AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544: Processor Review

Mini PCs built on the Ryzen Embedded R2544 sell for $220-330 as a faster alternative to the Intel N150. That is only partly true. The chip, based on a die design from 2019, really does beat the N150 in multi-threaded work and graphics. But some manufacturers cut it down from 45 W to 28 W and fit a single memory stick, and the R2544's consumer twin on the same silicon costs noticeably less.

Where it came from

AMD announced the Ryzen Embedded R2000 series in June 2022 for industrial PCs, thin clients and machine vision systems. The R2544 is the top model in the lineup, and shipments began in October 2022. Inside is the Picasso die: Zen+ cores on GlobalFoundries' 12 nm process, the same silicon found in mobile chips such as the Ryzen 5 3500U and Ryzen 5 3550H. The processor is soldered to the board and officially supports Windows 11. Nominal TDP is 45 W, but the device maker can set it anywhere from 35 to 54 W.

Within the series, the R2544 differs from the lower R2514 not in architecture but in power budget:

CPU performance

In Geekbench 6, the R2544 scores 1134 points single-core and 3886 multi-core. In single-threaded work it is on par with the Intel N150, and in multi-threaded work it is about 30% faster, thanks to eight threads versus four. The "up to 50%" figure from marketing does not hold up in testing. Acemagic itself, in the listing for its R2544 mini PC, claims "more than 27%" in Cinebench R23, which is closer to the truth.

The R2544's closest relative is the Ryzen 5 3550H, built on the same die but rated at 35 W. The embedded version is about 11% faster single-core and 24% faster multi-core. That is the entire gain from its higher clocks.

On price-to-performance, the R2544 beats neither of its neighbors. The Kron K1 costs 42% more than the N150 machine for roughly 30% more multi-threaded performance, and 29% more than the Bosgame E4 for a 24% gain.

The speed of a given mini PC also depends on the power limit its manufacturer sets. In PCMasters' testing, the NiPoGi Pinova P1 never exceeded 28 W, and the same limit is stated in the model's Amazon listing. Acemagic also lists a 28 W maximum in one of its Amazon listings for the R2544 version of its K1. Such machines are slower in multi-threaded work than versions running at full TDP, so two mini PCs with the same processor can deliver noticeably different results.

Graphics

The integrated Radeon Vega 8 has 8 compute units (512 stream processors) and runs at up to 1.3 GHz in the R2544.

That is a 1.7-2x lead for Vega 8, but only with dual-channel memory, which machines in this class often lack. The base Kron K1 ships with a single 8 GB module. The NiPoGi Pinova P1 has a single 16 GB DDR4-2666 module, only 256 MB is allocated to graphics, and PCMasters judged the mini PC unfit for gaming beyond older titles. A second memory stick is the first upgrade worth buying for an R2544 machine.

Video

According to AMD's specifications, the media engine handles hardware decoding of 10-bit HEVC and VP9 and 8-bit H.264, and encodes HEVC and H.264, but supports only one 4K60 stream. It has no AV1 support at all. The Intel N150 does have hardware AV1 decoding, and for a media server or streaming box with AV1 content, that is a strong argument against the R2544.

Power consumption

On paper the gap looks alarming: 45 W versus 6 W for the N150. Measurements paint a calmer picture. The NiPoGi Pinova P1, limited to 28 W, drew about 7.2 W at idle and about 36 W under full load for the whole mini PC. N150 machines drew between 16 and 24 W in Notebookcheck's graphics stress test.

Around 7 W at idle is a modest figure, so for a home server that spends most of its time waiting for requests (Home Assistant, file storage, backups), the high rated TDP is less of a concern than it seems. The workloads in these measurements differ, but the order of magnitude is clear: under sustained load the R2544 draws roughly 1.5-2x as much as the N150, and versions without the 28 W limit will draw even more.

R2544 devices

In the industrial segment, the R2544 appears in the AAEON COM-R2KC6 COM Express module and the Kontron D3723-R mini-ITX board. Among consumer models, the Kron K1 is the easiest to upgrade: two SO-DIMM slots, two M.2 slots and up to three displays via HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-C.

Is it worth buying

The R2544 makes sense if a mini PC with 16 GB of memory costs around $250-270 and you need multitasking, three displays and some graphics capability. Above that price it loses its point, and for an AV1 media server or a server under sustained load, the N150 is the smarter choice.