Caught!

Last month, AMD unveiled the Ryzen 8000G series at CES 2024. It is a desktop processor with built-in graphics. It is a new option that has pros and cons with the 7000 series CPU. The biggest change is that it is equipped with an AI accelerator, but when playing games, surfing the web, or working on documents on a general consumer desktop, you wonder, “Is there such a thing?” I don’t really feel it while doing it. It would be worth looking forward to if AI-related features are added to Ryzen Master or Adrenaline in the future. In addition, the built-in graphics are quite excellent and the processor itself performs well, so it has quickly emerged as an option worth considering if you want to build an inexpensive PC without a graphics card.

The Ryzen 8000G series is divided into four types: 8700G, 8600G, 8500G, and 8300G. The larger the number, the higher the performance. I had the opportunity to try the top model ‘Ryzen 7 8700G’. In terms of classification, it is the ‘Ryzen 7’ series that belongs to the mid-range, and the provided cooler is a Wraith Spire that does not even have LED lights (the second from the bottom among the five Ryzen Gikul siblings).

For CPUs using the Ryzen AM5 socket, the heat spreader has changed from a square to a puzzle shape. You will be very careful when applying thermal grease during assembly. Even the 7000-series CPU had metal parts visible on the board, so I was worried that thermal contact might come in contact with it. Fortunately, the 8000G series had an empty board, so even if the thermal leaked down a little, it wasn’t too much of a concern.

I checked the temperature and power consumption by using the 8700G’s built-in cooler (Wraith Spire) and the default settings without changing the clock or fan settings at all. The temperature was measured to be quite high, at 48 to 85 degrees Celsius. It is said that the overclocking potential of the 8000G series is quite high, so if you plan to use it at higher clock speeds, you will need to use at least a major air cooler. Power consumption was measured close to the maximum of 65W according to the spec sheet.

I checked the basic specifications and ran a benchmark with CPU-Z. Since it has 8 cores and 16 threads, multi-performance is quite good. The overall performance is slightly higher than the mid-range processor next door with the Ultra name.

Cinebench R23 test results showed a single-core score of 1752 points and a multi-core score of 15743 points. Looking at the rankings, it is a position worth paying attention to when choosing a product worth replacing with a national processor that is soon to be retired.

Ryzen 8700G has built-in graphics, so there is no need to buy a separate graphics card. If you want to play high-end games on a high-resolution monitor, it is best to buy a 7000-series high-end processor and graphics card, and the main consumers of the 8700G are those who will only use the built-in graphics. But suddenly a question occurred to me. If you want to use the built-in graphics, you will probably allocate some resources, including RAM, to graphics operations, but will CPU performance also be affected? We conducted a 3D Mark CPU profile test with only the 8700G installed and with the Asrock Radeon RX 7600 XT graphics card installed. The results showed slightly higher performance for those equipped with a graphics card. It is not clear from the benchmark what the specific impact is, but it seems to be having an impact anyway.

PCIe 5.0×4 slot SSD speed test results (left: 7500F, right: 8700G)

The Ryzen 8000G series only supports up to PCIe 4 version. Even if the motherboard supports PCIe 5.0 SSD, theoretical performance is reduced by half. In fact, as a result of comparing the speed of PCIe 5.0×4 SSD, when equipped with Ryzen 7500F, which supports PCIe 5 version, the speed was comparable to the highest specifications of SSD, while when equipped with Ryzen 8700G, the speed was as low as the highest PCIe 4 model. lost.

PCIe 4.0×4 slot SSD speed test results (left: 7500F, right: 8700G)

PCIe 4.0×2 slot SSD speed test results (left: 7500F, right: 8700G)

Fortunately, the PCIe 4 SSD was not affected much. Therefore, if you use a PCIe 4.0×4 SSD as your main storage device, you do not need to worry too much. The fact that the PCIe 5 SSD is still expensive and difficult to purchase, and the PCIe 4 SSD is fast enough that the need for upgrades is relatively low, seems to act as a ‘disclaimer’ for the 8700G.

PCIe 4.0×8 graphics card performance test results (top: 7500F, bottom: 8700G)

Is the built-in graphics performance acceptable? The 8000G series has a structure that is unsuitable for use with graphics cards. The 8700G and 8600G can only allocate 8 PCIe lanes to external graphics, and the 8500G and 8300G can only allocate 4 lanes. In other words, the 8700G and 8600G must use a graphics card of PCIe 4.0×8 or lower, and the 8500G and 8300G must use a graphics card of PCIe 4.0×4 (lane) or lower to avoid performance loss.

Among most mid-range graphics cards, many products only use 8 lanes, so the 8700G and 8600G are not a big problem. The Asrock Radeon RX 7600 XT reviewed this time was also a PCIe 4.0×8 graphics card, so there was no performance loss. Rather, the score came out slightly higher when used with the 8700G. However, since there are no 4-lane graphics cards or they are mainly older and lower-spec products, it is convenient to give up the idea of ​​installing additional graphics cards in the 8500G and 8300G.

So what about the built-in graphics performance? The 8700G is equipped with Radeon 780M graphics, and as a result of running the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark on a WUQHD 144Hz monitor, it scored 3166 points. Although it is difficult to play AAA games at resolutions higher than QHD, it is easy to protect the refresh rate on FHD monitors. It’s pretty good for a built-in graphic.

The Ryzen 8000G series is a CPU suitable for consumers who want to build a mini PC or mini tower desktop without a graphics card. It can withstand high-spec games up to FHD gaming monitors. If the built-in graphics specifications of the 8700G or 8600G are a bit disappointing, you can solve the problem by adding a PCIe 4.0×8 graphics card. It is a processor that has decent performance and can foresee the future to some extent. But the price is the villain. The processor performance is similar to the Ryzen 7700, but the price of 440,000 won makes you close your wallet again. If you’re not in a hurry, wouldn’t it be worth giving it a try until the upper 300,000 won range?