Should AMD Ryzen 7 8700G Be in Your Next Gaming PC? We Tested It Out

Gaming PCs are often associated with expensive high-end graphics cards and resource-intensive AAA games. With the price of graphics cards soaring high, you may want to instead save some money and opt for a CPU with integrated graphics. If so, AMD’s latest release, Ryzen 8000 series APUs, will get you excited. They have added the best integrated graphics chip to the CPU and kept it affordable. Let’s check out how they perform to see whether any of these CPUs are suitable for you.

What’s So Special About Ryzen 7 8700G and Ryzen 5 8600G?

The Ryzen 7 8700G and Ryzen 5 8600G are the two latest 8000 series APUs released by AMD. They were first announced at CES 2024 and are now available for purchase. The Ryzen 7 8700G has 8 “Zen 4” cores, 16 threads and a 4.2GHz base frequency. The Ryzen 5 8600G has 6 cores, 12 threads, and a base frequency of 4.3GHz. Our initial testing shows that both CPUs performed well, with improved performance in both resource-intensive tasks and gaming.

As for the integrated graphics chip, the Ryzen 7 8700G includes the Radeon 780M GPU, the best of its class. It allows you to play games at 1080p settings. The Ryzen 5 8600G uses the Radeon 760M GPU, a less powerful, but still capable graphics chip.

Both the 8700G and 8600G use the newer AMD5 socket and will only work with DDR5 RAM.

The Ryzen 8000 series APUs also have a dedicated AI neural processing unit (NPU). This, together with the introduction of Ryzen AI, unlocks more AI capabilities for consumers. At this moment, this is not a feature that we can test.

Pricing and Availability

The AMD Ryzen 7 8700G is priced at $329, while the 8600g is priced at $229. Compare this to its competitors, Intel Core i7-14700K ($399) and Intel Core i5-14600K ($289), to understand the great value.

Putting it into perspective, the CPU’s predecessor, Ryzen 7 7700, is marketed at the same price and has 8 cores/16 threads – yet a lower base frequency of 3.8Ghz, and with older Radeon graphics that cannot be compared with the Radeon 780M chipset.

Both Intel Core i7 14700K and Intel Core i5 14600K are great CPUs when paired with a dedicated graphics card. You wouldn’t want to use them alone on a gaming PC.

Both APUs are available for purchase (Ryzen 7 8700G, Ryzen 5 8600G)

Check out the differences between AMD and Intel CPUs.

Benchmarks

To test these CPUs, I am using an ASRock B650 Pro RS motherboard, Trident Z5 DDR5-6400 32GB RAM, and Windows 11. I have to install a preview driver for the system to detect the new graphic adaptor.

The new driver has a new AMD HYPR-RX profile that can elevate performance and minimize input lag. Some games that are HYPR-Tuned will have the resolution set to one level lower than the native and scaled up to 1080p. I haven’t seen much deterioration in the image quality, but your mileage may vary.

Note: the new driver will be publicly available with the product launch.

Here are the benchmark results, tested with Cinebench, Geekbench and PassMark:

Tip: find out how to overclock or undervolt AMD Ryzen CPUs.

Both the Ryzen 7 8700G and Ryzen 5 8600G yield impressive results and performed great under load.

For games, we set the game’s resolution to 1080p and low graphics settings.

The gameplay was smooth most of the time, though games like Far Cry 6 stutter and lag occasionally. This is quite impressive, considering that it is rendered with an integrated graphics chipset.

Power and Thermal

As a CPU gets more powerful, it will also need more power input and generate more heat. Both the Ryzen 7 8700G and Ryzen 5 8600G have a TDP of 65W. During our tests, there was only one instance where the temperature shot up to 97°C. At other times, the average temperature hovered around 85°C when running benchmark tests. This is achieved with the AMD’s default Wraith Spire cooler. You may want to switch to a better CPU cooler to cool it down further.

Should You Buy This?

AMD claims that their Ryzen 8000 series is the ultimate all-in-one desktop processor, and we tend to agree. The Ryzen 7 8700G has an impressive work rate and the best integrated graphics chipset. Buy it if you:

• are building a gaming PC.
• have a limited budget.
• are content to play AAA games at a lower setting.
• don’t like to handle the complexities of choosing a graphics card.
• want a new CPU with an AI NPU unit.

Buy a Ryzen 5 8600G if you:

• are building a gaming PC.
• have a stricter budget.
• are content to play AAA games at a lower setting.
• don’t like to handle the complexities of choosing a graphics card.
• want a new CPU with an AI NPU unit.

Is This a Good Upgrade?

If you are planning to upgrade your existing gaming PC, it may not be a good choice for you.

If your current PC is running on the older AM4 socket motherboard, you will need to change to a new motherboard (with AM5 socket) and DDR5 RAM.

If your motherboard has the AM5 socket, it is pretty new, leaving no need for you to upgrade to a new CPU.

In short, to upgrade a PC, you are better off getting more RAM or getting a (better) dedicated graphics card.

Ryzen 8700G vs. Ryzen 8600G: Which One Should You Buy?

Other than the $100 difference, the performance of the two APUs doesn’t differ much. Both allow you to run your tasks effectively and play games in decent settings. It all boils down to how much you can afford.

Buy the Ryzen 7 8700G if you have an extra budget and want to future-proof your computer setup.

Buy the Ryzen 5 8600G if you are on a strict budget and looking for a new CPU to tide you over until the next best thing comes along.

Wrapping Up

The Ryzen 8000 series APUs are targeting a specific group of users: those who like to game but don’t have the budget to get a high-end graphics card. If you’re not among this group of users, it will be a hard sell to get you to buy it.

Damien Oh started writing tech articles since 2007 and has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry. He is proficient in Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and iOS, and worked as a part time WordPress Developer. He is currently the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Make Tech Easier.