AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 8700GE Performance
The AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 8700GE is an 8-core 16-thread processor that was part of the company’s Zen 4 and Phoenix architectures. That means we get all P-cores and there are no E-cores in the design.
We also get an AMD Radeon 780M integrated GPU and a lower-performance 16 TOPS NPU. Still, this has the NPU and a very usable integrated GPU.
Python Linux 4.4.2 Kernel Compile Benchmark
This is one of the most requested benchmarks for STH over the past few years. The task was simple, we have a standard configuration file, the Linux 4.4.2 kernel from kernel.org, and make the standard auto-generated configuration utilizing every thread in the system. We are expressing results in terms of compiles per hour to make the results easier to read:
The AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 8700GE is certainly a bit slower than the Ryzen 7 8700G, and a lot of that can be attributed to the 35W TDP.
7-zip Compression Performance
7-zip is a widely used compression/ decompression program that works cross-platform. We started using the program during our early days with Windows testing. It is now part of Linux-Bench.
Something that you will notice is that this chip is around the same performance as the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS and Ryzen 7 8845HS in terms of performance.
OpenSSL Performance
OpenSSL is widely used to secure communications between servers. This is an important protocol in many server stacks. We first look at our sign tests:
Here are the verify results:
It generally is falling between the Intel Ultra 7 100 and Ultra 7 200 families for us which is not bad. Something worth noting is that many people and applications prefer the all P-core designs like this AMD Ryzen 7 Pro. It is easier for an OS to schedule, and there are instances where having heterogeneous cores is much less desirable (e.g. with VMware ESXi that does not support heterogeneous cores.)
Geekbench 5 and 6 Results
Just so you can easily compare this to your own system, we have a number of Geekbench 5 and 6 results. We are using the Minisforum MS-A1 for comparison since that had the 65W AMD Ryzen 7 8700G. Another way to look at that is going to be this is the delta for going to a slightly larger system from a small vendor that has a similar CPU at a much higher TDP.
Here are the Geekbench 6 results:
Again, we see performance that is a solid 5-20% lower than the 8700G based on the workload. You really feel the 30W lower TDP when it comes to GPU intensive workloads.
I think we need a MS-A1 review before the MS-A2 is out.
Next, let us get to our power consumption and noise.
The mini systems are neat, but pretty niche.
You are at what, $1200+ if you want 128GB RAM in it by the time you get a couple drives? And still only 1 low speed NIC?
I think the systems are neat from an academic standpoint, but poor choices in any situation where you have room for something a BIT bigger.
If you’re adventurous, then I believe this part would allow powering this unit with a generic usb-c power supply that uis sufficiently rated for required A at 20V:
Lenovo 4X90U45346
Tiny systems without Intel/QuickSync have no use case for my lab.
Good tip by @frank.
Using the same adapter, one can achieve “UPS” using a power bank that has pass through capabilities.
I have a couple of such power banks mainly for my homelab and i bring with me one such for charging Thinkpad laptops.
The latest HP Elite 805 DM has a USB-C port with PD. This I miss in these Lenovos. That is a very nice option if you have a display with USB dock.
I have 4 of these exact systems running in my home along with an older generation of the m75q.
This one is louder than the old ones under load. However they make great PCs for general use, kids workstations and light gaming, and various server/lab workloads that don’t demand ECC.
I have one running as an NVR for an analog encoder because I have a bunch of old BTC cameras and it runs fantastic. Also have one running proxmox with various VMs and containers running. As somebody pointed out, there are better Emby/Plex/Jellyfin options because of the lack of quicksync, but they are still really solid boxes.
The also often go on sale. The last one I bought was just over $600 from Lenovo direct with 32GB or RAM and a 1TB SSD. Pretty hard to beat the value prop. Personally, I prefer these over the Dell/Intel options, of which we deploy a ton of at work. The Lenovo is just a really solid option.