AMD's MacBook Moment.

Summary

AMD launches the Ryzen AI HX series processors, aiming to compete with top brands in the laptop market. The new Zen 5 architecture features three processors with impressive specs, including a powerful NPU and configurable TDP. The Ryzen AI series shows efficiency and performance gains in multi-core tests, excelling in apps like Photoshop and Lightroom. However, gaming performance on integrated graphics needs improvement, and the 'AI' branding seems more of a marketing move. The processors show promise for future AI capabilities but currently have limited real-world applications.

Takeaways

• 🚀 AMD is launching a new series of laptops headlined by the Zen 5 architecture, aiming to compete with top brands like Intel, Apple, and Qualcomm.
• 🔋 Three processors are being launched: Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with 12 cores and 24 threads, HX 375 with a faster CPU, and Ryzen AI 9365 with two fewer cores and threads.
• 🌟 All processors share a more powerful Neural Processing Unit (NPU) and a configurable TDP of 15-54 Watts with a 28 Watts default setting, focusing on efficiency.
• 💻 The Ryzen AI series is designed to be power-efficient, which could make it a strong contender against Apple's M-series processors in the ultra-portable market.
• 📈 In performance tests, the Ryzen AI processors showed impressive efficiency and power consumption, outperforming the Intel Core Ultra 915h and other competitors.
• 🔧 The Ryzen AI 9365 consistently outperformed the technically faster HX 370 in certain tests, suggesting that not all performance metrics scale linearly with clock speed.
• 🎨 For applications like Photoshop and Lightroom, the new Zenbook laptops with Ryzen AI processors demonstrated significant performance improvements over other thin and light Windows laptops.
• 📊 Cinebench tests showed the Ryzen AI processors leading in multi-core performance, with the HX 370 and 365 significantly outperforming Intel CPUs.
• 🔧 The integrated video coding engine (VDC) in AMD's processors has been improved, now capable of outperforming Intel's Quick Sync for the first time.
• 🔋 While the Ryzen AI processors showed good performance on battery, there's room for improvement in power allocation to the integrated graphics during gaming scenarios.
• 🎮 In gaming tests, the Ryzen AI processors' performance varied, suggesting that power management strategies could impact their gaming capabilities.

Q & A

What is the main focus of AMD's new series of laptops?

The main focus of AMD's new series of laptops is to compete with the best from Intel, Apple, and Qualcomm in the light market, featuring the new Zen5 architecture.

What are the key features of the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor?

The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor features 12 cores and 24 threads, with clock speeds ranging from 2 GHz to 5.1 GHz.

How does the Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 differ from the HX 370?

The Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 is essentially the same as the HX 370 but with a faster processing unit.

What are the similarities between the new Ryzen AI processors?

All new Ryzen AI processors share a vastly more powerful NPU than the previous generation and have a configurable TDP ranging from 15 to 54 watts, with a nominal default power setting of 28 watts.

How do the new Ryzen AI processors compare to Intel's Core Ultra 915h?

The Ryzen AI processors are intended to compete against Intel's Core Ultra 915h, but a better parallel would be the Core Ultra 165 and 155h due to similar power envelopes.

What is the significance of efficiency in the new Ryzen AI processors?

Efficiency is critical for ultra-portable laptops because low power leads to less heat production, making these laptops cooler and quieter.

How do the Ryzen AI processors perform in lightly threaded applications?

The Ryzen AI processors show a significant uplift in lightly threaded performance, matching or surpassing many other processors, except for Apple's highly tuned M3 processor.

How do the Ryzen AI processors fare in multi-core tests like Cinebench R23?

In multi-core tests like Cinebench R23, the Ryzen AI 9365 can match the 8840 HS while consuming less power, and the HX 370 achieves a significant lead.

What are the new integrated GPU features in the Ryzen AI series?

The new integrated GPU features in the Ryzen AI series include the revised RDNA 3.5 architecture, allowing these processors to beat Intel's Quick Sync in video encoding and decoding.

