Back in January of this year, chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) came out with the new AMD Ryzen 7 8700G — a powerful processor with an integrated Graphic Processing Unit (GPU).
Here are the specs of the 8700G on paper:
- Architecture: Zen 4
- Central Processing Unit (CPU) Cores: 8
- Threads: 16
- Max. Boost Clock: Up to 5.1 GHz
- Base Clock: 4.2 GHz
- L2 Cache: 8 MB
- L3 Cache: 16 MB
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 65W
- Configurable TDP: 45-65W
- Processor Technology for CPU Cores: TSMC 4nm FinFET
- CPU Socket: AM5
- Max. Operating Temperature: 95°C
The Ryzen 8000G series all feature a Zen 4 CPU microarchitecture, as well as an integrated RDNA 3 GPU architecture, both of which are latest innovations from AMD.
Both types make use of small transistors, or chiplets in case of GPU, making it easier to squeeze in a lot of them into a smaller space, allowing you to process more data in the same foot print on your motherboard.
The Ryzen 7 8700G, specifically, uses eight cores, which could handle 16 threads of instructions, giving it the highest number of cores and clock rate among the Ryzen 8000G series.
This processor also allows multithreading, which means that on top of those 16 threads of instructions, it could make parallel executions, allowing it to improve its performance.
The integrated GPU is a Radeon 780M with a clock speed of 2900 MHz. It makes use of shared memory though, thus it uses 2GB of your installed RAM for processing.
During our test, the CPU used a Gigabyte B650M K motherboard, with 16GB of RAM. As CPUs go, it handled the tasks pretty well. It handled multiple browser tabs — even with YouTube playing in the background — smoothly.
This is a solid choice for an all-around computer usage. But, since this is marketed as a gaming CPU, this review focused on its ability to handle games.
The processor was benchmarked using the Unigine Heaven Benchmark, which gave an average frames-per-second (FPS) of 29.1 with 61.1 being the maximum. This was done using high graphic settings and 1440p resolution; it would have performed significantly better if we did it at 1080p and lower graphic settings.
As for the actual games, we first tested the chip on “Hades II, Early Access” release. Without any additional GPU, it gave a smooth performance, running on high graphic setting and 4K resolution.
At these settings, the GPU ran at about 70 percent capacity and the CPU at 10 to 11 percent capacity. The clock speed for the GPU ranged from 2,000 to 2,800 MHz, and the FPS remained at 30 FPS.
Moving up onto games with heavier graphics requirement, “Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak” managed to perform well although the graphic settings had to be lowered to medium (but the resolution was kept at 4k).
The GPU maximized its clock speed to 2900 MHz, its full capacity, making use of about 20 percent of the CPU usage. The FPS only fluctuated between 20 to 25, so it was quite grainy.
The processor was then tested on “Need for Speed: Heat” and it shut off without even getting to the main menu. It used up 32 percent of the CPU, and running at maximum clock speeds.
The graphic settings were lowered to the lowest option and at 1080p resolution to get it working. However, it only managed around 9 to 12 FPS and everything was a bit slow.
A similar thing happened when we tested “Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut”. The GPU performed at full capacity, and also used the CPU at 25 to 30 percent.
The game ran for about half an hour before it shut off by itself to avoid overheating the processor. It ran better with the graphic setting on low and with a resolution 1080p, with the framerate maintaining at 25. Sure, it is a bit grainy, but it ran smoother than in “Need for Speed”.
To sum it up, AMD did a great job in producing a powerful processor with the Ryzen 7 8700G. With its 8 cores and 16 multithreading, its processing speeds range from 4.2 to 51 GHz.
But what makes it stand above other processors is the integrated GPU. It was forced a bit during the testing, but it was remarkable considering that it could run these games without a separate GPU. In terms of integrated GPUs, this is the best processor you could get.
You do have to keep in mind that this processor requires a motherboard with an AM5 socket and DDR5 RAM, which is a bit pricier since they are quite new.
In fact, we needed to have the BIOS of the motherboard updated to be compatible with the processor and boot up properly. So, if you are looking for a budget gaming PC, then this would be a great processor to build your set up around.
As of posting, its price ranges from P20,000 to P23,000, which is reasonable considering what it could do.
