No GPU? No Problem! Ryzen 7 8700G APU Build with RDNA3 iGPU for 1080P Gaming!

What’s going on, everybody? It’s ETA Prime once more, and this time we’re creating a gaming PC that is really compact and doesn’t need a GPU. That’s correct, we are fully committing to the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G APU with integrated RDNA 3 graphics, which should deliver some very remarkable 1080p gaming capabilities. This build is powerful without requiring a discrete GPU because to recent advancements in AMD driver technology, including their FSR 3.1 (FidelityFX Super Resolution) and frame generation.

The Build Breakdown

At just 3.3 liters, this little powerhouse is among the smallest gaming PCs available on the market right now. It can still produce incredible 1080p performance in recent games despite its small size.

We used the following to construct this setup:

• CPU/APU: AMD Ryzen 7 8700G with integrated RDNA 3 graphics (Radeon 780M)
• Motherboard: ASRock A620M-ITX
• RAM: 32GB of Kingston Fury DDR5 at 8000MHz (dual-channel)
• Storage: 2TB SK Hynix Platinum P41 PCIe 4.0 SSD
• Cooling: Thermalright X53 low-profile cooler
• Case: InWin Chopin Max with 200W power supply

With 8 cores and 16 threads, the APU at the core of this configuration uses system RAM as VRAM for the integrated graphics. With its fast DDR5 RAM running at 8000MHz, this APU excels at both productivity and gaming demands. 

Case & Cooling

We decided on the InWin Chopin Max, a great mini-ITX case with an integrated 200W power supply. This is ideal for a compact build like this one, when every inch counts. We used the Thermalright X53 low-profile cooler with the Ryzen 7 8700G to make sure it stays cool. It provides outstanding thermal performance and fits precisely inside the casing, controlling temperatures quietly.

Storage

The SK Hynix Platinum P41, a PCIe 4.0 SSD with incredible read and write speeds of up to 7000MB/s and 6500MB/s, is the storage option we chose. This makes sure that multitasking feels snappy and that games load rapidly.

Benchmarks & Gaming Performance

Let’s move on to the benchmarks now! When combined with fast RAM, the Ryzen 7 8700G’s integrated Radeon 780M iGPU is a formidable opponent. We can use FSR 3.1 for even better gaming performance with AMD’s most recent drivers.

1. Geekbench 6:
   • Single-core: 2790
   • Multi-core: 14,532 These scores highlight the APU’s strong Zen 4 cores, making it a solid performer for both gaming and productivity.
2. 3DMark Night Raid (iGPU):
   • Score: 34,653 The RDNA 3 graphics in the Radeon 780M show their strength here, especially for an integrated GPU.
3. Gaming Benchmarks:
   • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
     • 1080p, balanced settings, FSR set to balanced: 130 FPS (average), 74 FPS (1% low) Modern Warfare 3 runs beautifully on this iGPU, showcasing how far integrated graphics have come.
   • Forza Horizon 5
     • 1080p, medium settings, no FSR: 98 FPS (average) Forza Horizon 5 is known for being demanding, but the Ryzen 7 8700G handles it with ease. If we enabled FSR on balanced, we could easily hit 120 FPS.

Thermal and Power Efficiency

The APU used about 80 watts of power during stress testing, which is ideal for this small design. The effective cooling provided by the Thermalright X53 allowed temperatures to remain under control at about 74°C even when operating at full load. 

Fallout 4

Fallout 4 is up first. We’re testing this game at 1080p on high settings thanks to the Ryzen 7 8700G’s RDNA 3 iGPU. This game has seen ups and downs with recent upgrades from Bethesda. Fallout 4 plays well with a consistent 60 frames per second, even without access to FSR.

It’s important to note that during these testing, I was using a 120Hz display, but I neglected to return it to its original 60Hz setting. Thus, we could potentially witness performance gains above 60 frames per second with the right refresh rate. Still, playing Fallout 4 at high settings is a blast.

Cyberpunk 2077

Let’s move on to Cyberpunk 2077. For this game, we’re using the low native 1080p settings and turning on AMD’s built-in frame generation. An average of roughly 78 frames per second is being seen, which is playable.

But, Cyberpunk 2077’s performance and overall enjoyment would be greatly improved if AMD’s frame generation could be added natively. This would be especially true for lower-end devices and handhelds. AMD’s support for this feature in Cyberpunk 2077 would be revolutionary, even though Nvidia has equivalent technology. 

Horizon Forbidden West

Finally, we put Horizon Forbidden West to the test. This one was a little difficult. Even with frame generation, the game occasionally had trouble keeping up its speed. It occasionally operated at about 40 frames per second, which is rather low considering the settings.

To get better results, we had to set the quality to low and reduce the resolution to 900p. It appears that this title may be impacted by a driver bug with the most recent AMD upgrade. Although the RDNA 3 iGPU does a great job in many scenarios, it has trouble with some of the more difficult games, such as Horizon Forbidden West, which is a hard game.

System Performance and Power Consumption

Let’s discuss power usage and system temps. The 3.3L case that holds the construct does a good job of managing cooling. Average CPU temperatures are maintained by the Thermalright X53 cooler at 68°C, reaching a maximum of 82°C during severe stress tests. Heat throttling was not seen.

Additionally impressive is the power consumption. The system uses only 26 watts while it is idle. The average power consumption while gaming is approximately 126 watts. For small form factor projects, where every watt matters, this efficiency is essential.

Conclusion

All things considered, the Ryzen 7 8700G with RDNA 3 iGPU provides remarkable 1080p gaming performance in an incredibly small package. A GPU-less gaming setup could benefit greatly from the RDNA 3 iGPU’s capabilities, even though certain newer games may need lower settings for best performance.

I’ve included links to every part used in this construction below in case you want to build something similar. We are so grateful to SK Hynix for supporting this video; be sure to check out their drives on Newegg!

Thank you for reading as usual, and check back soon for more in-depth tech reviews!

Video review of 3.3L Mini ITX Build with AMD Ryzen 7 8700G APU!