AMD Ryzen 5 8600G review: The only affordable gaming CPU you should buy

An APU is essentially a CPU with powerful integrated graphics. I'm not talking Intel UHD Graphics or the Radeon cores AMD includes inside some of its desktop processors. What the new AMD Ryzen 5 8600G has is the Radeon 760M with 8 GPU cores. This makes it possible to work and play on the same CPU without a discrete graphics card soaking up power and producing heat inside the PC case. In this review, I'm going to share my thoughts on AMD's most affordable 8000 series APU and whether it's worth buying for your next budget PC build.

When shopping around for the best CPU, it's important to consider what you'll be using the system for to get the best bang for your buck. The AMD Ryzen 8600G is designed for stable 1080p gaming and its price and performance results will come as pleasant music to those who are put off by today's GPU prices. Though I am impressed by what AMD has to offer with the 8600G, its included stock cooler wasn't great at keeping temperatures low and the lack of PCIe 5.0 may hurt those who want to enjoy the fastest SSDs on the market, but this thing costs just $229!

About this review: The AMD Ryzen 5 8600G was provided by AMD for this review, and it did not have any input into the contents.

Price and availability

Although this CPU has excellent graphics processing baked in, AMD is only charging $229 for the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G. This is a solid price for such a component and can easily save you hundreds by not forking out for a discrete GPU. Rocking six cores and 12 threads, the 8600G is also pretty good at general computing. This is certainly one of the best CPUs for gaming with affordability in mind.

Testing the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G

To replace the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, the company utilized its latest computing cores and fabric design to create the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G. This all-new AM5 processor has the same number of cores as its predecessor but manages to up the clock speeds considerably. There's also slightly more cache to work with and we've seen just how important this is with the AMD X3D processors. Though PCIe 5.0 is absent, the support for DDR5 RAM and improved performance across the board should make the 8600G great for lighter productivity and games.

• 	AMD Ryzen 5 5600G	AMD Ryzen 5 8600G
  Cores	6	6
  Threads	12	12
  Socket	AM4	AM5
  Base Clock Speed	3.9 GHz	4.3 GHz
  Boost Clock Speed	4.4 GHz	5.0 GHz
  Cache	19 MB	22 MB
  PCIe	3.0	4.0
  Graphics	AMD Radeon Graphics	AMD Radeon 760M
  TDP	45 - 65 W	65 W

Compared to standard AMD and Intel chips that only have integrated graphics for those moments you need access to the GUI without a discrete card present, the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G has a mighty Radeon 760M GPU with 8 GPU cores clocked at 2.0 GHz. This is a notable upgrade over the outgoing 5600G. To put this APU to the test, we'll be using a Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX ICE motherboard with 32GB of G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6400 system memory. Since the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G includes its own AMD cooler, we will be using that for most of our tests, emulating a PC build on a budget.

I'm impressed by how well the 8600G performed with specific benchmark tests. As expected, the APU came in behind the 8700G and Intel Core i5-14600K, but its GPU scores blow Intel out of the water. This reflects what I experienced firing up more demanding games such as Elden Ring and Grand Theft Auto V. As long as you have ample cooling to soak up and handle the heat generated from prolonged sessions, the 8600G will have no trouble working through the day and gaming at night.

AMD's Ryzen 5 8600G came in behind the Intel Core i5-14600K, but its GPU scores blow Intel out of the water.

I tested the above games at 1080p with visual settings configured to low. This allows the APU to flex its muscles and shows us what it has with a standard gaming setup. Unlike the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G where it's possible to move up to 1440p with decent results, I'd recommend sticking to 1080p for the 8600G as it can struggle as more pixels are enabled for it to handle.

Power consumption and thermals

Stock cooler struggles to keep up

The latest AMD and Intel processors often hit temperatures of 90C or above. Thermal throttling is now being used as a way to get as much from the chip as possible. The same goes for the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G, but this seems to be down to the included stock cooler. In our extensive testing, it's just not good enough to keep up with the thermals being emitted from the 8600G. We had no trouble keeping the Ryzen 7 8700G under 80C with its (slightly better) stock cooler, so it's a shame this CPU has an issue here.

As viewed in the above chart, the CPU quickly ramps up to 96C and holds there for the majority of the benchmark test. Interestingly, power slowly scales back but no thermal throttling is reported by our monitoring software. Temperatures stabilize as the test progresses and the chip is pushed slightly less. It's worth noting that Cinebench 2024 is an intensive test and one we'd expect to see high temperature readings. You'll find the 8600G operates in the 70-80 region for gaming. It's still hot, but not as extreme as what we found in some stress tests.

Competition

Impressive APU performance

Intel doesn't have an answer for AMD's APUs and the Ryzen 8000G series is excellent for those creating gaming PCs on tighter budgets. The main competitor to the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G is the trusty Intel Core i5-14600K, which we positively reviewed. The graphics available with this chip aren't as good as the Radeon 760M that comes with the Ryzen 5 8600G. Where the 14600K will win is with computing tasks. Its single and multi-core scores are considerably higher, allowing it to punch above its weight, especially when paired with a discrete graphics card.

Intel doesn't have an answer for AMD's APUs and the Ryzen 8000G series is excellent.

Apple's M3 processors have powerful computing and graphics cores and would be an ideal pick if you don't need a dedicated graphics platform for playing the best games at 4K. The same goes for the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G, which opens up new doors to creating a compact Linx or Windows-powered PC without a power-hungry GPU. As is the case with most APUs, we experienced a 5-10% reduction in core performance over the Ryzen 5 7600X. This is a worthy trade for vastly superior graphics processing all inside one component.

Should you buy the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G?

You should buy the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G if:

• You want to build a compact gaming PC without a dedicated graphics card.
• You don't want to play games at a resolution of 1440p or higher.
• You're on a tight budget.

You shouldn't buy the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G if:

• You have the available budget for a CPU and GPU.
• You aim for 1440p or higher results.
• You absolutely must have PCIe 5.0 support.

The AMD Ryzen 5 8600G is a great APU. Though the stock cooler leaves much to be desired, at least AMD includes it and it is possible to enjoy games and use the PC as normal without encountering issues, though noise will most certainly cause strain. Use an aftermarket CPU cooler, and you'll have a powerful chip for gaming. Whether you're firing up Terraria for a few hours or need to complete a heist or two in Grand Theft Auto, the Ryzen 5 8600G is good to go, especially with AMD's complimentary tools such as AMD Fluid Motion Frames and Radeon Super Resolution.

I'd recommend checking out the Ryzen 5 8600G for your next budget-friendly gaming CPU.

If you don't fancy spending more than $1,000 on what is marketed as a mid-tier GPU (and we don't blame you!), I'd recommend checking out the Ryzen 5 8600G for your next budget-friendly gaming CPU. With an equally capable AM5 motherboard and DDR5 RAM, you'll have a potent system for work and play. The best part about using such a chip and socket is the available upgrades should you get hold of a discrete GPU further down the road.