AMD Ryzen 7 8700G & Ryzen 5 8600G APU Review: Modern APUs For A Modern Platform

It's been almost three years since AMD introduced its previous-generation Ryzen APUs. The Ryzen 5000 APUs were based on the Zen 3 CPU and Vega GPU architecture and were supported on the AM4 platform. A year later, AMD introduced its Ryzen 7000 CPUs based on the brand new Zen 4 core architecture and also packed an RDNA 2 iGPU for display and debugging purposes. The shift to AM5 remains a major one for AMD and the company has so far released several SKUs in its 7000 family but what was truly missing from this platform were more budget options, especially APUs. It looks like AMD was waiting for the right time and with the AM5 platform now far more optimized & stable than it was at launch, it is prime time to release the next-generation of APUs for the masses.

The AMD Ryzen 8000G is the next-gen family of APUs. Codenamed Hawk Point, these APUs are a slightly tuned version of the Phoenix APUs we saw on laptop last year and were also released for the laptop segment as the Ryzen 8040 series. For desktops, you get higher clocks, higher TDPs & a range of tuning capabilities. AMD officially unveiled four APUs for the AM5 Desktop PC platform which utilize a monolithic Zen 4 processor and RDNA 3 graphics core package and are compatible with any AM5 motherboard on the market.

Starting with the specifications, the AMD Ryzen 8000G "Hawk Point" APU lineup includes a total of four SKUs which include the Ryzen 7 8700G, Ryzen 5 8600G, Ryzen 5 8500G, and Ryzen 3 8300G. At a bird's eye view, these APUs are technically the same on an architectural level but the 8500G and the 8300G are a hybrid combination of Zen 4 and Zen 4C cores for entry-level desktop PCs with an aggressive control over power.

AMD Ryzen 8000G "Hawk Point" APU Lineup & Specifications

The AMD Ryzen 7 8700G is the top Hawk Point APU, featuring 8 cores, 16 threads, 16 MB of L3, and 8 MB of L2 cache. This chip has a base clock of 4.2 GHz and a boost clock of 5.1 GHz and has a TDP of 65W. The chip features the Radeon 780M iGPU with 12 compute units clocked at 2900 MHz, the fastest clock yet on an RDNA 3 integrated graphics chip. The APU will be priced at $329 US.

Moving on, we have the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G which is a 6-core and 12-thread APU with 16 MB of L3 and 6 MB of L2 cache. This chip has a base clock of 4.3 GHz and a boost clock of 5.0 GHz with the same 65W TDP. The GPU is a Radeon 760M iGPU with 8 compute units clocked at 2800 MHz. The APU will be priced at $229 US.

Next up, we have the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G which is another 6-core and 12-thread chip that makes use of that aforementioned hybrid configuration with 2 Zen 4 and 4 Zen 4C cores with a base clock of 3.5 GHz and a boost clock of 5.0 GHz. The chip also carries a total of 22 MB cache but the Radeon GPU is reduced to the Radeon 740M with 4 Compute Units clocked at 2700 MHz.

Lastly, we have the Ryzen 3 8300G which is a 4-core and 8-thread chip with 1 Zen 4 and 3 Zen 4C cores. The chip features 12 MB of total cache, has a base clock speed of 3.4 GHz, and a boost clock speed of 4.9 GHz. It comes with a 65W TDP and the same Radeon 740M iGPU. The Ryzen 5 8500G will retail for $179 US while the Ryzen 3 8300G will be OEM only.

AMD Ryzen 8000G "Hawk Point" Ryzen AI NPUs With 1.6 GHz Clocks

Another feature of the top two AMD Ryzen 8000G "Hawk Point" APUs (8700G / 8600G) is that they are equipped with the same XDNA "Ryzen AI" NPU as the Ryzen 8040 series. This NPU is clocked at 1.6 GHz and offers a combined 39 TOPS of AI processing power with 16 TOPs coming directly from the NPU. Once again, this is a 60% increase over the Ryzen 7040's NPU which offered 10 TOPs. It's mentioned that the Ryzen AI enables over 100 AI experiences within Windows OS.

AMD Ryzen 8000G "Hawk Point" APU Gaming & Productivity Performance

Coming to the most significant aspect of these chips, the gaming performance, AMD is touting a 4x uplift versus the Intel iGPU solutions offered on its UHD 770 graphics chips featured in 14th/13th Gen Desktop CPUs. According to the performance metrics published by AMD, the Ryzen 8000G line offers budget gamers the ability to enjoy 1080p @ 60 FPS gaming across a range of AAA titles with the use of Adrenaline features such as HYPR-RX and Fluid Motion.

