AMD announced the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G with Radeon Vega 8 Graphics at CES 2018, and now it is finally here!. Today, we will share with you our review of the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G APU, and its integrated Radeon Vega 8 Graphics!
The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G Specifications Compared
We created this table to compare the specifications of the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) and AMD Ryzen 5 2400G (Price Check) APUs, against the AMD Ryzen 5 1400 and AMD Ryzen 3 1200 CPUs, that they will replace.
| Specifications | AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | AMD Ryzen 5 1400 | AMD Ryzen 3 1200 | AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TDP | 65 W | 65 W | 65 W | 65 W |
| Socket | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 |
| Process Technology | 14 nm FinFET | 14 nm FinFET | 14 nm FinFET | 14 nm FinFET |
| Transistor Count | 4.94 Billion | 4.8 Billion | 4.8 Billion | 4.94 Billion |
| Die Size | 209.78 mm² | 192 mm² | 192 mm² | 209.78 mm² |
| CCX Configuration | 4+0 | 2+2 | 2+2 | 4+0 |
| Processor Cores | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Number of Simultaneous Threads | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| L2 Cache Size | 2 MB | 2 MB | 2 MB | 2 MB |
| L3 Cache Size | 4 MB | 8 MB | 8 MB | 4 MB |
| Base Clock Speed | 3.6 GHz | 3.2 GHz | 3.1 GHz | 3.5 GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed | 3.9 GHz | 3.4 GHz | 3.4 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Max. DDR4 Speed | DDR4-2933 | DDR4-2667 | DDR4-2667 | DDR4-2933 |
| GPU | Radeon RX Vega 11 - 704 stream processors - 44 TMUs, 16 ROPs - Up to 1250 MHz | None | None | Radeon Vega 8 - 512 stream processors - 32 TMUs, 16 ROPs - Up to 1100 MHz |
| PCI Express Lanes | PCIe x8 | PCIe x16 | PCIe x16 | PCIe x8 |
| Bundled CPU Cooler | AMD Wraith Stealth | AMD Wraith Stealth | AMD Wraith Stealth | AMD Wraith Stealth |
| Launch Price | US$ 169 | US$ 169 | US$ 109 | US$ 99 |
Unboxing The AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G with Radeon Vega 8 Graphics (Price Check) comes bundled with an AMD Wraith Stealth cooler. Let’s unbox it, and see what we find inside!
Here is what you will find inside the box :
- The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G APU (Price Check)
- A pair of Ryzen and Radeon case badges
- The AMD Wraith Stealth cooler
- A set of AMD CPU installation guide, and motherboard compatibility note
Next Page > Key Features Of The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
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The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G APU Up Close!
The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G with Radeon Vega 8 Graphics (Price Check) has four Ryzen processor cores with a 3.5 GHz base clock, and a 3.7 GHz boost clock. It does not support SMT (simultaneous multi-threading), so it can only handle 4 threads simultaneously.
It uses a single CCX (CPU Complex), allowing AMD to fit a Radeon GPU on the same die. Its transistor count only increased by 3% to 4.94 billion, with a 9% larger die size of 209.78 mm².
Single CCX Configuration
Unlike the Summit Ridge-based Ryzen CPUs, the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) uses a single CCX configuration. This is a cost-saving measure that yields a much smaller die size, with some performance benefits – reduced cache and memory latencies.
AMD analysed the performance of the 2+2 and 4+0 configurations, and concluded that they are “roughly equivalent on average across 50+ games“.
Smaller L3 Cache
Using a single CCX configuration has the unfortunate effect of halving the L3 cache size from 8 MB to 4 MB. AMD increased its base and boost clock speeds to compensate for the smaller L3 cache.
The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G has a 400 MHz (13%) higher base clock and a 300 MHz (9%) higher boost clock than the Ryzen 3 1200 it replaces.
New CPU Package
The Raven Ridge APUs also introduce a revised CPU package, and a switch to the traditional non-metallic TIM (thermal interface material). These are again cost-cutting measures, albeit with a side benefit of allowing the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) to officially support DDR4-2933 memory.
Precision Boost 2
The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) supports the improved Precision Boost 2, whose more graceful and linear boost algorithm allows them to “boost more cores, more often, on more workloads“. It can change frequencies in very fine granularity of just 25 MHz.
According to AMD, this will allow the Raven Ridge processors to perform better with apps and games that spawn many lightweight threads, as opposed to apps with persistent loads (e.g. video editing and 3D rendering).
PCIe x8 For Discrete GPU
The Summit Ridge-based AMD Ryzen 7, Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3 processors have 16 PCI Express 3.0 lanes dedicated to the PCIe graphics card. The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) only has half that – 8 PCIe lanes. That means any external graphics card will only communicate with it at PCIe x8 speed.
