AMD has released new Ryzen 8000 series CPUs, though you may not be swayed by them
AMD has pushed out new Ryzen processors in its 8000G range, and this time the firm has launched models without any integrated graphics.
Team Red has a pair of new chips, in fact, namely the AMD Ryzen 7 8700F and AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, with the ‘F’ indicating that they don’t have integrated graphics.
While there’s no on-board GPU, what one of these CPUs does offer – the higher-end Ryzen 7 – is an NPU for accelerating AI tasks. They also have a design that focuses on power efficiency, sipping away at wattage.
For graphics duties, the idea is that – obviously enough – you’ll need a separate GPU.
As for the core specs, the Ryzen 8700F is an 8-core (16-thread) chip capable of boosting up to 5GHz (from a base clock of 4.1GHz). Whereas the Ryzen 8400F drops that down to 6 cores (12 threads) and a boost of up to 4.7GHz (the base clock is 4.2GHz).
Both processors have a 65W power usage and the 8700F has that NPU as mentioned. US pricing is pitched at $269 (around £210, AU$400) for the 8700F and $169 (around £135, AU$250) for the 8400F. The new CPUs are on sale as of today.
Lukewarm reaction
Initial reaction to the new CPUs has been somewhat lukewarm, as they do feel a little pricey for what they are. Yes, the 8700F does come with an NPU, but for now, the usefulness of this additional bonus is limited – though that could change in the future. AI performance is about to become a whole lot more relevant to Windows 11 users, with ‘AI Explorer’ and doubtless further AI-powered features inbound.
Price corrections may make these processors more tempting down the line, as well, if consumers are slow to move in grabbing them. Time will tell.
