Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) vs AMD Ryzen 5 2500U

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) CPU1 vs CPU2 AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) AMD Ryzen 5 2500U

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) and the AMD Ryzen 5 2500U and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) 4 core processor released in Q4/2023 with the AMD Ryzen 5 2500U which has 4 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2017.
AMD Ryzen 5 (85) Family AMD Ryzen 5 (85)
AMD Sephiroth (Steam Deck Refresh 2023) (1) CPU group AMD Ryzen 2000U (7)
4 Generation 1
Sephiroth (Zen 2) Architecture Raven Ridge (Zen)
Mobile Segment Mobile
Valve Steam Deck (AMD Custom APU 0405) Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) is a 4 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.40 GHz (3.50 GHz). The processor can compute 8 threads at the same time. The AMD Ryzen 5 2500U clocks with 2.00 GHz (3.60 GHz), has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.

Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Characteristic AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4 Cores 4
8 Threads 8
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? No
2.40 GHz Frequency 2.00 GHz
3.50 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 3.60 GHz
2.80 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 3.00 GHz

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Characteristic AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

AMD Custom Radeon Graphics (Steam Deck) GPU AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Raven Ridge)
1.00 GHz GPU frequency 1.10 GHz
1.60 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
-- GPU Generation 8
7 nm Technology 14 nm
2 Max. displays 3
8 Compute units 8
512 Shader 512
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
8 GB Max. GPU Memory 2 GB
12 DirectX Version 12

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

AMD Custom Radeon Graphics (Steam Deck) GPU AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Raven Ridge)
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 Decode / Encode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC Decode / Encode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

Up to 16 GB of memory in a maximum of 4 memory channels is supported by the Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh), while the AMD Ryzen 5 2500U supports a maximum of 32 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s enabled.

Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Characteristic AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
LPDDR5-6400 Memory DDR4-2400
16 GB Max. Memory 32 GB
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
102.4 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 38.4 GB/s
No ECC Yes
2.00 MB L2 Cache --
4.00 MB L3 Cache 4.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version 3.0
8 PCIe lanes 12
7.9 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 11.8 GB/s

Thermal Management

The Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) has a TDP of 15 W. The TDP of the AMD Ryzen 5 2500U is 15 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Characteristic AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 15 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up 25 W
4 W TDP down 12 W
100 °C Tjunction max. 95 °C

Technical details

The Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) has 6.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 6 nm. The cache of AMD Ryzen 5 2500U is at 4.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 14 nm.

Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Characteristic AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
6 nm Technology 14 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3 ISA extensions SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3
FF3 Socket AM4 (PGA 1331)
AMD-V, SVM Virtualization AMD-V, SVM
Yes AES-NI Yes
SteamOS (Arch Linux) Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q4/2023 Release date Q4/2017
-- Release price 150 $
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.3 stars (3 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the AMD Ryzen 5 2500U to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (2 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) (100%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U (82%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) (100%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U (66%)

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
975 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
797 (82%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
4359 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
2865 (66%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
AMD Custom Radeon Graphics (Steam Deck) @ 1.60 GHz
1638 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Raven Ridge) @ 1.10 GHz
1126 (69%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
57 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
275 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
672 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
2524 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
1296 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
4510 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
328 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
1352 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
7956 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
329 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 2.00 GHz
1462 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
130 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh)
4C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
4C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
584 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
Valve Steam Deck (2023 Refresh) Unknown

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