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The AMD Ryzen 5 8600G and Ryzen 5 5600G are budget APUs targeting the sub-$200 market. They bring the power of a CPU and a GPU in one system-on-a-chip (SoC), making them cost-effective as opposed to a traditional gaming setup. The 8600G replaces the popular 5600G with the latest hardware. However, the 5600G is still being stocked at a lower price of under $150, making it a compelling option.
Choosing between the options can be difficult, given both continue to be competitive options for gaming. To make things easier for you, we have prepared this detailed guide reviewing the specs of the chips, synthetic, and in-game performance.
Both the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G and Ryzen 5 5600G are value-for-money gaming APUs
The Ryzen 5 5600G and 8600G are based on two generations of AMD architectures. The newer processor reaps the benefits of the improved Zen 4 technology, which gives it an advantage despite a similar specs sheet.
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Specs comparison
On paper, both the Ryzen 5 5600G and the 8600G look similar. They are six-core and twelve-threaded chips. The Ryzen 5 5600G packs a Zen 3 CPU and a GCN 5th gen-based Vega 7 graphics processor. This is the same graphics architecture that powered the Radeon RX 500 series GPUs.
On the other hand, the Ryzen 5 8600G bundles a much newer Zen 4 CPU and an RDNA 3-based RX 760M graphics chip. To put this context, this is the same technology powering the latest Ryzen 7000 and Radeon RX 7000 series products.
Below is a detailed specs comparison of the two processors:
Performance comparison
In terms of performance, the newer Ryzen 5 8600G takes the lead across the board. The gains are particularly noticeable in single-core workloads where the Zen 4 architecture comes into play. This metric directly determines gaming performance.
Below is a comparison of single and multi-core performance metrics of either processor. These numbers have been sourced from the benchmark aggregator website Nanoreview.
In gaming performance, the extra computing power of the CPU gives the Ryzen 5 8600G an edge. However, what's more relevant is the vastly more capable Radeon RX 760M under its hood.
GCN 5th generation is an aging technology, and it doesn't support modern technologies like hardware-accelerated ray tracing, dedicated cores for AI workloads like upscaling, and mesh shaders. Although this doesn't impact performance in some older titles, the 5600G is simply unable to play games like Alan Wake 2, which relies heavily on such technologies.
Below is a detailed framerate comparison of the chips in some popular games. These numbers have been sourced from the YouTube channels Christo Gevedjov and GECID Benchmarks.
The Ryzen 5 5600G is incapable of playing most of the latest video games at over 30 FPS. Meanwhile, the newer Ryzen 5 8600G can deliver decent framerates in them. If you are building a system for gaming, we strongly recommend spending the extra $50 on the latest chip.
What if you buy these chips to upgrade to a discrete GPU down the line? Turns out that saving some cash on the older chip does significantly impact performance. Below is a list of framerate differences while pairing the processors with the RTX 4090. The numbers are sourced from GECID Benchmarks.
Nobody would pair a sub-$200 Ryzen chip with an RTX 4090. If you are buying a cheaper card, the difference won't be as wide because games will be more GPU-bound. However, we still recommend opting for the newer chip to get that extra performance while keeping options open in terms of future upgradability and relevance.
AMD Ryzen 5 8600G vs Ryzen 5 5600G: Final verdict
The Ryzen 5 8600G and 5600G are about $50 apart today. Given the current prices of DDR5 RAM and AM5 motherboards, we estimate a chip with the Zen 4 CPU to cost about $80-100 more. If you have the cash, we recommend spending it on the latest chip to benefit from its vastly improved performance.
That said, if that $100 means you are going from a 4060 to a 4060 Ti, or a 7700 XT to a 7800 XT, get the Ryzen 5 5600G. The chip isn't much slower than the latest 8600G. You'll still be able to get playable framerates in the latest titles with this older CPU.
