Review AMD ATHLON 220GE and AMD ATHLON 240GE [AM4]

At the emergence of Zen-based processors, many of today’s famous models of this architecture easily have the high-end and mid-range segments. At this entry level, we find the Athlon, models based on AMD ZEN cores came to give the previous technology of Bristol Bridge a break.

When the AM4 outlet came on the market as such at the end of 2016, Bristol Bridge was born, APUs based on FM2+ technology, but with a DDR4 controller, which gave it quite an attractive performance over the FM2+ version, but they were still far below the level of their CPUs, which the competition at the time offered, making the big difference in the graphics area of these APUs. With the urgent need to update the input series, AMD is launching Athlon models based on Zen cores with Riven Ridge functionality, as you can see on the Ryzen 3 2200G and Ryzen 2400G, but with smaller functionality to achieve a competitive input price.

Beneath the name of the famous series that has caused more than one sore head on the blue side in the history of processors, the Athlon models for AM4 are available in three versions, Athlon 200GE, Athlon 220GE and Athlon 240GE, based on the same configuration of core and graphics CPUs, with differences in the frequencies that each of them bring by default, preserving performance in the areas that an input processor currently offers.

Specifications

Model	AMD Athlon 240GE	AMD Athlon 220GE	AMD Athlon 200GE	Intel Pentium Gold G5400	Intel Pentium G4560
Code Name	Raven Ridge	Raven Ridge	Raven Ridge	Coffee Lake	Kaby Lake
Technology	14nm	14nm	14nm	14nm	14nm
Core	two	two	two	two	two
Threads	4	4	4	4	4
Base Clock	3.5 GHz	3.4 GHz	3.2 GHz	3.7 GHz	3.5 GHz
Cache L3	4MB	4MB	4MB	4MB	3 MB
GPU	Radeon ™ Vega 3 Graphics	Radeon ™ Vega 3 Graphics	Radeon ™ Vega 3 Graphics	Intel® UHD Graphics 610	Intel® UHD Graphics 610
Frequency GPU	1000 MHz	1000 MHz	1000 MHz	1050 MHz	1050 MHz
CUs	3	3	3	–	–
Memory	2667MHz	2667MHz	2667MHz	2400MHz	2400MHz
TDP	35W	35W	35W	58W	54W
Socket	AM4	AM4	AM4	LGA-1151v2	LGA-1151
Price	$ 71,678	$ 60,848	$ 47,000	$ 59,900	$ 58,900

 

 

 

First look

 

The packaging, unlike the Ryzen models, has a much smaller size.

 

 

Internally we find the dissipaters, of great simplicity.

 

Testing Platform and Methodology.

 

Test Platform
Processor	– AMD Athlon 220GE – AMD Athlon 240GE
Motherboard	– GIGABYTE AB350N-GAMING WIFI
Memoirs	– G.SKILL TridentZ 3200MHz 2x8GB
Graphics card	– Radeon Vega 3
Refrigeration	– AMD Stock Athlon
Power supply	– Corsair RM1000X
Storage	– SAMSUNG 960PRO SSD M.2 512GB
Monitor	– ASUS MG28UQ

• Windows 10 Pro x64 operating system.
• The tests were carried out in an environment with a temperature of approximately 25ºC.
• The platform was used without a cabinet.
• The drivers used for Radeon graphics cards were: Radeon Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.2.1
• The resolutions of the synthetic tests are predetermined by each of the benchmarks.
• The resolutions of the actual tests are 1920 × 1080 and 3820 × 2160 with all the maximum graphics available in each game.

 

2D tests

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3D tests

 

 

 

Temperature

An important factor is temperature. Temperature has always been an enemy when it comes to durability in the components of our computer, so that cooling our platform not only allows a longer useful life of our components, but we could also achieve a slight improvement in the performance of our system, especially when dealing with platforms with iGPU.

One would expect that a processor with this function would develop very low temperatures, would only pass through a few degrees of 50 º C with a constant load, only under overclocking would it be possible to slightly exceed the still quite low temperature of 60 º C, considering that it is very likely that we will not see a processor of this type working at 100% for a long time.

Overclocking

Due to the fact that AMD can develop overclocking in all processors (it will only depend on the board), overclocking will be allowed for the Athlon for, a very important differentiator from what the competition offers in this area.

Overclocking is a tool that gives these processors a great value that is slightly higher than the competitor’s model, even considering that it is simple and that at the level of temperatures, as previously seen, it is maintained at a pleasant 63 º C as the peak temperature.

Conclusion

It’ s a nice memory of the passage through the AM2 and AM2+ jacks in the Athlon series. AMD brings to life a family with a long history and great achievements that points to the entry-level segment of Zen-core processors.

Although the features are not at the level of a Ryzen series processor, with the same architecture we can say that we are faced with half (half of the cores) of a Ryzen 5 2400G with different frequencies and a smaller iGPU.

As far as overclocking is concerned, the AMD Athlon clearly manages to develop a remarkable performance boost that clearly surpasses the blue side of the specimen. In this context, the advantage of enabling overclocking and keeping the processor at low temperatures due to its low power consumption is a factor that gives these models a big “plus” in this area.

AMD’s Athlon series features a versatile processor that not only expands the platform for office work, but also shows small capabilities for occasional video games. Although the overall performance does not show any superiority in 2D computing compared to Intel Pentium, this is compensated by its graphical section, which many of us know, which AMD has highlighted since the introduction of APU solutions. We have to be aware that the user is not looking for top performance in 2D or 3D for the segment they want, but basically for a processor that can deliver productivity at the office level or can easily occupy office software, so the Athlon likes to leave us one by one, and if the Intel Pentium G5400 offers higher 2D performance, which leads to 80% of the processor’s use in an office, These very few times are used for applications where the graphical part is the protagonist, but if we bring the user to a home platform where we can even see a fairer use between 2D and 3D use here, the Athlon series could show its great gifts where the competitor doesn’t have much to do.

The cooling system, although perceived as tiny, is able to easily dissipate the temperature generated by these processors while maintaining a reduced noise level without annoying the user. In addition to the aspects of reduced temperature and low noise level, there is the versatility that reaches its size, which does not cause physical discomfort on small platforms such as the ASRock DeskMini A300W models.

In summary, these processors represent a balanced solution between 2D and 3D performance that gives us an experience capable of easily performing all the tasks we see every day in office automation and multimedia at home, all at a price within reach.