New Budget GPU, Looks Like A CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8700G Review

Summary

The video reviews AMD's new Ryzen 7 8700G desktop CPU with powerful integrated graphics. It benchmarks the 8700G versus previous AMD APUs and CPUs, finding huge performance gains, with the 8700G able to handle 1080p gaming reasonably well. However, when compared to similarly priced combinations like the Core i3-12100F with a Radeon RX 6600, the 8700G is handily beaten, struggling to justify its $330 price tag. Ultimately while an impressive technical achievement, the 8700G does not make sense for most mainstream consumers, especially gamers, who are better served by cheaper discrete GPU solutions.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video reviews AMD's new Ryzen 7 8700G APU with powerful integrated graphics
• 📈 The 8700G has 8 cores, 16 threads and improved integrated RDNA3 graphics vs previous gen
• 🔢 In applications, the 8700G performs similar to the Ryzen 7 7700X, about 5-15% slower
• 🎮 For gaming, the 8700G integrated graphics average 2X faster than prior gen APUs
• 🔥 But a budget Core i3 + RX 6600 combo can be 2X faster than 8700G iGPU for same price
• 😕 So the 8700G, while impressive, doesn't make sense for mainstream gaming builds
• 🤔 The niche use case is ultra compact PCs needing CPU + GPU in one package
• 💡For most, a Ryzen 5 7600 + RX 6600 build gives far better price/performance
• ⚡ The 8700G excels in performance per watt over prior gen APUs
• 👍 But Ryzen 7000 + RDNA 2 GPU is better for high end gaming builds

Q & A

What new product from AMD is being reviewed in the video?

The video is reviewing AMD's new Ryzen 7 8700G desktop processor which has integrated Radeon graphics.

What architecture is the CPU portion of the 8700G based on?

The CPU cores of the 8700G are based on AMD's latest Zen 4 architecture.

How does the graphics performance of the 8700G compare to AMD's previous generation APU?

The 8700G's integrated graphics are 145% faster on average compared to AMD's previous 8-core APU, the 5700G.

How does the 8700G perform in games compared to a lower-end discrete GPU like the Radeon RX 6500 XT?

The 8700G's integrated graphics match or exceed the gaming performance of the Radeon RX 6500 XT in several games when the 6500 XT is limited to PCIe 3.0 speeds.

What CPU + GPU combination is recommended over the 8700G for gaming at a similar price point?

The video recommends a Core i3-12100F + Radeon RX 6600 combo over the 8700G for gaming, as it provides over 150% better performance for a similar price.

How much faster is the Ryzen 7 7700 compared to the 8700G for gaming?

When paired with a high-end GPU, the Ryzen 7 7700 is on average 26% faster than the 8700G for gaming.

What market is the 8700G's powerful integrated graphics aimed at?

AMD is positioning the 8700G at mini PCs and other extremely space-constrained systems where having a fast integrated GPU is useful.

How much cache does the 8700G have compared to the Ryzen 7 7700?

The 8700G has a 16MB L3 cache, half that of the 32MB L3 cache on the Ryzen 7 7700.

What new AI capabilities does the 8700G processor offer?

The 8700G includes AMD's new Radeon AI engine, the world's first dedicated AI processing unit in a desktop processor, though its usefulness is still unclear.

How power efficient is the 8700G under load?

The 8700G system consumed just 148 watts total while gaming, highlighting that it's a very low power combo.