In eSports titles, these APUs can deliver over 100 average FPS at 1080p (low settings) without the need to buy a separate graphics card.

And even when paired with a discrete graphics card, the AMD Zen 4 core architecture delivers a respectable performance versus the previous generation of chips. You can easily get over 100 FPS across a range of titles as AMD showcases in its demonstration where a Ryzen 7 8700G is running alongside a Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card. The 8 Zen 4 cores will be good enough to ensure minimal CPU-bound scenarios at lower resolutions such as 1080p which is still widely popular in the gaming space.

An interesting comparison made by AMD is a system-to-system comparison that compares an Intel Core i3-13400F + GTX 1650 build with a Ryzen 7 8700G + iGPU build. The Ryzen 8000G "Hawk Point" APU offers similar and up to 31% better performance without the need to pair it with a discrete graphics card at a lower price ($329 AMD vs $410 Intel). Even in productivity benchmarks, the AMD Ryzen 8700G simply crushes the Core i5-13400F with up to 4.6x better performance in multi-thread workloads.

AMD Ryzen 8000G "Hawk Point" APU Availability

The AMD Ryzen 8000G "Hawk Point" APUs including the Ryzen 7 8700G, Ryzen 5 8600G, and Ryzen 5 8500G are now available. Systems equipped with the Ryzen 3 8300G are also going to start appearing around the same time and the chip will be sold as a DIY option in the future too. As for users upgrading to the new chips, motherboard makers have released a new BIOS which comes with full support for these chips.

AMD Ryzen 8000G Desktop APUs:

APU Name	Architecture	Core / Threads	Clocks (Base / Max)	L3 Cache	GPU	TDP	Price
Ryzen 7 8700G (PRO)	Zen 4 / RDNA 3 (Phoenix 1)	8 / 16	4.20 / 5.10 GHz	16 MB	Radeon 780M (12 CU)	65W	$329 US
Ryzen 7 8700F	Zen 4	8 / 16	4.10 / 5.05 GHz	16 MB	N/A	65W	$269 US
Ryzen 5 8600G (PRO)	Zen 4 / RDNA 3 (Phoenix 1)	6 / 12	4.35 / 5.00 GHz	16 MB	Radeon 760M (8 CU)	65W	$229 US
Ryzen 5 8500G (PRO)	Zen 4 / RDNA 3 (Phoenix 2)	6 / 12 (4 Zen4C + 2 Zen 4)	3.55 / 5.00 GHz	16 MB	Radeon 740M (4 CU)	65W	$179 US
Ryzen 5 8400F	Zen 4	6 / 12 (4 Zen4C + 2 Zen 4)	4.20 / 4.75 GHz	16 MB	N/A	65W	$169 US
Ryzen 3 8300G (PRO)	Zen 4 / RDNA 3 (Phoenix 2)	4 / 8 (3 Zen 4C + 1 Zen 4)	3.45 / 4.90 GHz	8 MB	Radeon 740M (4 CU)	65W	OEM Only
Ryzen 7 8700GE PRO	Zen 4 / RDNA 3 (Phoenix 1)	8 / 16	3.65 / 5.10 GHz	16 MB	Radeon 780M (12 CU)	35W	OEM Only
Ryzen 5 8600GE PRO	Zen 4 / RDNA 3 (Phoenix 1)	6 / 12	3.90 / 5.00 GHz	16 MB	Radeon 760M (8 CU)	35W	OEM Only
Ryzen 5 8500GE (PRO)	Zen 4 / RDNA 3 (Phoenix 2)	6 / 12 (4 Zen4C + 2 Zen 4)	3.40 / 5.00 GHz	16 MB	Radeon 740M (4 CU)	35W	OEM Only
Ryzen 3 8300GE (PRO)	Zen 4 / RDNA 3 (Phoenix 2)	4 / 8 (3 Zen 4C + 1 Zen 4)	3.50 / 4.90 GHz	8 MB	Radeon 740M (4 CU)	35W	OEM Only

Meet The LGA 1718 Socket - How Long Will This One Last?

As mentioned earlier, AM4's reign is finally over and the AM5 socket is here now. The new socket moves from a PGA (Pin-Grid-Array) design to an LGA (Land-Grid-Array) layout. The new LGA 1718 socket offers more pin connections to the CPU, allowing for more communication channels with the board itself and enabling support for enhanced features that the new platform has to offer.

