Ryzen 7 8700G Desktop Processor

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We’re well into the next generation of PC hardware, and builders have more than enough options for creating a respectable desktop rig. This includes Integrated Graphic Processors or APUs (Accelerated Processing Units as AMD lovingly refers them) which typically house enough visual prowess for basic multimedia functionality and not much else. However, most components don’t come cheap nowadays if you want a dedicated setup, but AMD is keen to change all of that with their latest Ryzen 8000G Series processors.

Enter the Ryzen 7 8700G Desktop Processor, a Zen4 APU that combines a CPU, integrated GPU, and sporting AMD’s latest XDNA NPU (neural processing unit) to handle dedicated AI processes. Factor in a Radeon 780M, a relatively powerful integrated graphics chip equipped in many other laptops and portable handhelds (AMD Z1 Extreme), and comparable to something like the ASUS ROG Ally. Ultimately you have a powerful option expanded for desktop usage.

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Specifications of the Phoenix

Almost everything you know about the Zen4 architecture can be applied here as well with a distinct twist: the 8000G series is internally derived from the Ryzen 7040 mobile processor family in reincarnated form. Sharing the same ‘Phoenix’ codename and even the same silicon, the 8700G in simplest terms is a beefier Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU in a different and larger configuration—an APU that has proven to be a portable gaming beast all its own.

Let’s get into some quick technical specs which are mostly universal across the board. The 8700G with Ryzen AI is an AM5 socket (LGA1718) design that features a default 65W TDP for longer frequency boost. A 8-core/16-thread count CPU backed by a 24MB total (8MB L2+16MB L3) cache with a base 4.2GHz and 5.1GHz maximum boost clock, and AI-focused NPU XDNA speed at 1.6GHz. The RDNA3-based Radeon 780M integrated graphics touts 2.9GHz clock speed and features twelve compute units (CU) containing 768 streaming shaders. AMD also equipped this with 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), 32 raster operation processors (ROPs), and 12 ray-tracing cores.

The IGP/APU portion of the Ryzen 8700G is effectively more powerful than existing RDNA2 graphics on current Ryzen 7000 ‘Raphael’ processors, to the point where the 780M smokes them in raw 1080p gaming performance, but that’s only one side of the story. Otherwise, the actual raw processing power for everything else sits beneath them.

Test Build

For testing purposes and to produce the most optimal results, AMD supplied some of the necessary components (CPU, RAM, motherboard) this time around. For the sake of transparency, I wanted to reveal these specific details before moving forward with this review:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8700G processor
• RAM: G.SKILL Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6400 32GB (16GBx2)
• Motherboard: Gigabyte AORUS B650 ELITE AX ICE ATX
• GPU: ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4070 Twin Edge OC (disabled during testing)
• PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G+, 80Plus Gold 1000W
• HDD/SSD: 1TB Samsung 980 Pro MVNe PCIe 4×4
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12A 120MM Cooler

*Example build is intended to match relevant PC configurations. Components may be independently sourced or provided by manufacturers for evaluation purposes.

The only other change was opting to use my own Noctua NH-U12A Cooler, even though the Ryzen 7 8700G includes an AMD Wraith Spire CPU air cooler inside the box. The Noctua unit simply runs quieter and does a noticeably better job of dispersing heat from the CPU, although the Wraith still does a satisfactory job for stock builds.

Benchmarking: Cinebench and Adobe

On first impressions, the 8700G fits nicely within its intended hierarchy almost to a fault. numbers-wise, It’s somewhere between the entry-enthusiast level Ryzen 7 7700X on the top-end, but creeps above the Ryzen 5 7600X and/or 5800X at its minimum. AMD knew what they were doing when they positioned this processor as a mainstream choice for both productivity and everyday gaming purposes.

In Cinebench R23 and Adobe Creative Suite tests results are normal but good for the 8700G even its standard 65 TDP when matched against it higher 105W and 120W Ryzen contemporaries, but falls short compared to 13th and 14th generation Intel CPUs (which isn’t surprising). The 8700G is more than adequate in real world usage but the technical figures aren’t as flattering from a ‘on-paper’ standpoint. When you move past the numbers though, I never found myself wanting when using the 8700G as a light workstation.

Argument for AI

One thing that remained mostly unknown is the dedicated hardware-based AI NPU accelerator, which is still so new that it’s difficult to get a good idea of genuine NPU benchmarking. However, I did make use of a program called UL Procyon which acts as a AI inference test that runs off of Microsoft’s Windows ML (machine learning) API. The report shows my sample returning an overall score of 122.

The main question with this test is what it means for intelligent computing. In this case, I don’t exactly know just yet. At the time of this review, there’s no definitive way or method to know how effective the AI integration will end up being. One silver lining is that AMD has partnered with Microsoft to incorporate NPU utilization graphs on Windows Task Manager sometime in the future. At the very least, I have a vague frame of reference on AI performance with the Ryzen 8700G.

Integrated Gaming with Radeon

From my experience, integration of the Radeon GPUs makes both the 8600G and 8700G attractive propositions for tighter budgets or those eager to build ultra-slim PC rigs. With real-time rendering and other 3D tasks this is theoretically possible, along with the combined potential of hardware-driven AI computing through AMD XDNA. Ultimately, the 8700G/780M combo serves as quick way to enjoy casual gaming if you can’t afford or unwilling to invest in a separate GPU.

Just to be clear, we’re talking gaming without an external graphics card, meaning everything is powered by the CPU alone and not a full-on GPU replacement. AMD touts decent performance without overheating, and the Radeon 780M is better suited for 1080p gaming with low and/or some normal presets with workaround adjustments. Generally you can expect 40-60fps in most titles or lean on AMD’s FidelityFX (FSR) supersampling technology to push things over that threshold, which implements open-source algorithm upscaling to help retain stable framerates or gain a mild performance boost.

Testing the 8700G/780M setup was done mainly to see how well everything ran based on AMD’s recommendation of keeping default graphic presets on ‘Low’ and attempt to see what tweaking can achieve for optimized results. The selected pool of games ranged from multiplayer to even current and older AAAs entries. Overall, the 8700G has an obvious—albeit minor—edge over the 8600G when it comes to performance in graphically intense games, though it’s best to stick with either 720p or 1080p max resolutions with newer online-capable titles like Street Fighter 6 and TEKKEN 8, each topping out at a fixed 60fps.

Moving onto single player titles was more varied and any performance limitations were present, but everything proved surprisingly playable. Games that ran best throughout my tests included the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4 (64fps) and DOOM Eternal (74fps), while other titles like Dead Space Remake (58fps), Starfield (44fps) Forza Horizon (33fps) and Cyberpunk 2077 (50fps) were good enough to enjoy. Enabling FSR did produce smoother experiences, but average framerates across the board only improved between 3-6fps.

Conclusion: A Powerful, Versatile APU/NPU Hit

AMD has finally delivered on making wholesale integrated graphics a reality with their Ryzen 8000G Series processors. The Ryzen 7 8700G Desktop Processor is a robust and powerful mainstream option with the onboard Radeon 780M pulling its own weight as well as being one of first desktop NPUs with built-in AI acceleration, although the latter implementation of the NPU is realistically more ‘what-if’ futureproofing at the time of this writing.

My only real issue with the 8700G is the initial cost, which comes with a suggested MSRP of $329 that’s noticeably high compared to what’s available right now from both Intel and AMD’s own lineup of enthusiast-grade offerings. Despite the considerable price differences, however, you’re getting an exceptionally versatile chipset with the 8700G, especially if you have a system that can’t fit in a full-sized graphics card or or want to build the tiniest of mini-PCs. It’s hard to snub the appeal here.