AMD is setting new benchmarks in handheld gaming with its Ryzen Z2 Extreme SoC, recently tested on Geekbench, showcasing impressive CPU and GPU capabilities. This latest addition to AMD’s handheld lineup is designed for mobile gamers seeking exceptional performance.
Introduced as part of AMD’s handheld SoC range, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme shares similarities with the well-regarded Strix Point APUs. The SoC boasts 8 cores and 16 threads, built on the advanced Zen 5 architecture. Operating within a 15-35W power range, it combines three high-performance Zen 5 cores clocked up to 5 GHz with five high-efficiency Zen 5C cores reaching 3.30 GHz. The chip also features 8 MB of L2 cache and 16 MB of L3 cache.
The real standout feature of the Ryzen Z2 Extreme is its cutting-edge graphics performance. It houses the Radeon 890M “RDNA 3.5” configuration with 16 compute units, clocked at 2.9 GHz. This flagship iGPU ensures remarkable gaming experiences, supporting AMD’s latest technologies like FSR, Frame-Gen, and Fluid Motion Frames. The chip also supports LPDDR5X-8000 memory and offers a variant equipped with a 50 TOPS NPU for AI tasks.
Leading the charge in utilizing this powerhouse chip is the MSI Claw A8. This gaming handheld is equipped with 24 GB of LPDDR5X memory and recently demonstrated its capabilities on Geekbench, proving the might of the Ryzen Z2 Extreme SoC.
In terms of CPU performance, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme outperformed other Strix Point APUs in single-thread tests and matched the multi-threading prowess of the 10-core Ryzen AI 9 365, making it a formidable contender in the handheld sector. These scores highlight that even power and thermally constrained devices like handhelds can compete with the performance levels of laptops.
Against its predecessor, the Z1 Extreme, the Z2 delivers a significant boost of 26.5% in single-core and 27% in multi-threaded performance. Graphics-wise, the Radeon 890M iGPU rivals the performance of laptop-class configurations, marking a significant leap forward.
With the Ryzen Z2 Extreme’s versatile power settings ranging from 15-35W, the exact TDP mode of the test remains unspecified, but even at 35W, the results are impressive. As more devices, such as the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally powered by these SoCs, hit the market, gamers can look forward to next-level handheld gaming experiences soon.