As for longevity, AMD hasn't promised anything but they have stated that they want to see the new AM5 socket last at least four to five years, similar to AM4. While there has been a lot of controversy regarding Ryzen support on the initial AM4 motherboards, I believe that AMD has learned and will not follow the same route as AM5. With that said, the AM4 platform will continue forward & will be supported in the foreseeable future (possibly with newer hardware and software launches).

Cooler Compatibility With AM5 Socket

The AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs will feature a perfect square shape (45x45mm) but will house a very chonky integrated heat spreader or IHS. The CPUs will be the same length, width, and height as the existing Ryzen Desktop CPUs and are sealed across the sides so applying thermal paste won't fill the interior of the IHS with TIM. That's also why current coolers will be fully compatible with Ryzen 7000 chips.

The Ryzen 7 8700G & Ryzen 5 8600G APUs were tested on the ASUS ROG STRIX B650-A Gaming WIFI motherboard provided by AMD as a part of their media kit.

AMD Ryzen 7 8700G / Ryzen 5 8600G Test Setup:

Processors	Intel Core i9-14900K (DDR5-7200) Intel Core i7-14700K (DDR5-7200) Intel Core i5-14600K (DDR5-7200) Intel Core i9-13900K (DDR5-7200) Intel Core i7-13700K (DDR5-7200) Intel Core i5-13600K (DDR5-7200) Intel Core i9-12900K (DDR5-7200) Intel Core i7-12700K (DDR5-7200) Intel Core i5-12600K (DDR5-7200) AMD Ryzen 7 8700G (DDR5-6400) AMD Ryzen 5 8600G (DDR5-6400) AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D (DDR5-6400) AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (DDR5-6400) AMD Ryzen 9 7800X3D (DDR5-6400) AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (DDR5-6400) AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (DD4-4000) AMD Ryzen 9 5900X (DD4-4000) AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (DD4-4000) AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (DD4-4000) AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (DD4-4000) AMD Ryzen 7 5700G (DD4-4000)
Motherboard	ASUS ROG STRIX B650-A Gaming WIFI (Ryzen 8000G) Gigabyte Z790 AORUS Master X (Intel 14th Gen) MSI MAG X670E Tomahawk (Ryzen 7000 X3D) MSI MEG Z790 ACE (Intel 13th Gen) X670E AORUS Xtreme (Ryzen 7000) Z690 AORUS Master (Intel 12th Gen) ASRock X570S PG Riptide (Ryzen 5000 / X3D) MSI MEG X570S ACE (5600X3D)
Power Supply	ASUS ROG THOR 1200W
Solid State Drive	Samsung SSD 980 PRO M.2 (1 TB)
Memory	G.SKILL Trident Z5 32 GB (2 x 16GB) CL36 7200 Mbps (DDR5 Platforms) G.SKILL Trident Z5 NEO 32 GB (2 x 16GB) CL36 6400 Mbps (DDR5 Platforms) G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Series 16 GB (2 x 8GB) CL17 4000 Mbps (DDR4 Platforms)
Video Cards	MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X
Cooling Solutions	Corsair H150i (With LGA 1700 Mounting Kit)
OS	Windows 11 64-bit

Our test rig includes the Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB SSD that boots up our main OS while a 2 TB Seagate HDD is used for the storage of games and applications. In addition to these, we are running an MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X graphics card and an ASUS ROG Thor 1200W power supply. For this specific review, we used G.Skill's Trident Z5 NEO DDR5-6400 memory kit running at CL32 timings (overclocked to DDR5-7000 for gaming tests). We also got an AM5 mounting kit for the Corsair H150i to use as a cooling solution for our test setup.

3DMark CPU Profile Benchmark

Instead of producing a single number, the 3DMark CPU Profile shows you how your CPU's performance changes and scales with the number of cores and threads used. The 3DMark CPU Profile has six tests that help you benchmark and compare CPU performance for gaming and other activities.

Blender

Blender is a free and open-source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, motion tracking, and even video editing and game creation.

Cinebench 2024

Cinebench 2024 utilizes the power of Redshift, Cinema 4D's default rendering engine, to evaluate your computer's CPU and GPU capabilities. Cinebench 2024 is designed to accommodate a broad range of hardware configurations - while it seamlessly supports x86/64 architecture (Intel/AMD) on Windows and macOS.

