AMD's Ryzen 7 5700G brings the vaunted Zen 3 architecture and big CPU performance gains to its APU lineup, and the integrated Radeon RX Vega graphics engine provides smooth 1080p gaming if you're willing to accept lower fidelity settings and a limited selection of titles. The 5700G also delivers unbeatable iGPU performance for 1280x720 gaming, but it isn't the best value.
Given the fluid state of the chip market right now, it's hard to give solid buying advice — CPU and GPU pricing and availability are extremely volatile. Additionally, recent signs point to GPU supply and pricing slowly improving. That means you'll need to check current pricing on the relevant products before pulling the trigger.
The charts below outline three areas of performance: The geometric mean of our suite of integrated graphics tests at both 1920x1080 (FHD) and 1280x720 resolutions, the geometric mean of performance with a discrete GPU, and performance in single- and multi-threaded workloads.
If you're looking to find the absolute fastest integrated graphics performance on the market, the Ryzen 7 5700G is the uncontested champ. As long as you adjust your expectations and fidelity/resolution settings accordingly, the Cezanne chip is plenty serviceable for its target audience. We found 1280x720 gaming to be solid across numerous titles, and while the number of titles you can play comfortably becomes restricted at 1080p, you can get away with 1080p gaming with reduced fidelity settings in many titles, too.
Ultimately the Ryzen 5 5600G is the real star of the show, though. Given that the $259 Ryzen 5 5600G's iGPU performance lands within a ~5% percent of the $359 Ryzen 7 5700G, but for 30% less cash, it's unquestionably the best value if you're looking to use the integrated graphics for gaming.
The Ryzen 7 5700G serves up solid performance with a discrete GPU, but despite AMD's positioning of the 5700G as a filler for the non-X models that it traditionally sprinkled throughout its product stack, it isn't the best value if you're looking to use it solely with a dedicated card. As such, the 5700G doesn't live up to its billing as a non-X equivalent, especially because it doesn't come close to matching its "X" counterparts, even after overclocking. You'll be far better served with a Ryzen 5 5600X or Core i5-11400 if you're looking to build a system specifically for dGPU gaming.
Given the current environment, though, the main attraction for the 5700G could be as a stop-gap solution for enthusiasts as they wait out the GPU shortage. The 5700G certainly doesn't make a convincing argument for that option, though that could fluctuate with discrete GPU pricing. The Ryzen 7 5700G is AMD's most expensive APU yet, but the aged Vega graphics engine simply isn't enough to outweigh buying an older second-hand GPU and pairing it with a chip like the Core i5-11400. You'll get more gaming performance today with that combo, and more when you upgrade the GPU after the shortage recedes.
If your focus is strictly on the productivity side of matters, the $359 Ryzen 7 5700G's performance in threaded applications slots in between the $399 Core i7-11700K and $262 Core i5-11600K. The 11700K is 15% faster in threaded applications and 6% faster in single-threaded work for about 12% more cash. You'll also have to factor the 5700G's bundled Wraith Stealth heatsink into the equation (the 11700K doesn't ship with a cooler). Conversely, the Core i5-11600K has similar performance in single-threaded work and is 10% slower in threaded work for 27% less cash. In other words, if you aren't after the 5700G's integrated graphics, there are more attractive Intel chips on either side of the pricing spectrum.
If you choose the 5700G over a 'standard' Ryzen 5000 chip, you'll sacrifice half the L3 cache, 100 MHz of peak boost clock speed, and the PCIe 4.0 interface. While PCIe 4.0 doesn't deliver any gains in gaming performance, that could change in the future with the Windows 11 Direct Storage feature that will utilize NVMe SSDs more fully. You'll also lose out on the (up to) doubled storage throughput for day-to-day file transfers and productivity applications.
Overall, if you already have a discrete GPU for your build, we think most enthusiasts will be better served with other alternatives, be they from the Ryzen 5000 product stack or Intel's lineup. Pricing is fluid, though, so be sure to check our list of Best CPUs for the latest advice.
That leaves the Ryzen 7 5700G as an attractive chip for the normal APU target audience - if the price isn't a deciding factor, it will be the hands-down champ for gaming on integrated graphics, like in small form factor systems, and HTPC rigs. However, if you're dead set on purchasing an APU for iGPU gaming specifically, the Ryzen 5 5600G is a far better value.
The 5700G could slot in as a much-needed temporary solution for enthusiasts that can't find a used graphics card at reasonable pricing, but that will depend upon many factors, including the current pricing of GPUs on the second-hand market. We'll also have to temper our expectations — in the recent past, AMD has had considerable difficulty assuring a supply of its standard chips that generate higher margins. However, we have seen a steady supply of Cezanne chips since the launch, which is encouraging. Now all we need is for AMD to bring the lower-end Ryzen 3 5300G to retail for the extreme budget crowd.
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