Aiming to offer good quality graphics and processing in low budget systems, AMD launched its first APU (accelerated processing units) in 2011, with the first of its current Zen-based APUs arriving in 2017. Promoted as a solution for budget gamers who cannot afford a graphics card, APUs perform both processing and graphics tasks.
But is an APU really any different from what Intel offers with its processors, and do you need one?
So, what is an APU?
The core concept of an APU is blessedly simple: An APU combines the functionality of a CPU and a GPU, two pieces of hardware found in basically any computer.
The central processing unit, or CPU, carries out all the instructions for computer programs. Every action you make on your computer, whether running a game or simply typing a letter, must go through the CPU.
The graphics processing unit, or GPU, is a piece of hardware that allows a computer to render images quickly. Creating 3D images often involves complex processes like rendering polygons, mapping textures, and using complicated equations to execute animation. Offloading these to dedicated hardware makes generating 3D images far quicker.
By integrating the CPU and GPU into a single unit (sometimes referred to as an SoC, or System-on-a-Chip), the APU produces a better transfer rate between the two, allowing them to share the burden of processing tasks. This also allows the APU to complete tasks while using less power than a standard CPU and graphics card setup and ensures a certain base level of graphical capability, which makes the overall user experience better. Most importantly, it means you don’t have to purchase a separate graphics card, which drastically lowers the overall price of your PC.
None of this is really any different from what you will find in Intel CPUs though, even if AMD likes to call its chips that feature both cores something a little different. Most of Intel’s recent architectures from its seventh and eighth generations, combine CPU and GPU functionality on a single die. Essentially, any modern processor you purchase these days will be an APU, even if it doesn’t bear the name. That doesn’t, however, mean they’re all made equal.
What devices have an APU inside?
AMD APUs were initially limited to small form factor systems, such as mini PCs, but more recently have been employed in handheld gaming PCs such as the Steam Deck, first released in 2022. In the case of that handheld, the APU has been cited as being comparable with a Ryzen 3000 CPU and Radeon RX 6000 GPU. The various Steam Deck alternatives, released since 2022, particularly the Lenovo Legion Go and the Asus ROG Ally series, also use AMD APUs.
Meanwhile, both the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2 are based on APU-style devices, the Nvidia Tegra X1 and Nvidia Tegra T239, respectively. Like AMD’s APUs, these are SoC devices, combining processor cores and a GPU. Each of these were custom designed initially for Nintendo, with the Tegra X1 appearing in some other devices.
But are APUs worth it?
Although Intel chip buyers will almost always get themselves an on board graphics die whether they want one or not, AMD buyers have a choice. Do they buy a dedicated AMD CPU — preferably from the latest generation of Ryzen processors — or opt for an APU? If you’re a gamer, even on a modest budget, you’re much better off opting for one of the best AMD CPUs with a dedicated graphics card. Although that option is more expensive, the performance offered by both an independent processor and stand-alone video card is much better.
APUs have their place, perhaps with non-gamers and those on extremely low-budgets benefiting from the lack of a need for a dedicated graphics card. However, we’ve yet to see an APU that can match the graphics performance of a dedicated GPU.
