It may be a budget gaming PC, but it has some very impressive performance for its value.
In part one of this build, I went through the spec of the hardware for this sub £350 ($460) PC , and in part 2, I went through the build process with some thoughts about the build. Now in part 3, I decided to compare this build with another that is a similar spec but with a discreet GPU, an older gen build, and a higher end PC.
Benchmark Hardware.
- Here is a rundown of the hardware of this PC build and the other PC's for comparison.
| Ryzen 3 2200G System | Ryzen 3 1300x System | FX 8320 System | Ryzen 5 2600 System | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD 2200G @ 3.8Ghz. | AMD 1300X @3.95Ghz | AMD FX 8320 @4.4Ghz | AMD 2600 @4.4Ghz |
| RAM | 8Gb DDR4 @2966Mhz | 8Gb DDR4 @2966Mhz | 8Gb DDR3 @1600Mhz | 16Gb DDR4 @3377Mhz |
| Board | Gigabyte A320M | Gigabyte A320M | Gigabyte FX990 | ASUS ROG X370 |
| GPU | AMD Vega 8 Integrated | Nvidia GTX 1050Ti Discreet. | Nvidia GTX 750Ti Discreet | AMD RX580 Discreet |
| OS Storage | 1Tb 3.5" HDD | 1Tb 3.5" SSHD | 1Tb 3.5 HDD | 2Tb 3.5"SSHD |
- From left to right, we have the budget gaming PC featured in the last 2 posts. Then we have @Deviras's gaming PC I built back in February for her birthday. Then we have my old PC that one of the kids is currently using. And lastly we have my current PC which is used for gaming and streaming. Basically I want to see what kind of numbers I would get from each system and compare them to the performance of the budget build.
- In this simple graph, I tested several games, along with some synthetic tests to see what sort of frame rates are possible with this budget system. I used Medium settings at 1080p with any extra graphical enhancements turned off where possible.
To round of the test, I also did a Cinebench benchmark to see what sort of CPU scores we can get from all the individual systems.
| Ryzen 3 2200G System | Ryzen 3 1300x System | FX 8320 System | Ryzen 5 2600 System | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unigine Valley | 40.10 fps | 58.60 fps | 39.00 fps | 132.30 fps |
| Unigine Heaven | 52.50 fps | 69.50 fps | 45.50 fps | 155.80 fps |
| Fortnite | 56.00 fps | 62.00 fps | 51.00 fps | 163.00 fps |
| CS:GO | 118.00 fps | 142.00 fps | 111.00 fps | 253.00 fps |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider | 36.78 fps | 48.62 fps | 38.29 fps | 104.88 fps |
| Hitman 2016 | 32.59 fps | 47.13 fps | 31.35 fps | 114.37 fps |
| GTA V | 29.40 fps | 42.50 fps | 35.70 fps | 173.90 fps |
| Cinebench Score | 562 | 575 | 548 | 1506 |
At a glance, it may seem that the 2200G system may be the poorest performer among the PC's tested. Yes that is true to a point, but the biggest improvements in gaming performance are between the previous generation PC, namely the FX 8320. even though the FX chip is an 8 Core CPU, it still lacks the efficiency of the simple 4 core 2200G, which shows in the graphical performance between the discreet GTX 750Ti GPU and the current Gen Vega 8 integrated GPU. And this is where the performance in game is gained. Not in every game though, this is totally dependant on how well optimised the game is for the platform... AMD Radeon Vs Nvidia. In AMD sponsored titles, the Vega graphics perform better, and vice versa with Nvidia sponsored titles.
Regardless, even though the 2200G has an integrated GPU, it performs similar to an older discreet GPU, but well enough so you can play a game at reasonable graphical settings and a good frame rate. CS:GO in particular is very well optimized for the 2200G and the frame rate was excellent. So good in fact, you can play it at high settings while still maintaining a very good frame rate.
The only title that struggled slightly was GTAV. It is an older title, but still a game that gives good benchmark results. During the benchmark, it did take time to load each section with the slight stutter at the start, yet when playing the game, the frame rate remained above 30fps most of the time with the odd dip depending what was happening on screen. Regardless of the low frame rate, it is still very much playable, and that frame rate can be improved by lowering some of the settings to low which will and does help increase the frame rate.
So What's The Verdict?
The budget gaming PC is more powerful than any other APU that came before it. It is not going to to give you perfect looking graphics, for that you will need a mid to high end discreet GPU that is not hindered by memory limitations of the system memory, or the heat output that is minimal as there is only one cooler cooling 2 chips. The processor side of the APU performs just as well as the previous generation 1000 series 4 core 4 thread chips., while the GPU side performs just as well as some low or older end discreet GPU's like the GT1030 or GTX650.
For a basic system, it can play most modern titles with no issues, for the short term, it is going to be used to play CS:Go and Fortnite, so it is more than powerful enough to cope with these titles. It will struggle however with more graphically demanding titles such as Assassins Creed Origins, Far Cry 5, among others. However, the kid is fully aware of the systems limitations and understands that at some point he will have to/want to buy a discreet GPU.
As a gaming machine, it is an awesome little powerhouse. As I have previously said in another post, there is massive ability for upgrading in the future, and at some point, it will be.
My only concern with this build is going to be maintenance. The case has no air filters to stop fine dust entering. With it being a water cooled build, there is risk that the radiator can get clogged up reducing its ability to cool. With the mild overclock given to the system, there is a risk that it may run into instability issues due to heat build up.
If you want to start exploring the realm of PC gaming, but don't want to spend too much money, or if you are stuck on a tight budget, a build like this is a fantastic place to start. Upgradability of a PC is becoming very easy and more universal than ever with a very plug and play mentality.
I will however say that it may be worth while to get a B350/B450 chipset motherboard over the A320 one. This is because the B350/B450 boards have much more options for overclocking the CPU and GPU sides of the chip, as well as the memory. This will unrestrict the GPU performance, letting you overclock it to give you that extra performance when gaming. Though you will have to consider the extra heat output and get a cooling solution that is more appropriate.
Thanks for reading.
Stu @TechMojo
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