• Powerful APU

  AMD Ryzen 7 8700G

  Brand

  AMD

  Cores

  8

  Threads

  16

  Architecture

  Zen 4

  Process

  4 nm

  Socket

  AM5

  The AMD Ryzen 7 8700G is the most powerful APU AMD has released to date, offering the mighty Radeon 780M integrated GPU for butter-smooth 1080p gaming. With its low TDP, affordable price, and powerful iGPU, it's the best AMD processor for budget gamers.

  Pros & Cons

  • Powerful iGPU capable of gaming at 1080p
  • Affordable
  • Balanced TDP and decent thermals

  • Not the best if you have a dedicated GPU
  • Lack of support for PCIe 5.0

  $330 at Amazon $329 at Best Buy
• High-end gaming CPU

  AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D

  Brand

  AMD

  Cores

  16

  Threads

  32

  Architecture

  Zen 4

  Socket

  AM5

  Base Clock Speed

  4.2 GHz

  AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU is a 16-core chip equipped with 3D V-Cache technology, allowing it to be one of the best CPUs for both gaming and productivity. With its massive 128MB L3 cache and extremely high turbo clock speed of 5.7GHz, this premium processor can tackle all graphically taxing games with ease.

  Pros & Cons

  • Blazing fast clock speed
  • Large number of cores and threads
  • Extensive L3 cache

  • Power-hungry due to its huge 120W TDP
  • Expensive
  • Weak iGPU

  $621 at Amazon $649 at Best Buy

The market for gaming CPUs is ripe with high-end models capable of processing complex workloads. AMD’s X3D processors, for instance, are counted among the best CPUs due to their enormous L3 caches. The formidable Ryzen 9 7950X3D stands at the top of this lineup. Meanwhile, Team Red’s new 8000-series only includes APUs at the moment, and the Ryzen 7 8700G is the most powerful chip among its brethren.

Although both the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and the Ryzen 7 8700G are powerhouses, they have vastly different use cases. As such, there are plenty of differences between the two, and this article will pit them against each other to help you decide which Team Red processor is more suited for your needs.

AMD Ryzen 7 8700G vs Ryzen 9 7950X3D: Price, specs & availability

The 8700G is cheaper (and saves money on a cooler and discrete GPU)

The Ryzen 7 8700G is a fairly new CPU that debuted on January 31, 2024. Unlike the 7950X3D, the 8700G has a more affordable price of $329 and, since it comes with an AMD Wraith cooler, you won’t have to spend more on a cooling solution.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D was released in February 2023 with a price tag of $700. Its price has since decreased, and it’s common to see the processor discounted well below the $600 mark during holiday sales. That said, AMD doesn’t ship a cooler with the 7950X3D, meaning you’ll have to spend extra money on a decent cooling solution for this high-speed CPU.

• 	AMD Ryzen 7 8700G	AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
  Brand	AMD	AMD
  Cores	8	16
  Threads	16	32
  Socket	AM5	AM5
  Base Clock Speed	4.2 GHz	4.2 GHz
  Boost Clock Speed	5.1 GHz	5.7 GHz
  Cache	24 MB	144MB
  TDP	65 W	120 W
  Graphics	AMD Radeon 780M	AMD Radeon Graphics

Core and thread count

Get the Ryzen 9 7950X3D if you need more cores and threads

While both the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and the Ryzen 7 8700G are based on the Zen 4 architecture, the similarities end there. As you can guess from their names, the processors have vastly different numbers of cores and threads.

Built for enthusiast-grade gamers, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D is armed with 16 cores and 32 threads. Thanks to its large core and thread count, you won’t encounter any issues using it for CPU-intensive tasks. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 7 8700G is an 8-core, 16-thread processor, which makes it slower for strictly processor-driven workloads.

Clock speed, TDP, and cache memory

The 7950X3D is a behemoth with its fast speed and high power requirements

On the clock speed front, both processors have the same base clock of 4.2GHz. However, the lightning-fast Ryzen 9 7950X3D can achieve a boost clock speed of 5.7GHz, while its rival APU can only hit 5.1GHz. This disparity in performance can be attributed to the stark difference in their TDP. The Ryzen 7 8700G has a modest TDP of 65W while the 7950X3D is a behemoth with almost twice the energy consumption at 120W.

Cache memory is another factor where the 7950X3D is miles ahead of the APU. While the 1MB L1 and 16MB L2 caches are high enough on their own, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D leverages AMD’s 3D V-cache technology to add a massive 128MB L3 cache to the processor. In comparison, the Ryzen 7 8700G has noticeably lower caches: its L1 and L2 caches are half those available on its rival, while its L3 cache is merely 16MB.

Finally, the 8700G is powered by the last-gen PCIe 4.0 bus standard while the 7950X3D uses the newest PCIe 5.0 interface.

Integrated GPU

The Ryzen 7 8700G demolishes the last-gen king

So far, the 7950X3D has managed to surpass the 8700G in every metric, though that’s not the case when it comes to the integrated GPU. While AMD did a fantastic job adding iGPUs to its 7000-series processors, they aren’t good enough for gaming or any other tasks that require a graphics card. As such, the 2-core integrated Radeon Graphics on the 7950X3D are only good for lightweight tasks, and you’ll need a powerful dedicated graphics card to avoid bottlenecking this cutting-edge processor.

On the contrary, the Ryzen 7 8700G is built for budget gamers who don’t want to blow extra money on a dedicated GPU. The Radeon 780M iGPU inside the processor houses 12 cores and can hit a clock speed of 2900MHz. In our review of the 8700G, the iGPU was able to run most games above 60FPS with tweaked settings at 1080p. Contrast this with the fact that the integrated graphics inside the Ryzen 9 7950X3D can barely render the games at the same resolution, and the 8700G emerges as the victor of this round.

AMD Ryzen 7 8700G vs Ryzen 9 7950X3D: Which is right for you?

Performance users should stick to the Ryzen 9 7950X3D

Since PC builders and gaming enthusiasts tend to use a dedicated GPU in their setup, it’s better to grab the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. With its larger core/thread count, faster clock speeds, and bigger cache, the last-gen’s champion remains a key player in the gaming CPU field even in 2024.

But if you want an affordable processor that can also double as a graphics card for 1080p gaming, then the Ryzen 7 8700G is hands down the best APU on the market. Since it uses the same AM5 chipset as its rival, you can even buy it now and upgrade to the all-powerful Ryzen 9 7950X3D (and a dedicated GPU) down the line.