AMD still has its Zen 3 desktop APUs under wraps, but a Chinese eBay merchant already started selling engineering samples. The AMD Ryzen 3 5300G, which was previously sold for $176.99, is no longer available on eBay, but we still have the benchmarks that were listed.
The Zen 3 microarchitecture powers AMD's latest 7nm processors, spanning from the mobile chips to the core-heavy server offerings. While the chipmaker has already released its Ryzen 5000 mobile (Cezanne) parts, the DIY market is still awaiting the desktop variants, which may be able to compete with the best CPUs. It's expected that AMD's next-generation APUs will leverage Zen 3 cores and slot into the AM4 CPU socket. Based on AMD's history, the chips will likely come with Vega graphics but with a small generational uplift.
The Zen 3 processor listed on eBay carries the 100-000000262-30_Y designation, which is the orderable part number, and the poster listed it as a Ryzen 3 5300G. Without AMD's confirmation though, we can't know for sure. It's possible the chip will come out as the Ryzen 3 Pro 5350G, with equal specs but bringing extra features around things like security. In any case, the chip listed should be the baby brother to the Ryzen 7 5700G or Ryzen 7 Pro 5750G.
AMD Ryzen 3 5300G Specifications
| Processor | Cores / Threads | Base Clock (GHz) | L2 Cache (MB) | L3 Cache (MB) | TDP (W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 3 5300G* | 4 / 8 | 3.5 / ? | 2 | 8 | 65 |
| Ryzen 3 3300X | 4 / 8 | 3.8 / 4.3 | 2 | 16 | 65 |
| Ryzen 3 Pro 4350G | 4 / 8 | 3.8 / 4.0 | 2 | 4 | 65 |
| Ryzen 3 3100 | 4 / 8 | 3.6 / 3.9 | 2 | 16 | 65 |
| Core i3-10100 | 4 / 8 | 3.6 / 4.3 | 1 | 6 | 65 |
*Specs not confirmed by AMD
Based on the eBay listing, the Ryzen 3 3500G will arrive as a quad-core, 7nm processor with simultaneous multithreading (SMT) enabled. The APU appears to have a 3.5 GHz base clock, but the boost clock wasn't shared. It seemingly clocks in lower than its predecessors, but remember that Zen 3's performance uplift comes from the IPC advancements rather than high clock speeds. On top of that, the clock speeds should be taken with a bit of salt, since the processor in question is an engineering sample.
Cezanne offers twice the amount of L3 cache in comparison to Renoir APUs. So it's not surprising to see the Ryzen 3 5300G come equipped with an 8MB L3 cache. However, it's still two times less than what's found on Ryzen Zen 2 desktop chips.
Given the model name, the Ryzen 3 5300G should be the successor to the Ryzen 3 4300G. Unfortunately, AMD decided to reserve desktop Renoir for pre-built OEM systems. You could still pick one up from the grey market, but it doesn't come with any support or a warranty.
It's uncertain if AMD will change its mind with desktop Cezanne. However, the rumors point to the possibility of the Zen 3 APUs arriving on the DIY market.
AMD Ryzen 3 5300G Benchmarks
| Processor | CPU-Z Single Thread | CPU-Z Multi Thread | Fritz Chess Benchmark | Cinebench R15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 3 5300G | 553.22 | 2,985.12 | 20,072 | 1,117 |
| Ryzen 3 3300X | 528 | 2,824 | 19,674 | 1,101 |
| Ryzen 3 Pro 4350G | 501 | 2,766 | 17,831.2 | 957.46 |
| Ryzen 3 3100 | 474 | 2,645 | 17,251 | 1,015 |
| Core i3-10100 | N/A | 2,461 | 16,037 | 1,001 |
In CPU-Z benchmark shared on eBay, the Ryzen 3 5300G reportedly delivered 10.4% and 4.8% higher single-threaded performance than the Ryzen 3 Pro 4350G (Zen 2) and Ryzen 3 3300X (Zen 2), respectively. When it came to multi-threaded performance, the Ryzen 3 5300G was up to 7.9% faster than the Ryzen 3 Pro 4350G and up to 21.3% faster than the Core i3-10100 (Comet Lake).
The Ryzen 3 5300G's dominance also extended to the other tests, including the Fritz Chess and Cinebench R15 benchmarks. In the former, the Zen 3 APU outperformed the Ryzen 3 Pro 4350G and Core i3-10100 by 12.6% and 25.2%, respectively.
In Cinebench R15, we can see the Ryzen 3 5300G rising above the Ryzen 3 Pro 4350G by 16.7% and the Core i3-10100 by 11.6%.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | 1080p, Low Settings | 1080p, Medium Settings | 1080p, High Settings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battlefield V | 48 fps | 37 fps | 29 fps |
| Battlefield 4 | 95 fps | 82 fps | 47 fps |
While the Ryzen 3 5300G's processing prowess is impressive, many will probably pick up the Zen 3 APU for its gaming potential. The Ryzen 3 5300G already appears to be a decent APU for gaming at 1080p resolution, but its 720p gaming performance should be even more spectacular.
At 1080p, the Ryzen 3 5300G's Vega graphics engine reportedly pushed frame rates up to 48 frames per second (fps) on Battlefield V and 95 fps on Battlefield 4 with low settings. With medium settings, the APU's listed frame rates dropped to 37 fps and 82 fps, respectively.
On high settings the Ryzen 3 5300G's graphical performance took a hit. The APU ran Battlefield V at 29 fps, which is just 1 fps below what we consider playable, and Battlefield 4 at 47 fps.
It's unclear why AMD is taking so long to announce desktop Cezanne. The engineering samples are evidently out in the wild already. With the current graphics card shortage, the Zen 3 APUs could be a legit option for gamers with tight budgets.
