We can all feel that the era of AI has arrived. From hardware chips to software applications, major manufacturers are pushing forward the development of AI.
Recently, AMD held a grand AI PC Innovation Summit in Beijing, China, showcasing the rich application scenarios of AMD AI in various industries and demonstrating AMD's high regard for the Chinese market.
The upcoming Windows 12 will fully integrate AI technology, with AI deeply involved in system performance optimization and operational assistance!
For instance, there's the Super Resolution technology, which utilizes NPU hardware and AI algorithms to render low-resolution games and videos into high resolution, enhancing image quality. Additionally, ChatGPT 5.0 will also be embedded into Windows 12, providing users with the next generation of AI experience.
This is why Microsoft, for the first time, has set requirements for the AI computing power of processors (no less than 40 TOPS). Currently, the only desktop processors that meet this requirement are AMD's Ryzen 8000G series.
To deliver outstanding AI experiences on PCs, AMD has leveraged three computational engines: CPU based on the "Zen" architecture, integrated or discrete GPU based on AMD RDNA architecture, and the AI engine based on AMD XDNA, namely NPU.
In the initial testing of the Ryzen 8000G processor, we utilized DDR5 6400MHz memory. Considering the integrated graphics' demand for high-frequency memory and the fact that the price of DDR5 7200MHz memory, featuring Micron A-Die chips, has dropped to below 800 CNY, we will now conduct a retest using 8000MHz high-frequency DDR5 memory to evaluate the graphics performance of the Ryzen 7 8700G and see the heights it can reach.
Apart from its robust integrated graphics performance, the Ryzen 7 8700G also incorporates the Ryzen AI Engine. With its Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for artificial intelligence, coupled with the CPU and GPU, it boasts a combined AI computing power of up to 39 TFLOPS, enabling local AI workloads to be executed without reliance on networks or cloud services.
Currently, over 100 AI applications or features offer support for the AMD Ryzen AI Engine. These include 4 Microsoft studio effects, over 50 Adobe software functions, over 25 TOPAZ LABS software functions, over 20 DaVinci software functions, and over 50 various mainstream productivity software and functions.
According to AMD's projections, by the end of this year, over 150 ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) will support AMD AI. This rapid expansion of the Ryzen AI ecosystem indicates its increasing coverage across the applications we use in our daily work.
II. Gaming Performance Test: 3DMark FSE breaks 5000 points, game frame rate exceeds GTX 1650 D5 by 25%.
Test platform specifications are as follows:
3DMark
After upgrading to 8000MHz memory, the Ryzen 7 8700G achieved a 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme graphics score of 5081. This marks the first time the integrated graphics have reached this score.
The graphics score in 3DMark Time Spy has also exceeded 3500 points.
Grand Theft Auto V
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Far Cry 5
Far Cry 6
6. Tomb Raider: Shadow of the Tomb
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG)
Cyberpunk 2077
The Witcher 3
Borderlands 3
War Machine 5
Summary of test data is as follows:
After upgrading the memory from 6400MHz to 8000MHz, the integrated graphics performance of the Ryzen 7 8700G has increased by around 7%. At this point, its lead over the GTX 1650 D5 has reached approximately 27%.
AI Experience: Stable Diffusion image generation speed is 6 times faster than the GTX 1650.
Stable Diffusion Test: Stable Diffusion requires a large amount of VRAM. Compared to graphics cards with only 4GB of VRAM such as the GTX 1650 and RTX 2050, the advantage of the Ryzen 7 8700G is that it can share up to 16GB of VRAM.
Now, let's test the image generation performance between the Radeon 780M 8GB and the GTX 1650 4GB. For the A card, we are using DirectML deployment acceleration, while for the N card, we are using CUDA acceleration.
The Radeon 780M took 2 minutes and 55 seconds, with a VRAM usage of 7.9GB.
