Conclusion
We recently purchased a full retail-boxed Ryzen 7 5700G APU processor to review because we wanted to find out if this APU truly adds value to the desktop PC. This is an enticing CPU/APU due to the specifications, architecture, and pricing. It offers a lot for the money, packing in nearly Ryzen 7 5800X specifications, with just a few things cut-down, plus the addition of Radeon Graphics integrated. It’s a unique solution, that could provide a lot of value in a lot of ways for a build.
Therefore today, we ran it through a gauntlet of synthetic benchmarks, system benchmarks, rendering benchmarks, and gaming performance at 1080p, 1400p, and 4K. Our focus in this review was on its CPU performance. We recently wrote a review testing its integrated Vega 8 graphics performance in our Intel 12900K (UHD 770) iGPU vs AMD 5700G (Vega 8) APU Performance Benchmarks review.
The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is an APU, meaning it is a CPU with built-in AMD Radeon Graphics inside. The APU is codenamed Cezanne and is based on AMD’s latest Zen 3 architecture. It has 8 cores/16 threads and is clocked at a max boost frequency of 4.6GHz. It has half the L3 cache of the Ryzen 7 5800X with 16MB versus 32MB on the 5800X. It is also a 65W TDP CPU while the 5800X is a 105W TDP CPU. It has a lower clock speed than the 5800X, but a higher clock speed than the 3700X. It also has built-in AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 graphics so you do not need a discrete GPU. The MSRP is $359.
Synthetic and Rendering Performance
In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 5700G started out in PCMark 10’s standard benchmark to show a performance advantage over the Ryzen 7 3700X by 6%. Showing that it can provide an overall system performance advantage over the last generation 3700X. The Ryzen 8 5800X was ultimately faster, but the 5700G stayed within 8% performance of it. Testing specifically Microsoft Office performance the 5700G was 8% faster than the 3700X. The 5700G was within 10% of 5800X performance.
3DMark and Geekbench honed in on the multi-threading and single-threading performance. In 3DMark we found the multi-threading performance was more pronounced on the 5800X versus the 5700G. The 5700G was 14% slower than the 5800X. However, when it came to the single-thread testing the results were a lot closer together. There was only a 5% difference in single-thread performance between them. The same was true in Geekbench. In multi-core testing, the 5700G was closer to 3700X performance, where the 5800X took off. But, in single-core performance, the 5700G was closer to the 5800X in performance.
This trend continued in our SiSoftware Sandra 2021 testing of Dhrystone and Whetstone performance in multi-threading and single-threading. In the Dhrystone integer multi-threading test the Ryzen 7 5700G was just 3% faster than the Ryzen 7 3700X. However, in the single-threaded testing the 5700G was 23% faster than the 3700X and within 4% of the 5800X performance. This continued in the Wheatstone floating-point testing as well. In multi-threaded performance, the 5700G was 3% faster than the 3700X. However, in single-threaded performance, it was 17% faster than the 3700X and close to the 5800X.
In Cinebench though the Ryzen 7 5700G was 10% faster than the Ryzen 7 3700X in multi-threading. In single-core, the 5700G was once again closer to the 5800X in performance only behind by 7%. It was 14% faster than the 3700X. In Blender we found the 5700G to trail the 5800X, but not by a large amount. It was only behind 11-10% at most. In V-Ray 5 the 5700G was 13% faster than the 3700X and behind the 5800X by just as much. Finally, in HandBrake the 5700G was on par with the 3700X, whereas the 5800X was faster.
Gaming Performance
For gaming performance, we tested at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. We used a dedicated GPU to test CPU performance. If you want to know how the Vega 8 inside the 5700G performed read our review here. We found definite differences in performance in our testing. The 5700G was faster than the 3700X at all times, and slower than the 5800X, for gaming. The 5700G was a middle-ground but did lean closer to the 5800X many times. It was more pronounced at 1080p and 1440p.
In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p and “Ultra” settings the Ryzen 7 5700G was 7% faster than the Ryzen 7 3700X. This is a game known to be graphically demanding, so even this big of a difference is notable. Its performance was close to that of the 5800X. At 4K, the game was completely GPU bound, and all CPUs were equal. Battlefield 2042 is a game that is sensitive to CPU performance. Here we saw a big difference between the 5700G and 5800X. The 5700G lagged behind the 5800X by 17% at 1080p. It also lagged behind by 9% at 1440p and 7% at 4K. That said, we feel the 3700X would have been even slower, and thus the 5700G would show an advantage over the 3700X.
