You may not remember AMD's Ryzen 3 4300G (Renoir) APU from mid-2020. The quad-core Zen 2 processor, which used to be an OEM-exclusive SKU, is finally making its way to the retail market. Given its age, the Ryzen 3 4300G is far from competing with the best CPUs; however, it will undoubtedly sell if AMD prices it cheap enough.
The Ryzen 3 4300G is an entry-level 7nm APU that wields a quad-core, eight-thread configuration with Zen 2 cores. The desktop chip has a 3.8 GHz base clock, a 4 GHz boost clock and 4MB of L3 cache. Although, the Ryzen 3 4300G has a configurable TDP (cTDP) ranging between 45W and 65W, and it's perfectly happy with AMD's Wraith Spire stock cooler or even any half-decent alternative.
Although not a gaming powerhouse, the Ryzen 3 4300G has some potential to run some of the latest titles at resolutions between 720p (1280 x 720) and 1080p (1920 x 1080) with modest graphics settings. The onboard Radeon Vega 6 iGPU comes with six CUs at 1.7 GHz. It's the same unit inside the newer Ryzen 3 5300G, only available to AMD's OEM customers. However, the Ryzen 3 5300G utilizes AMD's Zen 3 cores that help boost the chip's performance over the prior Ryzen 3 4300G.
While the AM4 socket is an aging platform, it's still alive. With new chips like the Ryzen 3 5300G out there, the Ryzen 3 4300G has probably lost its competitiveness for OEMs. That could be why AMD is bringing the Zen 2 APU to the retail market almost three years later. Furthermore, Intel is tearing AMD apart in the low-end segment, so having another contestant in the game could help AMD a bit.
In the latest installment of its AMD Heroes World (opens in new tab) show, AMD Japan stated it will debut the chip on the domestic market on March 10 for 15,800 yen or the equivalent of $115.08. Nonetheless, overseas hardware stores already sell the Ryzen 3 4300G. For example, major German retailer Mindfactory has listed the quad-core APU for 85.89 euros ($90.58) pre-VAT.
The Ryzen 3 4300G can help AMD fill the void in the sub-$100 price range. Before the Ryzen 3 4300G transitioned to the retail market, the chipmaker had no worthy performers with integrated graphics in that price bracket. The Ryzen 3 3200G, which uses even older Zen+ cores, retails for $80. Regarding the competition, Intel has the Core i3-12100F for around $101 but lacks integrated graphics. The Core i3-12100, which does have an iGPU, has a significantly higher price tag ($142).
