Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
I could just contain my excitement when AMDannounced its Ryzen 8000 G APUs . It was a return to form , offering the latest in AMD ’s CPU and GPU architectures in a single package for a down price . More than that , there was Leslie Townes Hope that these would be the first APUs to allow for some serious personal computer gaming without the need to spend loads of hard cash on one of thebest graphic cards .
But after test them and look at the other options , I ’m not convinced this is the good starting pointedness for aspiring PC gamers .
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
The graphics prowess you ’ll find in one of these chipping is leaps and spring onward of the distinctive integrate graphics you ’d find among thebest CPUs , even in a chart - topping flake likeIntel ’s Core i9 - 14900K. Unfortunately , these genus Apus struggle to meet the demands of New games , and the trade - off is rarely justified when you’re able to build a much more powerful gaming PC for the same Mary Leontyne Price .
CPU power
Let ’s search at these as CPUs first , though . I tested two chips : the six - pith Ryzen 5 8600 M and the eight - nub Ryzen 7 8700G. Think of these different interlingual rendition of AMD ’s Ryzen 5 7600 and Ryzen 7 7700 . The eyeglasses are slightly unlike , with some shift of clock focal ratio and cache counts to account for the integrated computer graphic , but you ’re getting the same figure of Zen 4 CPU sum .
you may see in Cinebench R23 that these chips are like . The Ryzen 5 8600 G is slimly behind the Ryzen 5 7600 in both single and multicore performance , but that ’s require , considering some of the design caters to the integrated graphics .
Basically , all of the bench mark I run came up with similar answer . In Y - Cruncher , calculating 500 million digits of Pi , the 8600 G and 8700 gigabyte are somewhat behind the base CPUs . This test shows that the individual - core speed is n’t too bad , though . you’re able to see both chips beat Intel ’s Core i5 - 13600 K in the single - pith mental testing .
The write up does n’t deepen much with Blender , 7 - Zip , or Handbrake . As we typically see with genus Apus , the raw CPU functioning is slightly behind that of a corresponding chip due to the design with integrated computer graphic . There are some software program where the balance is much more even , such as Photoshop , where the structured graphics can do curiosity without a distinct GPU .
These are n’t bad just as CPUs , even if they are n’t quite as effective as what you ’d get with a chip that holds weaker integrated art . The big problem for these APUs is n’t the processors that cost around the same price . It ’s those older chips like the Core i5 - 12600 K or Ryzen 5 5600X that are readily useable for very low prices . With one of those micro chip , you may get slightly big central processor public presentation and allocate a whole heap of budget toward a discrete artwork bill .
Staggering integrated graphics
We need to shift gears to the integrated graphics because they ’re the mavin of the show with these central processing unit . The Ryzen 7 8700 G holds AMD ’s Radeon 780 M , while the Ryzen 5 8600 G has the Radeon 7600M. Both are base on the RDNA 3 computer architecture — found in GPUs likeAMD ’s RX 7600 XT — with 12 and eight Compute Units ( CUs ) , severally .
I tested six game with just the mix graphics , leaning heavily on AMD ’s one - clack HYPR - RX feature in more demanding games likeCyberpunk 2077andRed Dead Redemption 2.Supported games treat the configurations differently , so this sometimes enable upscaling with FidelityFX Super Resolution ( FSR ) , such as inCyberpunk 2077,while other clip the game endure at native resolution , such asRed Dead Redemption 2 .
The destination here is n’t a scientific comparison but rather an accurate representation of how you might actually employ these APUs . In less - demanding esports rubric likeCounter - Strike 2 , Rainbow Six Siege , and evenF1 22,you’re contract smooth frame rate at medium options . It ’s snug to the 30 frame per second ( fps ) line for more demanding titles , even with mass medium to humble context .
There are some way to boost functioning further , either with more aggressive upscaling modes or faster memory board ( more on that next ) , but the functioning window is fairly narrow . APUs can hardly get over the line of playable with upscaling and low graphics options already , so you do n’t have a gross ton of options to meliorate your performance beyond what you see here , even if you take a monumental smasher to visual timbre .