Far Cry 6 is another game that is CPU sensitive. The Ryzen 7 5700G was 12% slower than the 5800X at 1080p, 10% slower at 1440p and 4% slower at 4K. Once again the 3700X would be even slower, and the 5700G faster than it. We did find a bottleneck for the Ryzen 7 5700G in Microsoft Flight Sim 2020. The Ryzen 7 5700G lagged behind in this game at 1080p and 1440p, even compared to the 3700X. The Ryzen 7 3700X was 13% faster than the 5700G. MS Flight Sim must love L3 cache. Finally, in Watch Dogs Legion the Ryzen 7 5700G was faster than the 3700X by 15% which is pretty large at 1080p. It was close to 5800X performance.
Power and Temp Summary
The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G has a TDP of just 65W, and that matches the TDP of the Ryzen 7 3700X. The Ryzen 7 5800X has a TDP of 105W. This does make a difference in power utilization. Our Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 7 5700G maxed out at a peak of 88W. Our Ryzen 7 5800X maxed out at a peak of 142W. This is a pretty large difference between power. The Ryzen 7 5700G is very power efficient for the performance it is delivering. The 5800X is kind of a hog in this scenario.
This translates to the temperatures as well where the Ryzen 7 5800X peaked at 80c using a 360mm AIO at full-throttle, 100% pump, and fan speeds. The Ryzen 7 5700G didn’t even hit 60c, staying under that, same as the 3700x. This means you do not need as robust cooling for your Ryzen 7 5700G as you do for the Ryzen 7 5800X. That cost savings of using a cheaper cooler helps point the value towards the Ryzen 7 5700G.
Final Points
We learned quite a bit about testing the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G APU. The Ryzen 7 5700G has the same core/thread count as the 5800X but has half the cache and a lower clock speed, plus a lower TDP of 65W. Therefore we wanted to see how close it really does come to the 5800X in performance. In comparison to the 3700X the 5700G has a better architecture, Zen 3 cores, and a higher clock speed, but still half the cache, and the same TDP of 65W. Therefore we wanted to find out if it really does beat the 3700X in performance, and by how much.
We learned some interesting performance dynamics in regards to L3 cache capacity, clock speed, and architectural differences. In our testing, it was revealed that when it comes to multi-threading performance L3 cache capacity and clock speed is superior between these CPUs. The Ryzen 7 5700G performed right in the middle between the 3700X and 5800X in these scenarios. It was faster than the 3700X, but not as near to the 5800X.
However, when it came to single-thread/single-core testing the Ryzen 7 5700G’s IPC performance was right under the 5800X. It was practically 5800X single-core performance. This is due to the newer Zen 3 architecture and IPC improvements the 5700G has over the 3700X. So when it comes to single-thread workloads, the 5700G is close to par with the 5800X, and when it comes to multi-thread workloads it likes to sit in-between the CPUs, maybe leaning closer to 3700X levels but slightly faster.
This is therefore beneficial when it comes to gaming performance, where the 5700G was just right under 5800X performance in gaming. The two were very close, and the 5700G showed that it was superior to the Ryzen 7 3700X when it comes to gaming performance. The 5700G wasn’t that much slower than he 5800X, meaning for the cost savings the 5700G brings the value is certainly there.
Overall what it comes down to is value, and the Ryzen 7 5700G was already a value compared to the Ryzen 7 5800X at its $359 MSRP. However, it is even more of a value now because prices have dome down even further on the Ryzen 7 5700G. Pricing from PC Part Picker shows the Ryzen 7 5700G at around $300 today. This is an incredible bargain, an incredible price, and an incredible price to performance for the 5700G. You get nearly 5800X performance at a price that is at least $50 cheaper in today’s pricing. Plus, the 5700G has onboard graphics so you can get started on your PC build without having to purchase a dedicated GPU. This all adds up to the Ryzen 7 5700G being just an absolutely fantastic value for gaming and desktop.
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