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At the beginning of 2025, through the annual CES occasion, AMD launched the successors to its in style Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme APUs. These all-in-one CPU+GPU chips have been powering the easiest handheld gaming PCs since they first appeared, so we have been eager to see simply how significantly better the brand new Z2 fashions are. Thanks to at least one tech YouTube channel, we now know the reply: it is good, it’s kind of disappointing, and it is fully as anticipated.
When chatting about handheld gaming PCs with family and friends, I’m usually requested by the extra tech-savvy amongst them about why AMD would not add a much bigger GPU to its APU chips. As the saying goes, photos communicate a thousand phrases, so movies should communicate all of them. Tech YouTube channel ETA Prime has pitched a Ryzen Z2 Extreme-powered MSI Claw A8 towards an Asus ROG Ally X, which makes use of the earlier era Ryzen Z1 Extreme.
Before we bounce into the benchmark outcomes, this is how the 2 APUs, as configured in these handheld units, evaluate:
|
APU |
Ryzen Z1 Extreme |
Ryzen Z2 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
|
CPU cores |
8 (Zen 4) |
3 (Zen 5) + 5 (Zen 5c) |
|
CPU threads |
16 |
16 |
|
CPU base/increase clocks |
3.3 / 5.1 GHz |
2.0 / 5.0 + 3.3 GHz |
|
GPU compute items |
12 RDNA 3 |
16 RDNA 3.5 |
|
GPU increase clock |
2.9 GHz |
2.9 GHz |
|
RAM |
24 GB LPDDR5x-7500 |
24 GB LPDDR5x-8000 |
For gaming, crucial distinction is the GPU a part of the chip, because the Z2 Extreme sports activities 33% extra compute items than the Z1 Extreme. RDNA 3.5 is not an enormous improve over RDNA 3, however along with the larger variety of shaders, you’d count on there to be a noticeable bump in body charges.
However, within the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark, the Z2 Extreme solely averages 5 frames per second greater than the Z1 Extreme (47 vs 42 fps)—a achieve of simply 12%. That’s utilizing the sport’s Steam Deck high quality preset, FSR Balanced upscaling, a show decision of 1080p, and with each handhelds capped to a 25 W energy restrict.
Dropping the ability all the way down to 17 W, however retaining the decision at 1080p, sees efficiency outcomes of 39 and 32 fps, respectively, with the Z2 Extreme now operating 22% higher than the Z1 Extreme.
ETA Prime’s ultimate CP2077 check has them operating the benchmark at 1600 x 900 (a 31% discount within the variety of pixels to course of) and whereas that simply will increase the Z1 Extreme’s outcomes to 35 fps, the brand new Z2 Extreme powers all the way in which as much as 46 fps—virtually the identical as when utilizing 25 W at 1080p.
It’s the identical story with Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 5, Black Myth: Wukong, and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered. The Z2 and Z1 Extreme run nearly precisely the identical when the ability restrict and backbone are fairly excessive; the second each of those are lowered, although, the higher APU will get to point out its strengths.
What this all reveals is that throwing extra shader cores at an APU’s graphics part is not the right resolution for having faster-running video games, even when given loads of energy to maintain excessive increase clocks. The drawback is that the CPU and GPU are sharing the identical pool of reminiscence, and there is solely a lot bandwidth to go round.
Specifically, the MSI Claw A8 has simply 7% extra bandwidth than the ROG Ally X, and it is clearly not sufficient to maintain up with the 16 RDNA 3.5 compute items when operating at full capability. Dropping the decision and energy ends in the shader cores placing the reminiscence system underneath much less of a load, and conversely, that enables them to carry out higher.
It’s not only a drawback that is unique to the Z2 Extreme, as we discovered testing the OneXFly F1 Pro handheld (above). The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 inside that gadget additionally sports activities 16 compute items, and the distinction in efficiency between its 30 W and 15 W modes is so small that you simply’d by no means actually wish to use the excessive energy restrict.
This can be why AMD needed to equip its Strix Halo APUs with a 256-bit large reminiscence bus. It makes use of the identical sort of RAM, with the identical clocks, because the Z2 Extreme, however with twice as many knowledge lanes, it boasts double the reminiscence bandwidth. However, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 additionally has 40 compute items to maintain fed with knowledge, so you may most likely think about how that is going to pan out.
If you’ve got been contemplating shopping for a brand new Z2 Extreme handheld gaming PC, you would possibly wish to watch ETA Prime’s video first to see simply what the higher APU is admittedly like. There’s most likely extra work that AMD can do with drivers to raised juggle energy, clocks, and knowledge transfers, however the reminiscence bandwidth is at all times going to have the ultimate say on simply what could be achieved.
Best handheld PC 2025
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