AMD Targets Intel Core i5 With $269 Ryzen 7 8700F & $169 Ryzen 5 8400F APUs, Up To 24% Faster Gaming Performance

AMD has officially launched its Ryzen 7 8700F & Ryzen 5 8400F APUs for DIY which target the Intel Core i5 mainstream CPU lineup.

The AMD Ryzen 7 8700F & Ryzen 5 8400F are going to be the latest "Hawk Point" APU entries from Team Red. These APUs are equipped with the same Zen 4 CPU core architecture but lack the RDNA 3 iGPU core which means that they are technically just CPUs with limited capabilities than the "G" SKUs. However, in marketing slides, AMD touts the Ryzen 8000F APUs to include an RDNA 3 iGPU but that isn't exactly true & the chips require a separate discrete graphics card for GPU capabilities.

Following are the main retail links for the APUs:

Starting with the specifications, the AMD Ryzen 7 8700F APU features 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 4 core architecture. It has a base clock of 4.1 GHz and a boost clock of 5.05 GHz which is both slower in base and boost versus the Ryzen 7 8700G (-0.05 GHz Boost / -0.10 GHz Base). It has a total of 16 MB of L3 cache and lacks the RDNA 3 iGPU.

Similarly, the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F features 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture. It features a base clock of 4.2 GHz and a boost clock of 4.75 GHz (-0.25 GHz Boost / +0.1 GHz Base). The chip also features 16 MB of L3 cache with 6 MB L2 cache and doesn't feature any RDNA 3 iGPU. As for the TDP, both chips are configured at 65W. You can find some initial reviews of both APUs here.

Interestingly, while the iGPU is missing, the NPU specifications are carried over from the Non-F SKUs. In the case of the AMD Ryzen 7 8700F, you still get the 16 TOPS "XDNA" NPU while AMD's Ryzen 5 8400F is deprived of any NPU capabilities since the 8500F also doesn't feature an NPU. Both APUs will be compatible with AM5 and feature overclocking capabilities just like the other APUs.

In terms of performance, the AMD Ryzen 7 8700F APU is compared against the Intel Core i5-14400F and offers up to a 24% lead in gaming performance (using a discrete graphics card) and up to 22% faster application performance. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 5 8400F is said to offer up to a 14% uplift in gaming performance over the Core i5-13400F.

If you compare the prices, the AMD Ryzen 7 8700F is listed for as low as $269 US which is much higher than the sub-$200 US pricing of the Intel Core i5-14400F while the Ryzen 5 8400F is listed for as low as $169 US which is comparable to the Core i5-13400F price. Overall, it looks like you're better off just getting a Ryzen 7 7700 or Ryzen 5 7600 CPU over the Ryzen 8000F chips since they're going to offer much better performance overall.