We're matching the Intel CPUs up to an Nvidia GeForce GT 1030 add-in card, facilitating a more even comparison with AMD's Raven Ridge-based processors. We're also testing the Core i5-8400's UHD Graphics 630 engine and AMD's Bristol Ridge-based A10-9700 at 1280x720. We didn't bother benchmarking them at 1920x1080, and you'll see why.
Platform Cost | Ryzen 5 2400G | Ryzen 3 2200G | Core i5-8400 | Core i3-8100 | Core i3-7100 | AMD A10-9700 |
MSRP | $169 | $99 | $187 | $119 | $117 | $99 |
+GPU | - | - | $89 | $89 | $89 | - |
Total Platform Cost | $169 | $99 | $276 | $208 | $206 | $99 |
Pairing the Intel processors with a GeForce GT 1030 makes them more competitive, but it also increases platform cost dramatically. Keep those price differences in mind as you peruse the test results.
3DMark
3DMark's DX11 and DX12 CPU tests provide useful insight into the raw amount of horsepower available to game engines. The Ryzen 5 2400G takes an easy lead over AMD's Ryzen 3 2200G. Both processors feature four physical cores, but the 2400G's SMT functionality helps keep the hardware better-utilized.
Overclocking delivers a big benefit, too. The 2400G scales up 16.5% in the Fire Strike workload and 13% in Time Spy after a bit of tuning.
We normally run VRMark as part of the standard suite, but none of our contenders passed the minimum threshold of 109 FPS.
Battlefield 1
Ryzen 5 2400G enjoys a significant uplift after a bit of tuning, jumping 18.5% in the 720p benchmark. Even at stock settings, however, it's an effective gaming processor, yielding a 67.9 FPS average. Although we dropped the quality settings a bit, the game could be played smoothly.
Needless to say, Intel's UHD Graphics 630 is out of its element, much like AMD's previous-gen A10-9700.
Make sure to flip through our 1080p test results. We set the quality preset to Low, yet still ran into a few hitches with Ryzen 5 2400G. It really benefited from overclocking though, jumping up 16.3% after tuning and smoothing out some of those wrinkles. The Core i5-8400 and i3-8100 paired with a GeForce GT 1030 demonstrated slightly lower frame rates than the overclocked Ryzen 5 2400G, but provided a smoother experience.
We received a BIOS and graphics driver update late in the review cycle that improved AMD's performance and consistency. It's plausible that future updates may also help.
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