What are the implications of the new NPU in Ryzen AI processors?

The new NPU in Ryzen AI processors is powerful on paper but has little real-world use for most buyers at present, making it mostly a marketing feature.

Outlines

00:00

💻 AMD's Ryzen AI Series: A New Powerhouse for Laptops

AMD introduces a new series of high-performance processors for laptops, the Ryzen AI series, with the Zen 5 architecture, aiming to compete with the best from Intel, Apple, and Qualcomm. The series initially includes three processors: the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with 12 cores and 24 threads capable of running up to 5.1 GHz, the HX 375 with a faster clock speed, and the Ryzen AI 9 65 with fewer cores and threads. All share a powerful Neural Processing Unit (NPU) and a configurable TDP from 15 to 54 Watts. The focus on efficiency could potentially make these processors a game-changer for AMD, reminiscent of Apple's M-series impact. The script also mentions a video sponsor, the Tower 300 case, highlighting its unique design and features.

05:02

🔋 Efficiency and Performance: Ryzen AI's Dual Focus

The Ryzen AI series is designed with a focus on efficiency, which is crucial for ultra-portable laptops. The processors are tested against Intel's Core Ultra 915h and other competitors, showing that they sip less power even in high-performance modes. The testing was conducted on two Zenbook s16s, one with the HX 370 and the other with the HX 365. The results indicate that the Ryzen AI processors are the least power-hungry Windows-based devices tested, which could be significant for cooling and performance in compact laptops. However, while they can't compete with Apple's M3 processor, they offer impressive performance in applications like Photoshop and Lightroom, outperforming other thin and light Windows laptops.

10:02

🎮 Gaming and Graphics: The Ryzen AI Series' Integrated GPU Performance

The Ryzen AI series includes an updated integrated GPU based on the RDNA architecture, with the 880m and 890m models. While the synthetic benchmarks show improvements, the real-world gaming performance is mixed, with some CPU-focused games showing significant wins for the Ryzen AI processors, while others show the processors struggling against the competition. The inconsistency in performance suggests that power allocation strategies for the integrated graphics may vary between laptop manufacturers, affecting gaming performance. The script also points out that the 'AI' in the processor's name has little real-world application for most buyers at this time, and availability of laptops with these processors will be limited until later in the year.

15:03

🚀 A Promising Future for AMD's Ryzen AI Processors

The video concludes with a positive outlook on AMD's Ryzen AI processors, noting their potential for the future despite some current limitations. The processors have shown top performance for today's apps and could become even more powerful when running at higher wattages. The script emphasizes the need for laptop manufacturers to optimize power distribution to the integrated graphics for better gaming performance. It also mentions the irony of the 'AI' branding, which currently offers little practical use. The video ends by inviting viewers to share their thoughts on the Ryzen AI processors' performance and anticipates an intense competition in the market for the rest of the year.

Keywords

💡Zen5 architecture

Zen5 architecture is the latest CPU architecture from AMD, known for its enhanced performance and efficiency. In the video, it is highlighted as the foundation of AMD's new series of Ryzen AI processors, aimed to compete with high-end offerings from Intel, Apple, and Qualcomm.

💡Ryzen AI 9 HX 370

The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is a new processor in AMD's Ryzen AI series, featuring 12 cores and 24 threads with a clock speed range of 2 GHz to 5.1 GHz. It is designed for high performance and efficiency in thin and light laptops, making it a key player in AMD's strategy to challenge its competitors.

💡NPU

NPU stands for Neural Processing Unit, a specialized component designed to accelerate AI tasks. The video mentions that the new Ryzen AI processors feature a significantly more powerful NPU than previous generations, enhancing their AI capabilities.

💡TDP (Thermal Design Power)

TDP is the amount of heat a processor is expected to generate under typical usage, which helps determine cooling requirements. The Ryzen AI processors have a configurable TDP of 15 to 54 Watts, with a default setting of 28 Watts, emphasizing their focus on efficiency.