The idea behind an APU is n’t that it will be your last destination for play . They ’re a stepping stone , allow you to douse your toe in the PC gaming amniotic fluid while you salve up some money to endue in a discrete GPU . Drop one in , and you ’re off to the backwash . The job for AMD with Ryzen 8000 gibibyte right now is that the maths does n’t really prefer start with an APU .
The price dilemma
You ’ll need to pass $ 230 for the Ryzen 5 8600 G and $ 330 for the Ryzen 7 8700G. Those are great price , but once you factor out in the price of a full build , you may in reality work up a PC with a discrete nontextual matter posting for around the same price . And you do n’t require to sacrifice that much in the process .
I puttogether a listwithAMD ’s Radeon RX 6600 , which can sack the streak of 60 fps gaming at 1080p with maxed - out configurations , and that ’s without upscaling . Inside a human body with a last - gen Ryzen 5 5600X , 16 GB of DDR4 , and 1 TB of storage , the total price comes out to about $ 700 .
If youtransfer the same character listover , swap out the motherboard , RAM , and CPU , and take out the art card , you issue forth to the exact same $ 700 damage with the Ryzen 5 8600G. you’re able to take the build in unlike focussing , too , opt for something like the Intel Core i5 - 12600 K , which is around $ 150 at the sentence of committal to writing , or spending an special $ 100 for a nice GPU or a platform based around DDR5 computer storage .
I do n’t want to pretend like these shape are directly comparable . Going with a raw Ryzen 8000 G CPUs Duncan Grant you get at to new DDR5 memory , the AM5 platform that AMD say it will support through 2025 , and a consecrate AI processor that ’s not usable on sr. Ryzen central processor . There ’s a lot of economic value in these novel chips , but there ’s a balance of priorities for aspiring PC gamers .
If PC gaming is your main priority , you’re able to get amuchbetter gaming experience for around the same price . You ’ll ask to advance your PC eventually , but you ’ll involve to do that even with a Ryzen 8000 G CPU . And , in some cases , you ’ll in reality spend more on a build with a Ryzen 8000 thousand APU for parts that may not hold their note value as you upgrade your PC .
The problem with APUs in 2024
The chief crux of the problem with APUs in 2024 is memory . A discrete GPU has its own dedicated memory , know as VRAM , that ’s positioned around the processing whole inside your art card . That ’s not how genus Apus work . APUs borrow from your system memory or RAM . There ’s a bit of supernumerary stash on the chip itself , but by and tumid , your system computer storage serve as the “ VRAM ” for the integrated graphics .
That presents two issues . First , you ’ll need at least 16 GB of memory with one of these Ryzen 8000 G central processor , allot to AMD , and you ’d in all likelihood gain from 32 Gi . In improver , you wantfastmemory . Latency and storage fastness are extremely important for an APU , so quicker DDR5 memory can make a sizeable difference of opinion in operation .
With a distinct GPU , faster memorycan meliorate gaming performance , but more often than not , it scarce strike the needle . Considering the still high cost of DDR5 remembering , you ’ll sometimes spend an extra $ 50 on a high - capacity , quick outfit to pair with an APU rather than the cheaper DDR5 or old DDR4 memory you may still discover .
gamy speed and in high spirits capacity are crucial for modern game . Nearly every rubric I launch as part of my benchmarking process admonish me of deficient video recording computer storage , and in a time when even 8 GB GPUs are being criticize for issues in games , it might be clock time to reconsider where an APU lands .
None of this is to say AMD ’s Ryzen 8000 G APUs are bad . They ’re tight enough when it add up to in the altogether CPU functioning , and the performance of the desegregate graphics is astounding . But , for those in the first place implicated with starting off in the reality of PC gaming , you could get much better performance for the same money .
The role of Ryzen 8000 G CPUs is n’t a stepping Harlan F. Stone for PC gambling in 2024 , at least in my nous . These cow chip particularly glisten for those who are n’t really interested in gaming but still want a little graphics horsepower for the episodic esports rubric . I surmise they ’ll expect a peck more telling in the future , too , with not only sale shift the value proposition , but also the cost of an AM5 motherboard and outfit of speedy DDR5 memory occur down .
