AMD Ryzen 7 8700G and Ryzen 5 8600G review: integrated graphics for the win
F1 23, CS:GO, Far Cry 6 and Cyberpunk 2077.
We'll start with the results of integrated graphics testing at 1080p, as it's this setup - running without a discrete graphics card - that the 8700G and 8600G are expected to be significantly better than their Ryzen 7000 counterparts. After all, while Ryzen 7000 did include iGPUs for the first time in generations, the last-gen RDNA 2 architecture and meagre 2CU allocation was aimed towards office applications, troubleshooting and hardware video encode/decode rather than gaming. Here though, we have 12 compute units of RDNA 3 graphics on the 8700G and eight on the 8600G, which AMD promises are capable of 60fps gaming in modern titles.
We focused on testing the more capable 8700G at 1920x1080 in a range of single-player and multiplayer titles including Far Cry 6, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and F1 23.
For these iGPU tests only, we swapped out our usual DDR5-6000 CL30 for faster DDR5-6400 CL32 G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB RAM provided by AMD. Faster RAM can boost iGPU performance significantly, so this ought to provide a best chance scenario for the 8700G to impress.
| Game | Settings | 8700G FPS | 8600G FPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 23 (Las Vegas, Rain) | Ultra Low + TAA | 93 avg, 34 min | 81 avg, 25 min |
| F1 23 (Las Vegas, Rain) | Ultra Low + FSR2 | 97 avg, 42 min | 85 avg, 40 min |
| CS:GO (Eleague Major Finals Inferno R38) | High | 132 avg, 59 min | 123 avg, 70 min |
| CS:GO (Eleague Major Finals Inferno R38) | Lowest | 155 avg, 78 min | 143 avg, 76 min |
| Far Cry 6 (Built-in bench) | Ultra RT | 37 avg, 30 min | 31 avg, 23 min |
| Far Cry 6 (Built-in bench) | Low | 64 avg, 42 min | 62 avg, 48 min |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Built-in bench) | Low + FSR2 Auto | 64 avg, 28 min | 64 avg, 23 min |
The full results are presented in the table above, but summarising isn't difficult: the 8700G and 8600G are more than capable of turning in playable 30fps to 60fps averages in challenging AAA games like Far Cry 6 and Cyberpunk 2077, while exceeding this and pushing into high refresh rate territory in esports games like F1 23 and CS:GO. Heck, you can even have RT enabled at ultra settings in Far Cry 6 if you are happy with a 30fps experience.
That's honestly better than I was expecting, especially given that F1 23 didn't even require FSR2 upscaling to hit a smooth result, while CS:GO was quite playable even on high settings. However, the modern AAA games we tested did require cutbacks to fidelity to hit a stable frame-rate. Often you're going to be CPU-limited at 1080p, which narrows the gap between the 8700G and 8600G, making the latter the better value at $100 less.
The 8700G and 8600G are also capable of using the HYPR-RX graphics profile exclusive to RDNA 3 products, like AMD's Radeon RX 7000-series graphics cards, which includes AFMF (frame generation in DX11/DX12 titles), Radeon Boost (resolution cutbacks on camera movement) and FSR (temporal upscaling).
Counter-Strike Global Offensive: Ryzen 7 8700G iGPU tests
Unfortunately, we can't demonstrate the most intriguing feature - frame generation via AFMF - with our usual benchmark playback system embedded on this page, as engaging the feature appears to corrupt the FCAT border we use to capture our frame data. In fact, you can't even count the generated frames in tools like MSI Afterburner or built-in benchmark results, as it works on a driver level rather than being incorporated into the game like FSR 3 (or DLSS 3). That means you have to rely on AMD's Radeon overlay, which dutifully shows a near doubling of frame-rates with the feature engaged.
I didn't notice any distracting artefacts with AFMF engaged, in common with our intial impressions from the Gamescom demo, and games did feel smoother with it enabled - with less input lag than TV-style motion smoothing. It works best with a frame-rate cap on VRR displays to prevent tearing if you exceed your display's refresh rate - and there's still a bit of a jerk as it disengages in response to fast motion - but it's well worth at least trying in most games.
The only fly in the ointment is that most titles I tested ran well below the 70fps base frame-rate that AMD recommends, so its application may limited to largely less intensive titles - and its deleterious effect on latency may cause it to be a poor choice for esports games too. Still, it's great to have another tool in the toolbox, and it could well become a life-extending feature of the 8000-series APUs if it improves over time.
Far Cry 6: Ryzen 7 8700G iGPU tests
On the next page, we'll move onto another common use case for the 8700G and 8600G: pairing these CPUs with a discrete GPU, which you'd want to do for better performance with higher settings and especially at higher resolutions than 1080p. Does the 8700G hold you back compared to a Ryzen 7000 CPU - and if so, by how much?
AMD Ryzen 7 8700G and Ryzen 5 8600G analysis
- Introduction, test rig and content creation benchmarks
- iGPU gaming benchmarks: F1 23, CS:GO, Far Cry 6, Cyberpunk 2077 [this page]
- Gaming benchmarks: Flight Simulator 2020, Hitman 3, Ashes of the Singularity
- Gaming benchmarks: Counter-Strike: GO, Metro Exodus EE, Black Ops Cold War
- Gaming benchmarks: Cyberpunk 2077, Far Cry 6, Crysis 3 Remastered
- AMD Ryzen 7 8700G and Ryzen 5 8600G: the Digital Foundry verdict