💡Cinebench R23

Cinebench R23 is a benchmarking tool used to evaluate CPU performance. In the video, the Ryzen AI 9365's performance is tested using Cinebench R23, where it matches the older Ryzen 7 8840 HS while consuming less power, demonstrating its efficiency.

💡RDNA 3.5 GPU architecture

RDNA 3.5 is AMD's latest GPU architecture integrated into the new Ryzen AI processors. The video discusses its improved video encoding and decoding capabilities, which help the Ryzen processors outperform Intel's Quick Sync in specific tasks.

💡Performance per watt

Performance per watt is a measure of how efficiently a processor uses power to deliver performance. The video highlights that the new Ryzen AI processors set a new benchmark for Windows-based laptops in this regard, even though they still lag behind Apple's M series.

💡Integrated Graphics

Integrated Graphics refer to the GPU built into the CPU, which handles visual processing tasks. The video explores how the new Ryzen AI processors' integrated graphics, based on RDNA 3.5, perform in gaming and other GPU-intensive applications compared to Intel and previous AMD generations.

💡Battery life

Battery life is crucial for mobile devices, and the video examines how the new Ryzen AI processors perform in this area. Despite their efficiency, the video notes that the performance on battery might dip compared to when plugged in, particularly in AI-driven applications.

💡Zenbook S16

The Zenbook S16 is a laptop model used to test the new Ryzen AI processors in the video. It features a 16-inch screen and is described as a thin and light laptop, showcasing the processors' capabilities in a portable form factor.

Highlights

AMD is launching a new series of laptops featuring the Zen 5 architecture, competing against Intel, Apple, and Qualcomm.

Three processors are launching: Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, HX 375, and AI 9 365, with varying core counts and clock speeds.

All processors feature a significantly more powerful NPU and configurable TDP between 15 and 54 Watts.

Zen 5 architecture aims for high efficiency, potentially being AMD's 'Apple M series' moment.

Zenbook S16s with HX 370 and 365 processors are noted for their low power consumption even in high performance modes.

The Ryzen AI series aims to compete with Intel's Core Ultra 915h and 155h, as well as Apple's M3 processor.

Ryzen AI laptops are among the least power-hungry Windows-based devices tested, which is beneficial for ultra-portable laptops.

The Ryzen AI 9 365 outperforms the HX 370 in single-thread performance despite having fewer cores and threads.

New Ryzen processors offer significant performance improvements in applications like Photoshop and Lightroom.

Ryzen AI processors achieve high performance per watt, setting a new benchmark for Windows-based laptops.

The integrated video coding engine (VDC) in Ryzen AI processors now outperforms Intel's Quick Sync.

Ryzen AI processors show potential in gaming performance, though improvements are needed in power allocation for integrated graphics.

Ryzen AI processors deliver impressive performance on battery life, matching or exceeding older Zen 4 processors and Intel's offerings in certain scenarios.

Despite the AI branding, the NPU's real-world use for most buyers is currently limited, acting more as a marketing feature.

Availability of Zen 5 laptops will be limited until October, with specific models being exclusive to certain retailers.

