Today, AMD announced its latest addition to its 5000-series Ryzen processor lineup, the Ryzen 5 5600G and Ryzen 7 5700G. These two new SKUs offer something that no other Ryzen 5000-series CPU does: integrated graphics. That’s right, AMD’s harnessed the power of its Zen 3 architecture, with its 7nm manufacturing process, and added in Radeon graphics for an all-in-one computing solution. What all do these latest CPUs offer, and how well they change the game for AMD? Let’s take a closer look.
It’s still nearly impossible to find MSRP graphics cards, making AMD’s latest CPUs a great value
Right now, it’s still nearly impossible to pick up a MSRP graphics card. Sure, some pre-builts aren’t overpriced, but if you don’t want the components included there, it’s not a good value overall. Well, AMD wanted to give gamers another option for those seeking to build a new desktop without a graphics card, where Intel used to reign supreme.
The latest lineup of AMD’s processors, the Ryzen 5 5600G and Ryzen 7 5700G, sport many similarities to the company’s existing 5000-series CPUs. You’ll find that the 5600G delivers six cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.9GHz and a boost of up to 4.4GHz, all only taking up 65W of power. The 5700G uses the same 65W of power, but sports eight cores and 16 thread with a base clock of 3.8GHz and boost of up to 4.6GHz. This all combines to deliver a great experience overall, for both gaming and general productivity.
Game at “over 100 FPS” without a graphics card
AMD’s claim to fame here is that these new processors can drive “over 100 FPS” in gaming and “high-speed content creation.” This comes from things like AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution, Radeon Boost, and Smart Access Memory features that are built into the processor/graphics card combo. Now, don’t expect to play AAA titles at 1440p ultra settings here. You’ll want to dial things back to 1080p, likely medium settings for a smoother experience. But, honestly, that’s perfectly acceptable if you consider the fact that no dedicated graphics card is required. You’ll have a great upgrade path down the road once GPUs are readily available again, all while still enjoying your favorite titles.
Adding in an integrated GPU means sacrificing a few higher-end features
While AMD retained certain features in its Radeon-enhanced CPUs, a few had to be set by the wayside. Sure, it’s still unlocked, and there’s plenty of processing power to be had. But, you’ll be taking a trip back to PCIe 3.0, which is quite a bit “slower” than PCIe 4.0. In all reality, outside of certain NVMe SSDs, you won’t notice a major difference here, so I don’t think there’s much to worry about.
AMD’s Ryzen CPU + Radeon GPU combos cost less than a single decent graphics card of any caliber
When it comes to pricing, this is what really blew me away. Newegg has the Ryzen 7 5700G listed for $359 and the Ryzen 5 5600G at $259, both in stock and ready to ship. That’s right, no lottery, waiting line, or anything here. Just click “add to cart” and it’ll be at your door in a few days. Given that the Ryzen 5 5600X costs $278 at Amazon right now, and has no integrated graphics, you’re getting a really good deal here.
Electronicsforward’ Take
Sure, the Radeon-equipped CPUs from AMD lack PCIe 4.0, and they don’t have quite as high of a TDP as some of the other 5000-series processors. But, in the end, you’re getting the ability to play games at 1080p graphics without a dedicated GPU at a fantastic price, and in this market, what more could you want?
While I’ve yet to go hands-on with these CPUs, from everything I’ve seen, it looks like this could be a game changer for AMD, as prior to now, it was almost impossible to get your hands on a Radeon-equipped AMD CPU outside of buying it already built into a system.
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