As compared to a few years back, 2021 isn't a good time for PC enthusiasts. You may have witnessed a significant shortage of significant PC components last year. The worst shortage was seen n the graphics cards.
And now we are witnessing a global silicon shortage, and it may be possible that we won't go away for a long while on the shortage of Graphics cards again.
As graphics cards are nowhere to be found and the higher prices tags are making it tough to buy even entry class graphics cards, the hope of buyers are shutting down.
Many buyers are putting their names on the waiting list to get at least a graphics card later in the month or even year.
Still, there are many people out there who want a working computer with enough graphics power. It's a must for any computer to have somewhat graphics power to get work done. We see a great shortage of dedicated graphics cards, so having an alternative is a must in such situations. Let's look into some alternatives and find out either they can replace a GPU or not?
Table of Contents
What is an APU?
APU, you may not be familiar with the term already. APU stands for or translates into Accelerated Processing Units. If we compare APU directly with a GPU in processing power, APU is no way near a dedicated GPU.
But considering the shortage of GPUs in the market, an APU is nothing short then a blessing to get daily chores done on your computer.
AMD is the father of APU. Ryzen's APUs ensure that combining with integrated graphics provides enough power to make your PC at least usable.
At the start, APU wasn't considered a good invention. But with the passage of time and advancements in APUs, these are quite popular among PC lovers.
To make things even better, AMD includes Radeon RX Vega graphics to their APUs, and that is what makes them a part of their competition. But still, the main question is there, can a Ryzen APU be good enough to fill the void that a GPU has left the gaming community?
Can You Fully Work Off Accelerated Processing Units or an APU?
No, APU doesn't come equipped with enough power to compete with a GPU when it comes to graphical performance. Even mid-range and entry-level graphics cards can give better performance than a GPU.
But it doesn't indicate that an APU is totally worthless. An APU can really be a blessing based on your workload until the graphics cards return to normal and are available again.
If you are someone who likes to play AAA gaming titles with maximum settings, APU won't be able to handle it without any doubt. But still, having an APU is a better choice than having no graphics card at all. It will provide enough power to run games on medium settings. But if you are an eSports games lover, then an APU actually provides enough horses to run the games smoothly.
On the off chance that you're in urgent need of a helpful PC to finish any work, anyway are hesitant on buying your parts since you won't have a GPU; why not go for a Ryzen APU? Close to the day's end, you will have great adequate representations execution to hold you off till you secure a graphics card. At the point when you do, your trusty old APU will happily encounter the rest of its days as a CPU!
In case you fall under any of the above sorts of customers, by this point, you're apparently considering which APU to go for.
Zen 3 Based Accelerated Processing Unit (APU)
It is essential to note that the Red team released Ryzen 5000 series APUs last year after releasing Ryzen 5000 Series Processors.
While at first just accessible through OEMs in prebuilt frameworks, AMD CEO Dr Lisa Su declared during Computex 2021 that the Ryzen 5000G series of APUs would at long last be accessible to general buyers.
What is one of a kind about this rollout is that AMD appeared to infer that the Zen 3 line-up of APUs will supplant the standard thing "non-X" variations of Ryzen 5000 processors that many were hoping to deliver at lower cost.
Ryzen 7 5700G and Ryzen 5 5600G APUs are available for the consumer market now. Ryzen 7 5700G comes equipped with eight cores and 16 threads. It comes equipped with 6 Cores and 12 threads. Both Ryzen 5 5600G and 7 5700G are loaded with a TDP of 65W.
Ryzen 7 5700G and Ryzen 5 5600G APUs
As we mentioned above, the TDPs of both the 7 and 5 series are the same, but the rest of the specs are these APUs are different from the Zen 3 processors. This looks good for the individuals who were energetically hanging tight for "non-X" Zen 3 processors. The Ryzen 7 5700G and Ryzen 5 5600G are estimated at $359 and $259 separately and will go at a bargain on August fifth.
As you cannot get your hands on the Zen 3 APU for now, so let's have a look into the best possible alternative. The next big thing to Zen 3 APUs is AMD Ryzen 5 3400G. It was launched as a successor to Ryzen 5 2400G.
It comes equipped with four cores ad eight threads with a boost up to 4.3 GHz. All these specs make Ryzen 5 3400G a competent APU.
On the GPU side of things, it flaunts AMD's Radeon RX Vega 11 Graphics with 11 graphical centres at a recurrence of 1400MHz.
Gaming Benchmarks
To find how good Ryzen 5 3400G performs, let's compare it with an entry-level graphics card from Nvidia. The GPU we're using to compare it with an APU is Nvidia GT 1030.
This card was picked exclusively because numerous clients would, in general, purchase a CPU and a GT 1030 until a superior GPU opens up. The entirety of the accompanying games was tried at the least graphical settings.
These results show that Ryzen 5 3400 G is a clear winner competing against the Nvidia GT 1030. Note one thing, and all these results have been taken on the lowest graphics and resolution settings. But still, you can't ignore the fact that an APU outperformed a low end dedicated GPU.
These outcomes give even more motivation to be invigorated for the dispatch of the Zen 3 APUs—as they will, without a doubt, bring unrivalled handling and graphics power.
The Ryzen 5 3400G generally retails for around $289, with costs expected to descend nearer to the dispatch of its replacement—the Ryzen 5 5600G.
Final Verdict on APU vs GPU
A dedicated GPU cannot be reduced by an APU anytime soon. But considering the shortage we are facing now, an APU is a good option to keep things going.
That's all for MamaFacts today' article on "APU vs GPU." Let us know in the comments section below that what fact is most astonishing for you. We wish to listen to from you guys.
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Gayle Laakmann McDowell is a founder, software engineer, and author. She is known for a series of career development books, Cracking the Coding Interview, Cracking the PM Interview, Cracking the Tech Career and The Google Resume.
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