AMD Introduces Ryzen 4000 G-Series Processors for OEM Systems

Renoir Introduced As An OEM-Only Product

AMD has announced their Ryzen 4000 G-Series Desktop Processors with Radeon Graphics, with a twist; these are for pre-built OEM systems only. Obviously that aspect of this launch is not going to be enthusiastically received by the DIY community, but AMD is working to make inroads into a much larger market, and one that Intel has obviously dominated for quite some time.

“With responsive performance and flawless visuals with Radeon graphics built-in, consumers can now enjoy enthusiast-level performance for gaming and content creation in AMD Ryzen 4000 G-Series processor powered pre-built desktops without the need for a discrete graphics card. Additionally, the new AMD Athlon 3000 G-Series Desktop Processors provide responsive performance and modern features for entry-level PCs using the same ‘Zen’ core architecture and built-in Radeon graphics as the high-performance AMD Ryzen Desktop Processor family.”

What exactly is on offer from this updated lineup of products once called APUs? First and foremost the processor cores are built with AMD’s 7nm Zen 2 technology, which offers significantly better performance than the previous generation’s Zen+ architecture.

Another difference is one of core count, as these have now doubled at the high end to 8 cores/16 threads, with the previous flagship processor with graphics the 4-core/8-thread Ryzen 5 3400G.

In total there are six Ryzen desktop processors with graphics being introduced today, split between 65W and 35W versions of the new Ryzen 3 4300G, Ryzen 5 4600G, and Ryzen 7 4700G (with the 35W variant differentiated by the “GE” at the end of the product number).

At the top of the chart is that new 8-cores/16-thread option, the AMD Ryzen 7 4700G, with AMD creating a Ryzen 7 APU for the first time. This particular model offers frequencies of up to 4.4 GHz, 8 graphics cores with speeds of up to 2.1 GHz, and a TDP of 65W.

The AMD Ryzen™ 4700G Desktop Processor offers:

• Up to 2.5X multi-threaded performance compared to previous generation
• Up to 5% greater single-thread performance than the Intel Core i7-9700
• Up to 31% greater multithreaded performance than the Intel Core i7-9700
• Up to 202% better graphics performance than the Intel Core i7-9700

The 35W variant of the 8-core Ryzen 7 APU – the Ryzen 7 4700GE – offers the most compelling low-power desktop solution we have seen from AMD to date, and could certainly offer some intriguing possibilities for small form-factor system configurations.

Vega Graphics Return

While this OEM-only announcement was already destined to be disappointing to the enthusiast/DIY community, take heart; these aren’t the Navi APUs you’ve been waiting for. Yes, Vega is back once again, and one the provenance of these new desktop products is known that should come as no surprise.

In creating these new desktop processors, AMD has actually taken the same silicon from their current Ryzen 4000 notebook lineup, and optimized it for the higher TDPs of desktop parts. The end result is not only the Zen 2 performance (and core count) advantage over previous desktop APUs, but significant performance uplift from the Vega GPU cores, as well.

AMD’s performance slides indicate some large increases over the previous high-end Ryzen 5 3400G in the graphics department, though we will of course have to wait for some hands-on time with one of these OEM systems to test out our usual game benchmarks. In any case, AMD is extracting every bit of performance they can from surprisingly few Vega GPU cores this time around (the Ryzen 5 3400G offered 11 Vega cores, for example).

These new Ryzen 4000 G-Series desktop processors will be available from AMD’s OEM partners – with Lenovo and HP the first to be named – beginning in Q3 2020.

AMD Athlon 3000 Gold and Silver Processors Introduced

Also announced were a trio of new Athlon 3000 processors, which are positioned to compete directly with Intel’s entry-level offerings in the OEM space.

These new models include the Athlon Gold 3150G (4c/4t, 65W​, up to 3.9 GHz), Athlon Gold 3150GE (4c/4t, 35W, up to 3.8 GHz), and Athlon Silver 3050GE (2c/4t, 35W, up to 3.4 GHz).

AMD Also Introduces Ryzen PRO 4000 Series Desktop Processors

Building on the Ryzen PRO 4000 mobile family, the new desktop versions of these business-focused parts have also been introduced today (along with new Athlon PRO 3000 SKUs).

“Built for the modern business environment, the new AMD Ryzen PRO 4000 Series and AMD Athlon PRO 3000 Series Desktop Processors offer a new standard for modern business PCs. Featuring advanced performance and modern security features with layers of protection, they are designed to keep up with today’s fast-paced, remote work business environments. With security features such as AMD Memory Guard and AMD Secure Processor alongside seamless manageability features, businesses can rest assured AMD-powered systems are easy to administer on an enterprise-level scale and deliver reliable security features.”

AMD states that the Ryzen PRO 4000 Series Desktop Processors offer “up to 43% more performance per watt than the competition”, when comparing the Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G to Intel’s Core i7-9700 vPro (using the Cinebench R20 nT benchmark).

The Ryzen PRO 4000 Series Desktop Processors are slated for launch availability from from system integrators, with OEM partner systems available “later this fall”.