With the same parameters, the GTX 1650 4GB took an unexpectedly long time of 17 minutes and 31 seconds, resulting in a drawing performance only 1/6th of that of the Radeon 780M 8GB.
NPU Experience:
The Ryzen 7 8700G features an integrated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for artificial intelligence tasks. Currently, the "Game Plus Plus" application supports NPU applications. When selecting the "Super Moment" option in the video recording screenshots, there's an AMD Ryzen AI NPU mode available. This mode allows direct utilization of the NPU instead of the CPU for video recording.
We played a game and achieved 16 kills. After each kill, the NPU activates to record video, with no impact on the game's frame rate.
The first game AI training and AI game highlight capture application supported by NPU, brought by GamePlus, currently supports three games: "Endless Hell," "Fearless Covenant," and "The Finals."
By utilizing the Ryzen AI NPU mode for screen capture and recording, it can fully utilize the NPU without consuming CPU or GPU resources, ensuring smooth gaming experience, especially for integrated graphics processors like the Ryzen 8000G series.
Summary: A better choice than entry-level discrete graphics cards.
After upgrading to 8000MHz memory, the gaming performance of Ryzen 7 8700G has significantly improved. We tested a total of 11 AAA titles, running at 1080P resolution with the highest graphics settings, and almost all games achieved frame rates exceeding 40FPS.
Compared to 6400MHz memory, with the support of 8000MHz high-frequency memory, the average gaming frame rate of Ryzen 7 8700G has increased by about 7%, and it has a whopping 27% performance advantage over the GTX 1650 D5.
It's worth mentioning the classic GTX 1060 6GB, which outperforms the GTX 1650 D5 by about 25% in gaming performance. This means that with 8000MHz memory, the gaming performance of Ryzen 7 8700G integrated graphics has surpassed that of the GTX 1060 6GB.
Considering that NVIDIA has abandoned optimization for Pascal architecture long ago, the gaming performance of Ryzen 7 8700G integrated graphics will far exceed that of GTX 1060 6GB in new games.
Nowadays, 32GB of memory has become mainstream, giving Ryzen 7 8700G enough space to allocate larger memory as VRAM.
However, entry-level discrete graphics cards usually come with limited VRAM due to price and cost constraints. For example, the RX 640/650 and GTX 1650, as well as higher-end RTX 2050, only have 4GB of VRAM.
Even 6GB of VRAM can quickly run out when facing the latest AAA titles, let alone 4GB.
So the conclusion is simple: with Ryzen 7 8700G, entry-level discrete graphics cards under a thousand dollars will be completely outmatched.
The utility of large VRAM extends beyond gaming; it's also crucial for AI image generation tools like Stable Diffusion.
We allocated 8GB of VRAM in the BIOS for the Ryzen 7 8700G. In tests using Stable Diffusion, the performance of the Ryzen 7 8700G was six times that of a GTX 1650 D5 with 4GB VRAM.
Of course, with over 32GB of RAM, you can allocate up to 16GB of VRAM to the Ryzen 7 8700G.
For those looking to build a Ryzen 7 8700G platform, here's a recommended configuration:
I chose the Seven Rainbow CVN B650M GAMING FROZEN V14 motherboard because it easily supports memory frequencies of up to 8000MHz. The Geil Dragon Warrior DDR5 7200 C34 16GBx2 kit, equipped with Micron A-Die chips, can easily overclock to 7600MHz+ and is priced at only 799 CNY.
In the latter half of this year to early next year, the new generation of NVIDIA and AMD RTX 50 series/RX 8000 series graphics cards will arrive. Clearly, now is not the best time to buy a discrete graphics card.
The Ryzen 7 8700G's gaming performance is comparable to that of the GTX 1660, making it capable of handling AAA games at 1080p resolution without much trouble, enough to hold out until the arrival of the new graphics cards.
Moreover, it is the first desktop processor to integrate an independent AI engine, with related applications rapidly expanding, truly embodying "fighting for the future"!