This is a cost-saving measure, although AMD also claims that the move contributed to a smaller and more efficient uncore. According to AMD, this is unlikely to make a significant difference with the type of (mid-range) graphics cards this processor will usually be paired with.
AMD Wraith Stealth
The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) is bundled with the AMD Wraith Stealth cooler. This is a basic CPU cooler, so don’t expect LED or RGB lighting, a copper base or even heatpipes.
The Wraith Stealth cooler uses a simple, low-profile aluminium heatsink, with a new spring-screw clamping system. Its main advantage – it’s quiet with a maximum noise level of 28 dBa.
Next Page > 3D Rendering, Video Transcoding & Photoshop Performance
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Benchmarking The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
In this review, we will take a look at the work and gaming performance of the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G APU. In the CPU tests, we will compare it to the AMD Ryzen 5 2400G (Price Check), as well as the AMD Ryzen 5 1500X (Price Check) and the AMD Ryzen 3 1300X (Price Check).
| AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | AMD Ryzen 3 1300X | AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
| Cores / Threads | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | 4 / 4 | 4 / 4 |
| Base Clock | 3.5 GHz | 3.6 GHz | 3.5 GHz | 3.5 GHz |
| Boost Clock | 3.7 GHz | 3.9 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB | 2 MB | 2 MB | 2 MB |
| L3 Cache | 16 MB | 4 MB | 8 MB | 4 MB |
| Memory Speed | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2933 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2933 |
| Current Price | US$ 189 | US$ 169 | US$ 129 | US$ 99 |
In the graphics tests, we will compare it to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Price Check), and the AMD Radeon RX 460 (Price Check) graphics cards. The graphics drivers used were the NVIDIA GeForce 390.77 and the AMD Radeon Software 17.7.
3D Rendering Speed – CINEBENCH R15
CINEBENCH R15 is a real-world 3D rendering benchmark based on the MAXON Cinema 4D animation software. This is a great way to accurately determine the actual performance of a processor in 3D content creation.
CINEBENCH R15 Single Core
This Single Core test is not reflective of real world performance, but it is useful to find out the performance of the individual core.
The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) has the same clock speeds as the Ryzen 3 1300X (Price Check), but was 12.4% slower in single-core performance. This shows just how much effect the larger L3 cache has on performance.
CINEBENCH R15 Multi Core
The Multi-Core test shows the processor’s real-world 3D rendering performance.
The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) did well in the Multi Core test, coming in only 6% slower than the Ryzen 3 1300X (Price Check), and just 24% slower than the Ryzen 5 2400G (Price Check).
CINEBENCH R15 MP Ratio
The analysis of the Multi-Processing Ratio is useful in checking the efficiency of the SMT implementation. The MP Ratio is independent of the processor’s clock speed.
It looks like the Raven Ridge microarchitecture does indeed have reduced latencies, thanks to the use of a single CCX.
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Video Transcoding Speed – HandBrake
HandBrake is a free, open-source video transcoding utility. Video transcoding basically converts a video file from one resolution / format to another. As you can imagine, it’s very compute-intensive. In our test, we converted a 4K video of 1.3 GB in size into a 1080p video (HQ1080p30).
Despite its clock speed advantage, the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) was 12% slower than the Ryzen 3 1300X (Price Check) at video transcoding. This is due to the much smaller L3 cache size.
Radial Blur Speed – Photoshop CC 14
The radial blur filter adds the perception of motion to a picture. This is a compute-intensive operation that benefits from multiple processing cores. This radial blur test was performed on a single 13.5 megapixel photo, with a filesize of 4,910,867 bytes.
Again, the smaller L3 cache size reduced its performance by 6% compared to the Ryzen 3 1300X (Price Check).
Next Page > The 3DMark & Ashes of the Singularity Performance Results
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3DMark – FireStrike (1920 x 1080)
In the 3DMark FireStrike benchmark that runs at 1920 x 1080, the Radeon Vega 8 core of the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) delivered a Graphics Score of just over 2700. This makes it less than half as fast as the AMD Radeon RX 460 (Price Check).
3DMark – FireStrike Extreme (2560 x 1440)
When we bumped up the resolution to 2560 x 1440, the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G delivered a Graphics Score of just 1220 – 12% slower than the Ryzen 5 2400G (Price Check).
Ashes of the Singularity (1080p)
In the RTS game, Ashes of the Singularity, the single core CPU performance has a significant effect on the actual frame rate. We tested the cards using the Low setting preset.
At the resolution of 1920 x 1080, the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) delivered a frame rate just under 25 fps. This was with the quality set to Low. So gamers will want to drop the resolution to 720p to get a decent frame rate.
Ashes of the Singularity (1440p)
We then bumped up the resolution to 2560 x 1440, again with the settings set to Low.
