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Intel’s 8086, the company’s first processor to use its ubiquitous x86 instruction set architecture, debuted on June 8, 1978. Forty years later and by some stroke of fortuitous timing, Intel’s desktop CPU portfolio is loaded with eighth-generation Core processors. So it was only fitting, then, that after a bit of prodding by a well-known chip analyst, Intel announced that it’d pay homage to the 8086 with a 40th-anniversary limited-edition Core i7-8086K.
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Anniversary edition processors, or limited edition processors, have been hit or miss through the years. Back in June 2014, Intel launched the Pentium Anniversary Edition G3258 – an overclockable dual-core processor – to much fanfare, but no matter how much the CPU was overclocked it never performed close to a full quad core. In 2009 AMD launched a limited 100-part run of the Phenom II X4 TWKR – a part highly binned for performance world records – to a select bunch of extreme overclockers.
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AMD’s Ryzen 5 2600X is faster than the previous-gen models in nearly every respect. The addition of lower cache and memory latencies, along with more sophisticated multi-core boosts, takes AMD’s gaming performance to the next level. The extra threads are helpful for everyday productivity, and the bundled storage software and cooler add even more value.
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AMD’s Ryzen 7 2700X is another big step forward for AMD. The improved boost algorithms add to Ryzen’s performance advantage in heavily-threaded applications, while the increased frequency and reduced memory latency provide a boost to a wide range of workloads. AMD delivered on the pricing front, too, and the bundled LED cooler and storage tiering software adds to the value.
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With 2017 finished, and Ryzen being very successful for AMD, the inevitable question was due: what happens next? Early in 2018, the plans were laid bare: a second generation Ryzen processor was set to come in mid-year, followed by a second generation Threadripper, using GlobalFoundries’ 12nm process. This is not AMD’s next big microarchitecture, which we know is called Zen 2 on 7nm, but an opportunity to launch a wave of components with minor improvements and take advantage of a manufacturing process that gives more frequency and more performance.
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AMD’s Ryzen 5 2600 provides excellent performance in productivity applications and competitive frame rates in games. It’s also an attractive choice for anyone building a PC in a compact case, given a 65W TDP. But if you’re more interested in raw performance or overclocking, Ryzen 5 2600X is a better option for just $20 more.
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AMD’s first-generation “non-X” Ryzen processors were universally hailed as budget champions. That changes with the company’s 2000-series CPUs, though. Its Ryzen 7 2700 is only $30 cheaper than the 2700X. Given a choice between them, we’d rather have the flagship’s great performance and capable bundled cooler for a few dollars more.
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Whereas the Ryzen 5 2400G comes with four SMT-enabled Zen cores and 11 Radeon Vega CUs, the Ryzen 3 2200G includes four cores without simultaneous multi-threading and eight CUs, enabling 512 Stream processors. Although Ryzen 3’s resource allocation isn’t far off from the flagship, it costs $70 less than Ryzen 5 2400G.
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The Ryzen 5 2400G redefines our expectations for integrated graphics. It represents a great deal for budget gaming rig builders, and the ability to purchase a single chip without the added expense of a GPU adds to the value. You can tune the CPU, memory, and Vega graphics to boost performance, and compatibility with the existing 300-series motherboard ecosystem is a plus, but you’ll need to make sure the BIOS is compatible.
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Today is the launch of the desktop socket edition APUs, with four Zen cores and up to 11 Vega compute units. AMD has historically been aggressive in the low-end desktop space, effectively killing the sub-$100 discrete graphics market. The new APUs now set the bar even higher. In this review we focus on the Ryzen 5 2400G, but also test the Ryzen 3 2200G.
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