Transcripts

instead of yet another refresh or

Rebrand AMD is finally launching a brand

new series of laptops ofp use they're

headlined by the new zen5 architecture

and it's meant to go head-to-head

against the best from Intel apple and

even Qualcomm in the light market now

initially there will be three processors

launching the ryzen AI 9 HX 370 which

has 12 cores and 24 threads that can run

from 2 GHz all the way up to 5.1 GHz the

HX 375 is just a copy and paste job with

a faster puu meanwhile the ryzen AI 9365

gets uh two less cores four fewer

threads and a 100 MHz cut in its single

core clock speed it also comes with a

cut down 880m integrated GPU now two

major things they all share in common

are a vastly more powerful npu than the

previous generation and a configurable

TDP of between 15 and 54 Watts with a

nominal default power setting of 28 wats

obviously one of the primary goals was

to focus on efficiency so STS point and

Zen 5 architecture could actually maybe

make these processors amd's Apple M

series moment but let's take a moment to

check out today's video sponsor the new

tower 300 definitely a unique looking

case with a three-piece panoramic front

view made specifically for Micro ATX

motherboards with insane Hardware

support like a 420 mil rad fits on the

side of the enclosure with this easily

removable fan bracket my four slot GPU

fits a no problem with breathing room

all around fully dust protected on all

sides too the optional LCD screen is

super fun and the lay flat mode brings

the tower 300 into a whole new universe

definitely explore the color options too

all linked below okay so power means

everything which is pretty obvious

considering all the laptops that we've

been seeing lately on the market so the

ryzen AI series they are meant to like

The Benchmark charts on fire they'll

even be fighting an uphill battle

against Intel's core Ultra 915h because

the Intel chip has a much higher power

envelope so the better parallel would be

the 165 and the

155h also for testing we got two Zenbook

s16s one with a flagship HX 370 and the

other one uh with the 365 this is

technically a thin and light laptop but

with a massive 16-in screen um so its

footprint is a lot bigger than typical

13 and 14in devices we see in this

segment um the specs are almost

identical too with the only major

difference other than the huge price

graap uh which is the memory allocation

but even in it's a slightly larger

chassis check out how much little power

these chips need even with the highest

performance modes they sip a lot less

power than the ultra 7 155h in the XPS

13 and Zenbook 14 OLED they even save 5

wats versus the ryzen 78840 HS which

might not seem like much but in an ultra

compact laptop it makes a huge

difference guys I mean nothing can

compete against Apple's M3 processor

here and I also need to mention the x1e

78100 since Qualcomm doesn't allow for

direct power monitoring bring up their

chip the numbers you see here is how

much the entire device pulls from

between the USB port and the power brake

so it can't be directly compared to the

rest of the results I should also

mention how we're testing other CPUs

against the ryzen AI series because

input power varies so much from one

laptop to another uh it's very

challenging to do Apple to Apple CPU

testing across different devices so our

intent was to find as many thin and

lights that use similar power envelopes

to the Zenbook s16s and even then the

ryzen AI laptops were still the least

power hungry windows-based devices we

have ever got our hands on and that

could be a very very good thing because

if the MacBook Air proves anything high

efficiency CPUs are absolutely critical

for Ultra portable laptops since low

power leads to less heat being produced

so these are two of the coolest running

laptops in this category and more

importantly their Peak temperature are

significantly lower than anything we've

tested before these are also some of the

quieter laptops here as well at least in

their highest performance mode but every

laptop here sounds like a jet engine

compared to the passively cooled MacBook

Air now I think you all have one thing

in your heads that's also been bothering

my mind as well and that's efficiency

isn't everything Apple's M series major

strength is their ability to deliver

extremely good performance despite

sipping back a lot less power than CPUs

from Intel and AMD I mean Asus can run

these ryzen AI chips at just 33 Watts

but does that completely kneecap their

performance well we'll have to remember

when compared to the Zenbook 14 with its

8840 HS Asus is using about 15% less

power for their HX 370 and 365 based

laptops and a whole lot less than

similar laptops based on the ultra 7

155h meanwhile these chips have more

cores and threads than Zen 4 Series

chips those extra cores do count for

something though and in an all core test

like cinebench R23 the ryzen AI 9365 is

able to at least match the 8840 HS while

consuming less power the HX 370 Sprints

to a pretty massive lead as well and

