A few years ago I made a nice budget build with a Ryzen 5600G APU. What more recent APUs could be used for a modern equivalent?
Hello. As in the title, I did a build a few years ago with the 5600G, the integrated graphics APU, because I felt it was a good way to save some money for a first-time builder. It worked well, and I am strongly inclined to use the same basic approach now it's…
Hello. As in the title, I did a build a few years ago with the 5600G, the integrated graphics APU, because I felt it was a good way to save some money for a first-time builder. It worked well, and I am strongly inclined to use the same basic approach now it's time for an upgrade (and some parts starting to not work as reliably in my old build). Looking into it now, I'm finding it a little difficult to see what the modern equivalents of that build would be, how powerful they are, if it makes financial sense, and if such an equivalent even exists. In particular the names I keep seeing pop up are the Ryzen 8700G and the Ryzen AI Max+ 395, the latter of which is not really widely discussed? Furthermore, according to AMD, many of the 9000 series have some form of integrated graphics, but it seems like this is not a good option to rely on and you would want to get a dedicated GPU anyway. So, what is the situation with APUs in 2026? Is there a good option to save some money like my old 5600G, or is it a bad time for them?
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Is the system mini-ITX, and the APU is to ensure the guts fit inside the case?
No, my old build was (still is) Micro-ATX. I just went APU to save a bit of money not needing to buy a dedicated GPU because most of the games I play aren't that graphically demanding, but now I really want to play Ace Combat 8 later this year among some others.
"...APUs in 2026? Is there a good option to save some money like my old 5600G?" if you want a "current" APU, you will need to also go DDR5...and there's NO "saving money" with that. What is holding you back from adding a dGPU? https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/4325vs4811/AMD-Ryzen-5-5600G-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-5600 The single thread performance of the 5600G is not that far behind a full 5600. A dGPU can extend the life of your existing setup for < $400 https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/compare/6028vs5306vs7294/Radeon-RX-Vega-Ryzen-7-5825U-vs-Intel-Arc-B580-vs-Radeon-RX-9060
Should also evaluate the problem is "hardware" OR "something" with Windoze. Create a LInux Live USB and run that for the same amount of time that the issue(s) would start showing up for Windoze, If you see none, it's not hardware, it's likely software (i.e., Windoze).
Most cpus have basic integrated graphics which allows you to see the screen via the mobo ports without a dedicated gpu. F series cpus remove that for a bit of a price save. G series cpus have more beefy GPU components, but this comes at the cost of cpu power, like l3 cache size which is important for gaming. Additionally, there are times when buying a separate cpu and GPU will outperform the g CPU at cost. Generally, a g cpu is mainly recommended when space is the absolute constraint, when you want a specific amount of cpu and GPU power within a relatively small space. These are generalities though and based on performance and market conditions, sometimes the gcpu may make sense.
The 8700G is supposed to be equivalent to a GT 1650. So for the games you are interested in, check their performance on one of those. The Max+ 395 is in laptops only and is supposed to be like a mobile 4060. But a laptop with a 4060 can be found for $1k while a 395 is $3.5k+
The reason you don't see the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 discussed where you are looking is because this part does not come in a socket format for end users. It is a soldered format for laptops, small prebuilt computers, and AI devices. It really isn't for end users building a gaming rig. The 8700G can do what you want, but it's an expensive part that also requires expensive DDR5 memory and a new motherboard. If you are comfortable with that kind of expense, then take a look and plan a new build with that configuration But, AM4 still has some life, especially at the intermediate level. If CPU bound games are your primary interest, then getting a cheap discrete GPU(RTX 3050, RTX 2060, Radeon RX6600 or similar) and a Ryzen R7 5800XT will hold out for a few more years and will improve your CPU focused gaming experience. Even a 5800X or 5700X will be a big upgrade over the 5600G. All of the APUs are held back in CPU focused games because they typically have a cut down L3 cache, typically half of what the non G parts have. If you're having problems with hardware somewhere else, like a faulty motherboard or other component, then you might want to consider a bigger refresh, but those typically require replacing the DDR4 memory you have without getting as big of an upgrade as you would get with a CPU swap and a discrete GPU addition.