tip the scales for hardcore gamers who will by and large chunk out for the best hardware; the new AMD Ryzen APUs are instead a viable option for those who game on a budget to get some decent hardware on without having to hock house and home buying an equivalent Intel processor and a graphics card. At present, both chips are available on their own, which means you’ll need someone tech savvy to retrofit into an existing PC or to build a new rig for you but prebuilt systems will appear down the line.

According to Lowyat.Net, both APUs will be available via local retailers with the Ryzen 5 2400G retailing for RM759 and the Ryzen 3 2200G retailing for RM479.

[Source]