Ryzen 5 5600G in 2023, Still Worth Buying?

In this article, we explore the performance of AMD's Ryzen 5 5600G integrated graphics card. This option is suitable for those who want to build a gaming PC but don't have enough money for a graphics card. The Ryzen 5 5600G is built on the Zen free architecture and has 6 cores, 12 threads, and 16 megabytes of L3 cache, which allows it to perform well when paired with modest GPUs. The GPU portion has 448 shading units, about 20% of what the RX 570 had, and shares system memory. Therefore, the faster and tighter timing you have on your system memory, the better the performance will be.

All testing is done on a testing system with a Ryzen 5 5600G, 16 GB 3600 Mhz RAM running a dual channel. The testing is done at 1080p since anything higher than that on an integrated GPU is not recommended. The CPU side of things today got 1427 for its single-core performance and 10,411 for its multi-core.

For benchmarking, we used unigine superposition, and the integrated graphics in the Ryzen 5 5600G got 2662, which is not great, but it's not the worst we've ever seen. In Fortnite, with high textures and far view distance, the Ryzen 5 5600G got an average of 113 FPS with a one percent low of 50 FPS. Minecraft Java edition with OptiFine got 193 FPS on average with a one percent low of 138. Finally, we tested Cyberpunk 2077 with low settings, and the integrated graphics card managed to get an average of 22 FPS with a one percent low of 10 FPS.

Master Chief Collection's Halo Reach performed quite well at 77 FPS on average with a one percent low of 49 FPS. We suggest playing it at these settings or capping it to 60 FPS to eliminate stutters. Rainbow Six Siege was also easy to run on the low preset, getting 99 FPS on average with an 81 FPS one percent low figure. Performance was good with hardly any stutters or dips, making it a decent experience for players.

GTA 5 also ran well on an integrated GPU at 63 FPS on average with a one percent low of 50 FPS, though we had to drop it down to the normal preset and increase the textures to high. Dirt Rally 2.0 was also easy to run, with 99 FPS on average and an 81 FPS one percent low figure on the low preset. Rocket League disappointed us the most, with only 79 FPS on average and a 38 FPS one percent low figure on the high performance preset, which is essentially very low. Rocket League is prone to one percent low stutter, especially when boosting, but it's still playable.

While an integrated GPU on the 5600G is enough to get started, we do not recommend playing on it in the long term because performance isn't great. Investing in a more powerful graphics card is recommended, as it will give you the most performance. AMD's APUs haven't caught on over the past decade due to their poor performance compared to budget entry-level graphics cards, and AMD is the only company that even tries to make decent APUs. Intel's HD graphics or UHD graphics are not great for gaming compared to G Series Ryzen processors, though they are good for productivity workloads such as Premiere Pro using their quick sync engine.

While the Ryzen 5 5600G integrated graphics card is not the best option for gaming, it's still viable for some less demanding games. Additionally, it's a great option for those who want to build a gaming PC but don't have the upfront cash for a graphics card. In the short term, we do recommend gaming on an integrated GPU if you're waiting for a graphics card, but in the long term, we recommend investing in a more powerful graphics card. As long as you keep your expectations in check and play in the short term, it's a decent option.