AMD has unveiled a number of new desktop processors at CES 2024, with a range of Ryzen 8000G CPUs joined by some additions in the last-gen department, namely a quartet of new Ryzen 5000 chips (including a cheaper 3D V-Cache model).
Let's start with those Ryzen 8000G processors of which there are also four new chips: the Ryzen 7 8700G, Ryzen 5 8600G, Ryzen 5 8500G and Ryzen 3 8300G.
All of these CPUs are built using the Zen 4 architecture (which powers the desktop Ryzen 7000 series). AMD touts these as the fastest PC processors when it comes to an all-in-one solution – meaning they have a snappy integrated graphics card that comes with the CPU, so you don't need a separate GPU ( and thereby save a significant expense).
The integrated graphics are RDNA 3 – Radeon 700M series to be precise – and AMD further claims that the Ryzen 8000G models are the first desktop processors with a dedicated AI engine, specifically an XDNA-powered NPU (Neural Processing Unit). The latter speeds up AI workloads to significant effect (as seen in Intel's Meteor Lake silicon, although these are laptop processors).
The Ryzen 7 8700G is an 8-core CPU (16 threads) with a boost up to 5.1 GHz and is combined with built-in Radeon 780M graphics card.
With both the Ryzen 5 8600G and the Ryzen 5 8500G you get 6-cores (12-threads) and boost speeds up to 5GHz, the difference being the integrated graphics card, with Radeon 760M in the first, going back to Radeon 740M in the first . latter.
Finally, the lower chip is the Ryzen 3 8300G, a quad-core processor (8 threads) with a boost to 4.9 GHz and the same Radeon 740M graphics card as in the 8500G. This chip has a smaller cache capacity (12 MB instead of 22 MB for the others), but they all have a TDP of 65 W.
What we don't know yet is how expensive these 8000G processors will be, as AMD hasn't provided pricing details yet.
As for the Ryzen 5000 models, these are last-generation throwbacks that somewhat complement the range and will hit shelves from January 31.
As mentioned, we get a new 3D V-Cache CPU, the Ryzen 7 5700X3D, which will sit below the existing 5800X3D. The 5700X3D has 8 cores (16 threads) with a boost to 4.1 GHz and a power consumption of 105 W. Luckily, we have pricing for these desktop CPUs, and it will sell in the US for a suggested retail price of $249 (that is about £195, AU$370).
That's paired with a standard Ryzen 7 5700, also with 8 cores (16 threads) and a boost to 4.6GHz, priced at $175 (about £135, AU$260). Neither of these first two CPUs have integrated graphics.
The third new desktop CPU is the Ryzen 5 5600GT with 6 cores (12 threads) and a boost up to 4.6 GHz, followed by the Ryzen 5 5500GT, a quad-core CPU (8 threads) with a top boost of 4.4 GHz. These two processors have integrated graphics and cost $140 (about £110, AU$210) and $125 (about £100, AU$185) respectively, so they are very affordable models.
Analysis: Affordability in spades
The leaks surrounding these desktop CPUs pretty much turned out to be a problem, and there's a clear theme with these new introductions: they want to make it easier to build a cheaper PC.
You've got APUs in the form of Ryzen 8000G chips that save you the cost of buying a standalone GPU – allowing you to add one later, when you can afford it – and some seriously affordable Ryzen 5000 offerings, including a new X3D model.
How they'll perform is obviously the most important question in terms of their overall value, and we have a good idea of that thanks to some internal benchmarks AMD showed off at CES.
With the Ryzen 7 5700X3D, we're looking at a processor that can surpass Intel's Core i5-13600K, which is what AMD has chosen here for its comparative benchmarks, as they both have the same MSRP. Of course, that's not the latest Intel CPU – it's been succeeded by the 14600K – but to be fair to AMD, that Raptor Lake Refresh model is more expensive, and in any case there's very little generational gain for the latter indeed (as we made clear in our 14600K review).
The result is that the 5700X3D wins by an average margin of around 6% in the games tested, with around 12-13% wins (and some games where the margin is only a percentage point or two). So that looks good for Team Red's X3D newcomer, but as always with internal benchmarking and marketing presentations, we have to be wary of how many cherries have been picked with the games tested. Only our full review will reveal exactly how the Ryzen 7 5700X3D stacks up against Intel rivals (and whether it makes our list of the best processors).
As for the most affordable Ryzen 5 5600GT and Ryzen 5 5500GT chips, the benchmarks provided make these CPUs seem like solid improvements over the 5600G and 5500G respectively – running 5% to 10% better with the 5600GT in various games and apps, and a more modest increase of 2% to 5% on the 5500GT.
We don't have pricing for the 8000G processors yet, so it's not possible to estimate the value proposition. However, if we look at the benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 8700G manages to achieve (on average) 60 frames per second in Starfield And Alan Wake2 – remember this is with integrated graphics. The catch is that this is in low detail and 1080p resolution, and with AMD technology (Hyper-RX, Fluid Motion Frames on), but still that's a juicy prospect, although exactly how juicy depends on how those price works out.
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