Video summary

PC Gaming on the Xbox Series X CPU: AMD 4800S Desktop Kit Review

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product overview (what’s being reviewed)

The video reviews the AMD “4800S Desktop Kit”—a salvaged Xbox Series X Zen 2–based SoC sold as a Micro-ATX PC kit (available only in China). The reviewer runs it on Windows to test how far its CPU (Zen 2) performance can go for PC gaming, especially versus real PC Zen 2 chips and a modern CPU (Ryzen 7000).

It’s paired in the testing with AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX (top-tier GPU) to minimize GPU bottlenecks and focus on CPU limits.

Key features / what’s special about the 4800S kit

  • Console-derived Zen 2 CPU cluster (matches the Series X SoC “apart from lettering”).
  • More CPU cores/threads than the Series X CPU setup (the reviewer implies this affects some workloads).
  • PCIe Gen4 x4 GPU slot (unlike the older 4700S kit).
  • Additional expansion compared to 4700S:
    • PCIe NVMe slot for storage (claimed not to steal bandwidth from the GPU slot when used).
    • More storage interfaces: 4 SATA ports (vs 2 on the 4700S).
    • M.2 socket for Wi‑Fi (not present on the 4700S).
    • Larger, more robust cooler than the 4700S (still “a bit loud,” but not thermally throttling in testing).
  • Uses GDDR6 memory on the board (like Series X) rather than standard PC DDR4/DDR5.

Pros (as stated in the video)

  • Comparable to console performance in many game tests when configured to “console specs.”
  • Good single-thread performance in synthetics:
    • Cinebench single-core is nearly the same as Ryzen 5 3600.
  • Gaming on a high-end GPU (7900 XTX) often lands in console-like results, especially under console-like settings.
  • Practical platform benefits over 4700S:
    • Has a real-feeling PCIe bandwidth path for a proper GPU.
    • More I/O (SATA, NVMe, Wi‑Fi M.2).
    • Better cooling and less “dead platform” behavior than the 4700S.

Cons / limitations (as stated in the video)

  • Memory system latency hurts performance:
    • GDDR6 provides high bandwidth, but the reviewer argues the kit’s latency is much higher than typical PC cache/memory hierarchy, removing PC-style bandwidth advantages.
  • General PC performance vs modern CPUs is far behind:
    • In multiple CPU-heavy games and tests, the 4800S lags Zen 2 mainstream CPUs and gets crushed by Ryzen 5 7600.
  • Not a “PC upgrade” CPU:
    • The reviewer frames it as performing more like older Zen 1 territory when compared apples-to-apples versus PCs with good RAM/caches.
  • Console-style optimization isn’t fully replicable on Windows:
    • The reviewer notes Windows toolchain/workloads and memory contention differ from consoles (console CPU+GPU share the same chip/memory environment; PC separates them).

Comparisons made

Versus AMD 4700S Desktop Kit (earlier/smaller kit)

  • 4700S is called a “turkey” due to limited PCIe connectivity (insufficient bandwidth to use a serious GPU) → good only for very light gaming.
  • 4800S is positioned as the improved version:
    • PCIe Gen4 x4 GPU slot is a big fix.
    • Adds NVMe, more SATA, and Wi‑Fi M.2.
    • Better cooler and a more complete platform.

Versus Zen 2 PC chips (synthetics + gaming)

Main comparison chips used:

  • Ryzen 5 3600 (DDR4)
  • Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G (similar reduced-cache Zen 2 variant)
  • Ryzen 5 7600 (DDR5 Zen 4; used as a modern reference)

Versus a “modern mainstream CPU”

  • Ryzen 5 7600 is shown to be ~2x to ~2.5x+ faster depending on the game/test.

Numerical results / ratings mentioned

Synthetic benchmark (Cinebench)

  • Cinebench single-thread
    • Ryzen 5 3600: 1184
    • Ryzen 4800S: 1148
    • Conclusion: barely outside margin of error
  • Cinebench multi-core
    • Ryzen 5 3600: 8113
    • Ryzen 4800S: 10539 (Attributed to more cores)

Cache/bandwidth behavior (measured)

The reviewer reports:

  • Ryzen 5 3600 has much higher cache-based bandwidth.
  • When transfer sizes exceed 3600’s cache limit, 4800S (GDDR6) can pull ahead, but with much higher latency deltas.