At 1440p, the average frame rate of the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) dropped by 12%.
Next Page > Warhammer & For Honor Performance Results
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Total War: Warhammer (1080p)
Like Ashes of the Singularity, the single core performance appears to be crucial in Total War: Warhammer.
At 1080p, the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) delivered a playable average frame rate of 37 fps. However, note that the quality settings were set to Low.
Total War: Warhammer (1440p)
We then bumped up the resolution 1440p to see how they fare, again with the quality settings set to Low.
1440p was just too hard for the Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) to handle. The average frame rate of 22.5 fps is just too low to be playable.
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For Honor (1080p)
We started out testing For Honor using the Low settings, which means Trilinear Filtering and no Anti-Aliasing.
The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) was able to deliver a playable frame rate, which averages out at 35 fps. This makes it about ⅓ as fast as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Price Check) graphics card.
For Honor (1080p)
We then increase the resolution to 2560 x 1440, still using the Low settings.
The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) was definitely not powerful enough to handle the increased workload, with an average frame rate of only 21.5 fps.
Next Page > Our Verdict, Price & Availability, Suggested Reading
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Our Verdict
First off, it bears reminding that the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) is an APU – basically a quad-core processor, with built-in AMD Vega graphics. Even with the added graphics capability, AMD actually made the Ryzen 3 2200G cheaper than the Ryzen 3 1200 CPU it replaces.
AMD achieved this by using half of a Summit Ridge processor die, allowing 8 Vega Compute Units to be inserted with a slight bump in transistor count and die size. This clever bit of engineering compromise, and a number of other tweaks, allowed them to keep costs low.
The biggest problem with the decision to use a single CCX – the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) only has a 4 MB L3 cache – half that of the Ryzen 3 1200 CPU it replaces. AMD increased its clock speed to compensate, actually making the Ryzen 3 2200G equivalent to the Ryzen 3 1300X (Price Check) on paper.
As our benchmark results show, the Ryzen 3 2200G was 6-12% slower than the Ryzen 3 1300X. But that’s really okay, because the 1300X is 23% more expensive at $129!
When it comes to games, AMD promised that it will deliver “1080 HD+ gaming performance“. That may be true for less strenuous esports games like Dota 2. In the games we tested, its Radeon Vega 8 graphics core can only deliver playable frame rates at 1080p if we use the lowest possible quality settings.
[adrotate group=”2″]Make no mistake – the Radeon Vega 8 processor graphics is no replacement for a good graphics card, like AMD’s own Radeon RX Vega 64 and Radeon RX Vega 56.
So what is the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G really good for? We see it being used mostly in small form-factor esports gaming PCs. It offers decent CPU and gaming performance for games like Dota 2, League of Legends and CS:GO in a single, highly-affordable and power-efficient package.
Remember – the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) offers 4-core CPU performance, with faster than average processor graphics, for just 65 watts of power consumption.
If you are looking to play games with all of the bells and whistles enabled, you need to opt for a dedicated graphics card. But if you are a casual gamer, or just want a really affordable and power-efficient esports gaming system (looking at you esports cafe owners!), it’s hard to beat the value proposition of the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check).
Mark our words – the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G is going to shred Intel processors with integrated graphics to pieces.
The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G Price & Availability
As AMD announced, the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G (Price Check) desktop APU will be available starting 12 February 2018.
It is priced at just US$99 (RM 479 in Malaysia), making it an affordable gaming solution. This will be a relief to many esports gamers, who are suffering from extremely high GPU prices because of cryptocurrency miners.
You can help support Tech ARP by ordering your AMD Ryzen 3 2200G from this Amazon link.
Suggested Reading
- The AMD Raven Ridge Desktop APUs – Everything You Need To Know!
- AMD Ryzen 5 2400G with Radeon RX Vega 11 Graphics
- Thank The Ryzen Effect For Better Intel Processors!
- The 8th Gen Intel Core Desktop CPU Tech Report
- The Intel Core i7-8700K Hexa-Core Processor Review
- Everything You Need To Know About The Intel Coffee Lake CPUs!
- The 11 New ASUS Z370 Motherboards Revealed![adrotate group=”2″]
- The 15 New AMD Ryzen CPU Coolers Revealed!
- All You Need To Know About AMD Ryzen Threadripper!
- Introducing the First AMD X399 Threadripper Motherboards!
- The AMD Ryzen PRO Processor Tech Report
- The AMD Ryzen 7 1800X Octa-Core Processor Review
- The AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Quad-Core Processor Review
- The AMD Ryzen 3 1300X Quad-Core Processor Review
- The AMD Ryzen 7 Processor Tech Report
- The AMD Ryzen 5 Processor Tech Report
- The AMD Ryzen 3 Processor Tech Report
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