AMD Ryzen 5 2400G And Ryzen 3 2200G Review: Raven Ridge Desktop Debuts
Gigabyte's AB350N-Gaming WiFi Motherboard For Raven Ridge
Although AMD does have some new chipsets slated for arrival alongside the second-generation Ryzen desktop processors that are due to hit in April, the Raven Ridge-based Ryzen 3 2200G and Ryzen 5 2400G are destined for the current socket AM4 ecosystem. AMD designed AM4 from the get-go with its next-generation APUs in mind, so short of a BIOS update, these new chips should work in any existing socket AM4 motherboard.
For the purposes of this article, AMD provided a B350-based motherboard from Gigabyte, the AB350N-Gaming WiFi. This little mini-ITX beast is packing a wealth of integrated goodies including ALC1220-based audio with a 120dB SNR, a headphone amp, configurable RBG lighting, server-class digital power circuitry, slim-line heatsinks, an M.2 slot, and all the features offered by the chipset itself.
Like its Aorus-branded motherboards, the Gigabyte AB350N-Gaming WiFi features the company’s current UX design for its BIOS, with “Smart Fan 5” – the latest iteration of Gigabyte’s fine-grained fan controls that give users the ability to tune their cooling using sensor data from multiple areas around the board.
This board also has hybrid fan pin headers, that can auto-sense what type of fan or device is plugged into the header and tune settings accordingly. For example, the headers can differentiate between a water pump and high-speed, PWM fan, and they support up to 3 amps per-header with built-in overcurrent protection.
The Gigabyte AB350N-Gaming WiFi is outfitted with customizable RGB lighting across the front, bottom edge of the PCB. The lighting can be configured via Gigabyte's “RBG Fusion” app for different modes (pulsing, color cycling, etc. -- 10 modes in total) and there are two additional headers on the board for adding more LED light strips as well.
Audio on the board comes by way of a Realtek ALC1220 codec, with high-end WIMA caps and isolation circuitry to optimize sound quality. The board is also packing a Realtek Gigabit network controller along with an Intel 802.11ac WiFi card (up to 433Mb/s), with Bluetooth 4.2 support as well.
The Gigabyte AB350N-Gaming WiFi also features a single M.2 slot, mounted out of sight on the underside of the PCB, 4 SATA ports (with support for RAID), USB 3.1 gen 1 (AMD) and gen 2 (ASMedia), a PS/2 port, and all of the I/O you’d expect from a board of this type. Although it’s a mini-ITX board designed for compact, low-power applications, the BIOS is still packing plenty of overclocker friendly features as well. Its accessory bundle is also decent, and includes a handful of SATA cables, a custom I/O shield, a user’s manual and installation guide, and drivers and utility software. The board also works properly with AMD’s updated Ryzen Master 1.2 software for easy overclocking from within Windows, which we’ll be showing you a little later.
For the purposes of this article, AMD provided a B350-based motherboard from Gigabyte, the AB350N-Gaming WiFi. This little mini-ITX beast is packing a wealth of integrated goodies including ALC1220-based audio with a 120dB SNR, a headphone amp, configurable RBG lighting, server-class digital power circuitry, slim-line heatsinks, an M.2 slot, and all the features offered by the chipset itself.
Like its Aorus-branded motherboards, the Gigabyte AB350N-Gaming WiFi features the company’s current UX design for its BIOS, with “Smart Fan 5” – the latest iteration of Gigabyte’s fine-grained fan controls that give users the ability to tune their cooling using sensor data from multiple areas around the board.
This board also has hybrid fan pin headers, that can auto-sense what type of fan or device is plugged into the header and tune settings accordingly. For example, the headers can differentiate between a water pump and high-speed, PWM fan, and they support up to 3 amps per-header with built-in overcurrent protection.
The Gigabyte AB350N-Gaming WiFi is outfitted with customizable RGB lighting across the front, bottom edge of the PCB. The lighting can be configured via Gigabyte's “RBG Fusion” app for different modes (pulsing, color cycling, etc. -- 10 modes in total) and there are two additional headers on the board for adding more LED light strips as well.
Audio on the board comes by way of a Realtek ALC1220 codec, with high-end WIMA caps and isolation circuitry to optimize sound quality. The board is also packing a Realtek Gigabit network controller along with an Intel 802.11ac WiFi card (up to 433Mb/s), with Bluetooth 4.2 support as well.
The Gigabyte AB350N-Gaming WiFi also features a single M.2 slot, mounted out of sight on the underside of the PCB, 4 SATA ports (with support for RAID), USB 3.1 gen 1 (AMD) and gen 2 (ASMedia), a PS/2 port, and all of the I/O you’d expect from a board of this type. Although it’s a mini-ITX board designed for compact, low-power applications, the BIOS is still packing plenty of overclocker friendly features as well. Its accessory bundle is also decent, and includes a handful of SATA cables, a custom I/O shield, a user’s manual and installation guide, and drivers and utility software. The board also works properly with AMD’s updated Ryzen Master 1.2 software for easy overclocking from within Windows, which we’ll be showing you a little later.
