AMD Launches the Ryzen 8000 Processors for Desktops: Hybrid CPUs with Zen 4c and Ryzen AI

AMD today announced the Ryzen 8000 desktop processors codenamed “Phoenix,” making them the first AM5 APU family. There are a lot of firsts here, so let’s get to it. These CPUs (APUs) are the first desktop Ryzen parts with a hybrid core architecture, at least at the lower end, featuring a mix of Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores. They’re also the first with fixed-function AI hardware marketed as “Ryzen AI.”

AMD’s approach to heterogeneous core architectures is opposite to Intel’s. The higher-end Ryzen 8000 chips solely leverage the Zen 4 cores, while the lower-end variants add the Zen 4c cores to save die area and costs. The Ryzen 7 8700G features 8 Zen 4 cores, scaling it down to 6 with the 8600G. Neither have any Zen 4 cores. The Ryzen 5 8500G consists of 2 Zen 4 and 4 Zen 4c cores with lower clocks for the latter. Similarly, the Ryzen 5 8300G has a single Zen 4 but 3 Zen 4c cores with even lower clocks.

The Ryzen 8000 processors will primarily be known for their iGPU gaming performance. For the first time, a desktop APU can deliver entry-level dGPU performance, beating the likes of the GTX 1650. The Ryzen 7 8700G is (up to) 4x faster than the Core i7-14700K when using the onboard Radeon 780M iGPU. It is powered by 12 RDNA 3 Compute Units (CU) consisting of 768 shaders clocked at 2.9GHz under load.

The performance deltas vary greatly from game to game. For example, Far Cry 6 runs nearly as well on the 14700K as the 8700G. However, most titles see a gain of more than 2x when going from the former to the latter. The 8600G trails behind the 8700G with a mild but consistent deficit, varying from 10% to 50%+.

The Ryzen AI module will be limited to the Ryzen 7 8700G and the 8600G. Fortunately, AMD has decided to include the Ryzen AI sticker on SoCs that support the technology, though I have to admit that it’s a very immature tech (at the moment). Very few apps benefit from the accelerator and none that I use.

AMD is pricing the Ryzen 8000 processors a smidge lower than the existing 7000 family. The 8700G will retail at $329, $20 less than the current market price of the 7700X. The 8600G has an MSRP of $229, $10 less than the 7600X. The Ryzen 5 8500G will replace the highly acclaimed Ryzen 5 5xxx lineup at $179. The 8300G will be limited to OEMs and SIs. These chips will be available to DIYers globally starting from the 31st of January.