Gaming CPU benchmark deltas (selected quoted results)

Across multiple games, the reviewer repeatedly frames deltas as “console-like” but shows large gaps against PC CPUs:

  • Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (medium RT, DLSS Quality, 1080p upscaling context)
    • 4800S vs Ryzen 5 3600: Ryzen 5 3600 leads by about 2.23
    • 4750G leads by about ~6% on average
    • Ryzen 5 7600 leads by about 49.5% (framed as “faster” with multiplier context elsewhere)
  • Crysis 3
    • Ryzen 5 3600 averages about 22% ahead of 4800S
    • 7600 is ~2.44x in multiplier terms
  • Ashes of the Singularity (CPU soak test)
    • Ryzen 5 3600 only about 1.9 lead over 4800S
  • Cyberpunk 2077 (CPU-oriented custom settings)
    • Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G: about 14.5 percentage points ahead of 4800S
    • Ryzen 5 3600: up to ~37-point lead in worst/scene context
    • Ryzen 5 7600: ~2.5x faster framing
  • Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (CPU-heavy bench)
    • 4750G: ~42-point lead over 4800S
    • Ryzen 5 3600: extends to ~68-point lead
    • 7600: ~2.76x faster framing
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020
    • 4750G about 20 points ahead of 4800S
    • Ryzen 5 3600 about 44 points ahead
    • Ryzen 5 7600 ~twice as fast
  • CS:GO
    • 4750G about 33 points ahead (and ~66 points vs 3600 in narration)
    • Ryzen 5 7600 about 2.5x faster vs 4800S
  • Hitman 3 (Dartmoor)
    • 4750G: ~20 points ahead of 4800S
    • 3600: ~39 points ahead of 4800S

Note: These point/percentage deltas vary by game and scene, but the overall theme is consistent: the 4800S can be close to console performance, yet remains far from strong PC CPUs.

GPU-unbounded scenario (console-like FPS targets)

  • Gotham Knights
    • capped to 30 FPS with V-Sync
    • unlocked/uncapped behaves poorly if you try to “unlock like PC,” described as inconsistent and “choppy.”

User experience / behavior described

  • Thermals: no thermal throttling observed (though the cooler is somewhat loud).
  • Frame consistency depends on game configuration:
    • Some games show stutter/choppiness when running unlocked/unconstrained.
    • Others run smoothly when locked to console-like modes.
  • Examples of gameplay outcomes:
    • Hogwarts Legacy (UE4): works “kind of okay”; console-like mode roughly near 60fps.
    • Fortnite (UE5): stays over 60fps (specific figures given: 66 low / 81 average).
    • A Plague Tale: Requiem: mostly above 60fps, reaching 70s/80s in a rats-heavy scene, with stutter only “blips” (not constant issues).
    • Metro Exodus (60fps lock target): appears harder to sustain; drops observed even when reducing resolution/quality.

Overall verdict / recommendation (as implied by the reviewer)

The reviewer’s conclusion is essentially:

  • The 4800S can deliver console-like gaming performance in Windows when settings are tuned to match console behavior, especially with a high-end GPU.
  • However, as a general PC gaming CPU platform, it’s undermined by high memory latency and cache/memory hierarchy limitations, producing large performance gaps versus real PC Zen 2 and even bigger gaps versus modern CPUs like Ryzen 5 7600.

Recommendation: Best viewed as a niche, console-PC curiosity (a China-only salvage kit) that approximates console performance—not as a cost-effective drop-in upgrade for PC competitiveness.

Unique points mentioned about the product (consolidated)

  1. Salvaged Xbox Series X Zen 2 SoCs used for a PC kit (GPU defective on origin chips, disabled and reused).
  2. Kit is Micro-ATX, with on-board GDDR6 memory.
  3. Chip visually/structurally matches Series X SOC (“complete match” aside from labeling).
  4. PCIe Gen4 x4 GPU slot enables a proper discrete GPU (unlike 4700S).
  5. NVMe slot and 4 SATA ports (more than 4700S).
  6. M.2 Wi‑Fi socket present (not on 4700S).
  7. Cooling is improved over 4700S (robust cooler), though audible.
  8. Synthetic performance: single-thread near Ryzen 5 3600, multi-core higher (more cores).
  9. Memory behavior: high bandwidth but very high latency and reduced cache hierarchy.
  10. Console advantage isn’t replicated fully on PC due to different integration and memory contention model.
  11. Gaming behavior: often console-like FPS and can be smooth under “console settings,” but can struggle in CPU-heavy/latency-sensitive situations.
  12. Some “console-like consistency” can be achieved using frame caps (V-Sync / 30fps caps) to avoid inconsistency when CPU-limited.

Speaker / contributor views (as described in the video)

  • Main narrator (digitalfoundry style reviewer): Provides major conclusions, hardware reasoning (salvage process, memory latency vs bandwidth), and most benchmark interpretations.
  • Colleague “Will Judd”: Built the Eurogamer PC CPU Benchmark Suite and helps run/organize benchmark comparisons; also referenced for settings and benchmarking structure.
  • “Stella” / “Will Judd’s wife”: Mentioned only for helping acquire the 4800S in China (no technical performance viewpoint).
  • Supporter “Fiddler underscore 2K”: Not a technical contributor; credited for tracking the product’s announcement/launch.

Original video