AMD Ryzen 7 5700G in review: 8-core desktop APU based on Zen3 with Vega graphics unit

With the APUs that AMD carries in its lineup, the manufacturer brings notebook technology to the desktop space. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G are both based on the current Zen3 architecture and are very similar to their laptop Cezanne counterparts. However, these products are not completely new, as the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G and AMD Ryzen 5 2400G were the first Zen-based APUs with a fast iGPU, which belongs to the Vega architecture. With the small relaunch last year (AMD Ryzen 3 3200G and AMD Ryzen 5 3400G), the innovations of the CPU architecture flowed in. The same applies to the new APUs of the 5000 series. However, there are a small amount of changes in relation to the iGPU. The Vega architecture, which has been around for a few years, is slowly reaching its limits, which is quickly noticed in our tests. Unfortunately, even the high GPU clock cannot make up for that much.

In this review we'll take a closer look at the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, which AMD Germany provided us with. This modern APU also offers 8 native processing cores for the first time. Thus, it is the fastest APU in AMD's lineup. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a 6-core APU. With its 65 watts, the Ryzen 7 5700G is relatively frugal and at the same time very fast, if we restrict ourselves to CPU performance. More about the exact position of the fastest APU later.

If you want to take full advantage of this APU, you have to own a board with a 400 or 500-series chipset. However, you have to make sure that various display connections are available on the board to be able to use the iGPU at all. These connections are rather rare on the more expensive X570 boards, so buyers should focus on a well-equipped B550 or B450 board. For this review, we found one of the few X570 boards that can fully utilize the APU - Asus ROG Strix X570-I Gaming.

AMD specifies a TDP of 65 watts for the Ryzen 7 5700G . However, this can be increased by a factor of 1.35 under load. We were able to verify this during the stress test, because the APU's maximum power consumption was just under 87 watts. There were no problems with the temperatures due to the installed AiO. We recorded the highest temperature of 57 °C in the Prime95 load test.

In terms of energy consumption, the system based on the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G can show good rates. The idle power consumption was 45 watts. Nevertheless, we measured a maximum of 156 watts during full load (stress test Prime95 + FurMark). When gaming, the system was content with just 93 watts on average - this is a clear advantage compared to a desktop system with a dedicated graphics card, which often has a TDP of 200 watts and more.

Note: All measurements were taken without taking into account the monitor power consumption, all ARGB lighting was deactivated.

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is a state-of-the-art processor based on the current Zen3 architecture. The innovations that have arrived with the Ryzen 5000 family can also be implemented by the fastest APU from AMD. The 8-core processor is fast and ranks just behind the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X.

The most sought-after feature of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is the integrated graphics unit. However, APU is still using somewhat outdated Vega iGPU architecture. AMD has always been able to squeeze a bit more performance out of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 with each newer APU generation, but the age of the Vega architecture is noticeable and you should not expect too much from the iGPU of the Ryzen 7 5700G. Users who play older games or casual games from time to time can safely use the current APU. Thus, you can save the purchase of a dedicated graphics card, which is rewarded with a low power consumption. And of course, if the iGPU's performance will no longer be sufficient for you, there is still option for a future upgrade, when prices of a dedicated graphics cards come down. The performance of the 8-core CPU is definitely there.

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is the first APU with 8 cores. Nevertheless, AMD gives away valuable 3D-performance here, because the outdated Vega architecture takes its toll, since RDNA2 aka Navi will only take hold with the 6000 processors.

As always, the customer is spoiled for choice, but if the purchase of an APU from AMD is currently on the agenda, there is almost no way around the 5000 Ryzen APUs. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is currently available for as little as 300 Euros. The 6-core model (AMD Ryzen 5 5600G) is currently available for 230 Euros. It is a bargain compared to the predecessor, since various online stores charge a whopping 400 Euros for the AMD Ryzen 5 3400G.