Cinebench R23

Cinebench is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s hardware capabilities. Improvements to Cinebench Release 20 reflect the overall advancements to CPU and rendering technology in recent years, providing a more accurate measurement of Cinema 4D’s ability to take advantage of multiple CPU cores and modern processor features available to the average user.

CPU-Z

CPUz is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system such as the Processor name and number, codename, process, package, cache levels, Mainboard, chipset, Memory type, size, timings, and module specifications (SPD), and Real-time measurement of each core's internal frequency, memory frequency.

Geekbench 6

Geekbench 6 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures your system's performance with the press of a button.

HandBrake

HandBrake is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs.

PCMark 10

PCMark 10 is a complete PC benchmarking solution for Windows 10. It includes several tests that combine individual workloads covering storage, computation, image and video manipulation, web browsing, and gaming. Specifically designed for the full range of PC hardware from netbooks and tablets to notebooks and desktops, PCMark 10 offers complete Windows PC performance testing for home and business use.

POV-Ray

The POV-Ray package includes detailed instructions on using the ray tracer and creating scenes. Many stunning scenes are included with POV-Ray so you can start creating images immediately when you get the package.

SuperPI

Super PI is used by many overclockers to test the performance and stability of their computers. In the overclocking community, the standard program provides a benchmark for enthusiasts to compare “world record” pi calculation times and demonstrate their overclocking abilities. The program can also be used to test the stability of a certain overclock speed.

WinRAR

WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. It can back up your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP, and other files downloaded from the Internet, and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.

Battlefield V

Battlefield V brings back the action of the World War 2 shooter genre. Using the latest Frostbite tech, the game does a good job of looking gorgeous in all ways possible. From the open-world environments to the intense and gun-blazing action, this multiplayer and single-player FPS title is one of the best-looking Battlefields to date. The game was tested at max settings at 1440p.

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is an action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt Red and published by CD Projekt. The story takes place in Night City, an open world set in the Cyberpunk universe. Players assume the first-person perspective of a customizable mercenary known as V, who can acquire skills in hacking and machinery with options for melee and ranged combat. The game uses CD Projekt Red's in-house Red Engine which is one of the most visually breathtaking and also one of the most graphics-intensive engines designed to date.

DOOM Eternal

DOOM Eternal brings hell to earth with the Vulkan-powered idTech 7.  We test this game using the Ultra Nightmare Preset and follow our in-game benchmarking to stay as consistent as possible.

Forza Horizon 5

Forza Horizon 5 carries on the open-world racing tradition of the Horizon series.  The latest DX12-powered entry is beautifully crafted, amazingly well executed, and a great showcase of DX12 games.  We use the benchmark run while having all of the settings set to non-dynamic with an uncapped framerate to gather these results.

Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus continues the journey of Artyom through the nuclear wasteland of Russia and its surroundings. This time, you are set over the Metro, going through various regions and different environments. The game is one of the premier titles to feature NVIDIA’s RTX technology and does well in showcasing the ray-tracing effects in all corners. The game was tested at Ultra setting with RTX settings turned off at 1440p.

Shadow of The Tomb Raider

Sequel to The Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of The Tomb Raider is visually enhanced with an updated Foundation Engine that delivers realistic facial animations and the most gorgeous environments ever seen in a Tomb Raider Game. The game is a technical marvel and shows the power of its graphics engine in the latest title.

Sid Meier's Civilization VI

Civilization VI is the pinnacle of the series. It features huge, sweeping changes, and nothing was left out. Everything has found a purpose, they all work together in tandem but also have a reason to stand alone. It uses a more fleshed-out engine that now supports DirectX 12 capabilities. We tested the game with every setting maxed out (4x MSAA, 4096x4096 shadow textures) at 1440P in DirectX 12.

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is the latest addition to Valve's CS series with a complete visual overhaul, bringing the FPS to a new generation of gamers.

For gaming, we tested a couple of the latest and most played esports titles along with a mix of AAA titles at 1080p resolution. The performance was measured between the AMD Radeon 780, Radeon 680M, AMD Vega 8, Vega 7, Vega 6, and Intel Iris Xe-LP integrated graphics.

The AMD Ryzen 8000G APUs come with a standard operating TDP of 65W which is lower than the 125W+ designs on its "X" series and similar to the Non-X 65W lineup.

AMD takes a slight step back with the packaging of its Ryzen 8000G APUs, moving away from the soldered IHS to TIM. The CPUs also feature a monolithic design, meaning all the core and I/O IPs sit on the same die rather than having multiple chiplets like we see on the standard CPUs.

