Yes, this update is late. But you know what they say: “Better…”
AMD released two new Ryzen-based APUs for the AM4 socket. They are both targeted at budget gamers who want to game for cheap, and they are both excellent in that regard.
- The 2200G is a 4/4 CPU that is $100. 4/4 is now the norm at that price level, but the 2200G comes with a very nice iGPU that is worth about $80. It beats all previous iGPUs in performance.
- The 2400G is a 4/8 CPU for $170. That is quite pricey, but the iGPU is worth about $100. For those who do not want to buy a discrete card, the 2400G is excellent! (How excellent? Take a look at our recent article comparing it to its closest competitors to find out.) Of course, you can get an iGPU-free 4/8 CPU for $20 cheaper, so the 2400G is definitely NOT recommended for those who want to buy a discrete card.
The R3 2200G goes to our Minimum tier, and the R5 2400G to our Entry tier. The iGPUs, motherboards, and HSFs for both these tiers are also updated.
Remember: Many HSFs (CPU Coolers) still do not support the AM4 CPU socket, so make sure to check that you always choose compatible items!
Since APUs are strongly affected by RAM, both these tiers get dual-channel 2x4GB RAM options. For other tiers, 2x4GB vs 1x8GB does not matter so much. I would have preferred to have 2x4GB as the default recommendation for the two new APU tiers, but RAM prices are now touching the moon, and both these tiers are strict-budget price-sensitive tiers.
CPUs like the i3-7100, i3-8100, R3 1200, and R3 1300X are still good CPUs—but the availability of the R3 2200G for a cheaper price with a better iGPU makes them temporarily illogical for new builders. We can expect price cuts for all of them in the future, after which they might make a return.
The R5 1400, R5 1500X, and i3-8350K are the same price or cheaper than the 2400G, but they are better CPUs, with better PCIe support. If you need the iGPU performance, the 2400G is the best. If you are getting a discrete card, then the other R5s and the i3-8350K are better. The 1400/1500X thus becomes the CPUs of choice in the Modest, Fair, and Good tiers.
As always, recommendations slowly get lower prices, and move “up” in our charts (down the tier levels) over time. The Great i3-8350K CPU is now Very good, and the Superb R5 1600/1600X pair are now Great. The Excellent i5-8600K is still Excellent, but it also Superb. This makes total sense to me, so it should also make sense to you. Right?
In summary, the following updates are already present in the US version of our main build chart, and will be rolling out to the other country versions soon:
- Two new CPUs, the R3 2200G and the R5 2400G
- New 2x4GB RAM options for the two new CPUs
- New iGPUs for the two new CPUs
- Several CPUs (the i3-7100, R3 1200, and R3 1300X) have been removed until they get price cuts
- The R5 1400 and R5 1500X replace the removed CPUs
- Several CPUs (the i3-8350K, R5 1600/1600X, and i5-8600K) moved “up” one row (down one tier)
- Motherboards and HSFs updated for all affected tiers.
I apologize for being late with this update. Hopefully, any of you who are interested in these new APU options will now have a clearer picture of where they fit among the rest of our builds!