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Demystifying AMD Ryzen processors: APUs versus CPUs
AMD's Ryzen naming scheme is a mess. We explain why APUs are often a generation behind standard CPUs in architecture.
It's easy to get lost in AMD's current processor naming conventions; the company doesn't exactly make it clearer for customers. For example, the first generation of 14nm Ryzen processors inexplicably lacked integrated graphics. In the second generation, you'll find 14nm chips with integrated GPUs alongside 12nm CPUs. But is that truly second-gen? Confusing, right?
The table below clearly shows the architecture for each processor generation. If you need more explanation, I'll dive deeper.
Processor generation | Ryzen 1000 | Ryzen 2000 | Ryzen 2000G | Ryzen 3000 | Ryzen 3000G | Ryzen 4000 | Ryzen 4000G |
Architecture | Zen 1 | Zen 1+ | Zen 1 | Zen 2 | Zen 1+ | Zen 3 | Zen 2 |
Integrated graphics | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Process node | 16 nm | 12 nm | 14 nm | 7 nm | 12 nm | 7 nm+ | 7 nm |
Availability | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fall 2020 | Summer 2020 |
Let's summarize. The first 14nm Ryzen generation, based on Zen, had no APUs. They appeared in the second generation, but these APUs still used the older 14nm process and Zen architecture, while the rest of the Ryzen 2000 lineup moved to 12nm Zen+. As the table shows, the current third generation Ryzen CPUs are built on the 7nm Zen 2 architecture. But here's the kicker: the third-gen integrated graphics chips are once again stuck on an older 12nm process, using the Zen+ architecture.
In short, APUs consistently lag a generation behind their standard CPU counterparts. It's unclear if this trend will persist with the upcoming Ryzen 5000 series, but for now, that's definitely the case.
If you're after a Zen 2-based APU, you'll need to wait for the Ryzen 4000G processors to launch. All current APUs are still based on the comparatively older Zen or Zen+ architectures.