Testing the AMD Ryzen 8000G APUs took me back to the Llano days. While the newest desktop chips are grander in all ways possible, they still have the same fundamentals of offering a high-performance CPU design with a GPU meant to replace entry-level discrete graphics cards within a package that's both effective in terms of cost and efficiency. AMD is the only company offering a capable and performant integrated graphics solution that can handle GPU-intensive tasks such as gaming and Hawk Point does it better than ever.

Ryzen 8000G: The Zen's, The RDNA's & The XDNA's

First, we have to talk about the three main components individually. The AMD Zen 4 cores are as strong as ever with the Ryzen 7 8700G almost matching the Ryzen 7 7700 while the Ryzen 5 8600G matches the Ryzen 7 5700G with its 6 cores. The other two SKUs have a split Zen 4 and Zen 4C core heirarchy but those are a different topic of discussion. The Zen 4 cores are as you would expect, fast and very tuneable, running very efficiently and delivering great multi-threaded performance versus their predecessors.

The GPU is the highlight of these APUs. AMD was stuck with its Vega architecture in the previous desktop APU releases although the RDNA architecture was integrated on laptop chips a while back. So there was a discrepancy between the desktop and laptop platforms. This changes with the Ryzen 8000G packing the same RDNA 3 graphics as the desktop dGPUs and laptop APUs. The new RDNA 3 architecture has many advantages, first and foremost is proper driver support and support for the latest technologies such as FSR 3, HYPR-RX, and Fluid Motion Frames. These three techs provide the quintessential experience to budget and mainstream gamers. The APUs are great for 1080p gamers but whenever you feel like the need to boost your FPS further, frame-gen and a range of upscaling techniques will always be available to you.

RDNA 3 iGPUs: Powerful Integrated Graphics For Gaming Backed By Powerful FiedlityFX Support

Compared to the past generation Vega graphics, you are getting almost doubling of performance at the still great (or better) efficiency. The extra clock bump and higher TDPs do allow for a small boost over the laptop RDNA 3 SKUs too. Compared to discrete GPUs, it looks like AMD still has a long way to go to match modern desktop offerings such as the Intel Arc A310, RX 6400, or the RTX 3050 but they are on the right path. The iGPU matches a GTX 1650 which is still a widely popular choice for entry-level gamers and with these APUs, you can get a high-performance CPU with a very decent and feature-rich GPU core that also saves you wattage that is usually consumed by a 75W AIC.

I also noticed in my tests that the new iGPUs are very bandwidth-starved. Switching from DDR5-6000 to DDR5-7000 netted over 10% performance gains. Using faster overclocked memory might be useful advice but the majority of budget and entry-level PC builders won't be spending big on DDR5 modules which are still costly compared to DDR4 sticks. Maybe we will see a day when the very same APUs feature a dedicated cache to eliminate some of these bandwidth bottlenecks but it isn't here yet.

Lastly, we have the NPU. The NPU is still a work-in-progress but one can be assured that AMD has hardware ready for it and we can wait for software/driver releases to make it shine. With upcoming Windows updates focused on the AI PC ecosystem, this NPU will come in real handy with its 16 TOPs of dedicated AI compute power. We should also mention that this is the first desktop chip with a dedicated NPU and AMD has really been knocking out Intel in the race to AI PCs with both its laptops and now desktops being the first to feature a fast dedicated NPU for AI computing.

Ryzen 7 8700G & Ryzen 5 8600G Are A Solid Upgrade For AM4 Owners On A Budget

Now talking about the two SKUs that we tested. I think the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G is a well-rounded package with 8 fast Zen 4 cores and the fastest integrated graphics chip on the market which can let you play the latest AAA experiences using AMD's solid FiedlityFX technology suite. The CPU has very low power consumption and when paired with a solid B650 motherboard, it makes for a great mainstream PC that will be upgradable for years to come. The $329 US price point could've been tuned down to $299 US but even then, I think the 8700G is well worth it. The Ryzen 5 8600G offers a similar experience with its 6 cores and cut-down iGPU but it is a better value at the $229 US price.

We have been waiting for AMD to modernize its APU portfolio for a long time now and with the AM5 platform and the Ryzen 8000G APUs, mainstream/budget PC gamers have a great solution to upgrade to. Kudos to AMD for its continued efforts in innovating the APU space, especially the PC desktop segment.

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