compared to the Intel CPUs well it isn't

even close even with those being more

power hungry moving on to something like

cinebench 2024 and the lead gets even

bigger with the two ryzen AI chips way

way out in front the only thing that

beats them is the x1e

78100 now when we switch to

single-threaded results the two zen5

chips pretty much dominate everything

else out there except the 8 core M3

processor in the MacBook Air Apple has

just highly tuned that for lightly

threaded workloads and because of that

it'll walk all over most x86 CPUs now

one interesting thing to note is that

with our2 systems at least uh the ryzen

9 365 was consistently ahead of the 370

but still what AMD has done here is

really really impressive and the lightly

threaded performance uplift along with

some internal changes have some huge

benefits in applications like Photoshop

where the new zenbooks just demolish

every other thin and light Windows

laptop we've tested the same thing goes

for Lightroom where the HX 370 and 365

give you almost unbelievable numbers

that come close to the MacBook Air M3

they look like they're from a completely

different era as the meteor Lake CPUs

but those were launched about eight

months ago in typical office apps they

perform pretty well but the spread

between all these processors is like

splitting hairs a few seconds here and

there but nothing really extreme guys

there is one consistent winner though

and that's the ryzen 9 365's dominance

over the technically faster HX 370 now

this shouldn't come as a surprise though

since the cinebench results showed our

365 system it's a little bit faster in

single thread performance and office

apps certainly aren multi-core focused

when you get into heavy multi-core Focus

outputs those extra threads really do

come in handy but I also want to focus

on something else here both ryzen

processors are able to get these kinds

of results while needing significantly

less power than the competition their

raw performance per watt isn't anything

near what Apple can deliver with their

silicon but it is a new high Benchmark

for Windows based laptops and that's

saying a lot amd's integrated video

coding engine or V DC also got a shot of

adrenaline which is mostly a factor of

bold chips using the revised rdna 3.5

GPU architecture so we're finally and I

mean finally seeing ryzen processors

that can beat Intel's quick sync it's

pretty amazing and those upgrades to

encoding and decoding also lead to

Performance and Premier outputs that

drastically improve on what the 8840 HS

offers and it can either match or beat

the ultra 71 155h while running at lower

power levels the other area where

there's still room for improvement is in

resolve where yes the ryzen AI

processors are on another level versus

N4 but Intel still delivers better

overall performance though not by much

since AMD has pretty much closed the Gap

here now those numbers as you saw were

basically with these laptops plugged in

uh but that's the easy part the reality

for most people is completely different

because these are mobile devices after

all and they'd be staying away from a

plug for most of their life

so did AMD make enough changes to create

a battery life champ now while these are

good numbers they only tell half the

story we tried our best to match each

processor's power range but one of the

challenges When comparing battery life

is these new ryzen AI processors are

tied to a 16in 120 HZ screen while we

try to level the playing field as much

as possible by setting all the laptops

to 60 HZ the s16 size just could account

for some of the differences you're

seeing here I can't wait to try one of

these r AIC CPUs and a more compact

14-in laptop but even then with a slight

handicap depending on the scenario they

can match the 8840 HS though in some

cases the system with the older zen4

processor pulls ahead the same thing

goes for the core Ultra 7 155h in the

Zenbook 14 OLED the standings flip-flop

depending on the situation also you

should completely remove the XPS 13 from

the equation here since the battery life

capacity on that thing is just

absolutely pathetic the load numbers

surprise me though I mean they draw some

of the lowest amount of power on average

so shouldn't they get pushed to the top

in this test well no basically due to

their overall efficiency Asus is able to

run them at higher continual wattage on

battery and that has a net positive

effect on their performance especially

when compared to the ryzen 7 8840 HS

ironically the Zenbook 14 OED does a

pretty good job here as well which is

probably why its heavy load times was so

bad

now it really does feel like AMD has

finally found the small piece of the

puzzle when it comes to maintaining good

overall performance on battery but there

is a small hiccup while AMD was pretty

far ahead in lightly threaded apps like

Photoshop when they're plugged in their

performance relative to Intel apple and

Qualcomm takes a dive on battery guys

now while gaming is never ever going to

be a primary use for the St light

laptops we've got to talk about it since

the integrated Graphics just keeps

getting better and better and in in

order to keep their leads against what

Intel's bringing a bit later this year

um AMD basically decided to give their R

DNA architecture a bit of a refresh and

now it isn't anything major on paper

since the 880m gets the same core count

as the previous generation 780m while

the 890m gets a pretty big increase to

16 compute units there's also a pretty

big bump in frequencies as well but did

that change make a huge difference in

the ryzen AI series ability to actually

game well the answer isn't what you

might want to hear at least not in

synthetics like 3D Mark in some cases

the new processors are better than the

last gen ones but they still lose to

Intel and in other tests they actually

struggle against the 8840 HS which is a

bit of a weird situation since on paper

they have higher core counts and

increased frequencies at least in the

case of the HX 370 so what's really

going on here well that's where we were

wondering and I think this comes down

again to power because every one of

these laptops treats their CPUs and

integrated Graphics very differently the

Zenbook s16 might not just be feeding

the 880m and 890m gpus with as much

power as the other laptops Fe their rgps

or they simply they're just prioritizing

CP performance and funneling as much as

juice as possible to the processor

course rather than the graphics

subsystem and our rear World game

testing does go a long way towards

proving this point since games that are

really CPU focused seem to see the

biggest wins for these new ryzen AI

processors in some cases the HX 370 and

365 are way way ahead of the previous

generation and simply steamroll

everything that Intel has to offer and

if you look at Snapdragon well they're

just on a completely different planet

now when you shift gears to games that

are a bit more GPU limited things get a

little different actually this looks

pretty bad for ryzen AI processors and

rdna

3.5 since there's some situations where

the 8840 HS walks all over the new CPUs

while in other games the ryzen 9365 gets

consistently beaten even with its new

architecture so basically all of this

points towards the possibility that Asus

might need to look a bit closer at how

they allocate power on these new laptops

when their algorithm detects a 3D

workload more juice should be shifted to

the integrated Graphics just like they

did with the 8840 HS uh in the Zenbook

14 oer because right now the s16 is at a

huge disadvantage in gaming even though

on paper two Zen five processors that we

have over here should have a clear

advantage in every situation so at the

end of the day did AMD accomplish what

they set out to do to be honest I don't

think I've ever been excited about these

new laptop CPUs for years minus the

ridiculous names scheme it's not about

what the Zenbook s16 did here it's more

about what it could be doing in the

future because we haven't seen these

ryzen AI processors in their fastest

form yet these things over here are just

running at 33 Watts while they're hir SK

is just much higher and you might be

wondering why Asus chose a relatively

low wattage CPU for these zok laptops

and that's pretty simple these chips

just don't need more they cleanly beat

the ultra 7 155h in almost every test

while consuming less power and it also

producing less heat and that's a major

win for AMD and laptop manufacturers as

a whole but that being said there

obviously needs to be work done with

their Partners to properly direct power

towards the integrated Graphics engine

when a gaming situation pops up if not

we get what we saw with the s16

basically an underlying rdna 3.5

Graphics cord that gets beaten in areas

where it should be dominating there's

also some serious irony here as well and

I think this can be a separate video but

the biggest part of amd's name change is

the AI tacked into the ryzen name and it

has little to no real world use for most

buyers I mean sure the new npu is a

beast on paper but for now it is just

marketing fluff so don't fall for that

BS another issue will be availability

because there's only going to be a

handful of laptops with zen5 around

until at least October even the 365 H

equipped Zenbook s16 I believe is a Best

Buy exclusive I'll leave links down in

the description if you're interested in

checking them out but I should also

mention that the HX 370 version will be

on the Asus store at first in the end I

think AMD did something that Qualcomm

and Microsoft's ridiculous co-pilot plus

PC marketing didn't they delivered a

platform that might have ai chops for

the future but it also features top

shell performance for apps that people

are using today and that's a win for

everyone on that note thanks so much for

watching I hope you're able to take away

everything that you needed to know about

amd's new ryzen AI HX series processors

let us know what you guys think about

its performance I think the competition

is getting a little more intense now so

the rest of the year is going to be

pretty good