AMD has introduced a lot of new products at CES 2022. A highlight is certainly the new mobile processors. MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann is sure: Now there’s a reason to buy a gaming laptop.
This is my current situation: When I play and work, I feel most comfortable on my desktop PC. But I also occasionally take my notebook with me when I want to work on the go or play a game.
So far, I have been working and gaming on a now 6-year-old notebook. With a maximum resolution of 1366×768, this device has long ceased to meet my requirements, and the dedicated graphics card can manage modern titles at best with medium settings. But until now, I had no reason to get a new notebook.
This is what has happened now: AMD has presented its latest generation of mobile processors, Ryzen 6000 Mobile, at CES 2022. This is the next generation after Ryzen 4000 Mobile and brings a lot of improvements.
This way, AMD is primarily addressing several weaknesses of the old generation and providing plenty of reasons to invest money now.
AMD adds important improvements for the future with Ryzen 6000
What improvements are these? Anyone looking at the overall performance of the new Ryzen processors may initially be disappointed, as performance increases only slightly compared to the previous generation. The improvement is an average of 10 percent more performance.
However, there are a lot of important improvements in the new processors. With Ryzen 6000 Mobile, laptops get several important upgrades:
- With USB 4, AMD supports the next step for USB devices
- Additionally, support for PCIe 4.0 is coming to notebooks
- As a third upgrade, support for DDR5 is added
Furthermore, AMD is now finally implementing the new graphics generation RDNA2 in mobile processors instead of Vega. This means more performance if one wants to game on the go than with the previous generation.
Another improvement is better energy efficiency. This means that in the future I can watch movies or series on my notebook longer before the battery gives up. Especially since, like me, you often take the train and have to fight for every available power outlet.
There is hardly any reason left to wait to buy a notebook
That’s why the upgrade is so important: For me and everyone who will buy a notebook in the future, Ryzen 6000 means one thing above all: All important functions like USB 4, DDR5, and so on are included from the release, and I don’t have to miss anything.
- USB 4 is supposed to deliver a maximum data rate of 40 Gbit/s. This would double the data rate compared to USB 3.2 (20 Gbit/s).
- DDR5 is expected to have a positive effect on performance, especially when a multitude of processes (threads) need to be handled. How much DDR5 affects performance can be read by you at GameStar.
- The transition from PCIe 3.0 to PCIe 4.0 also theoretically means a doubling of the data transfer rate (16 Gbit/s vs 32 GB/s at 16x).
All three points speak for a much better performance in the long run than the previous generation.
For people like me, who only want to invest in hardware long-term every few years, this comes in handy. Because for several years, things like USB 4 or DDR5 will remain state-of-the-art and will not become outdated right away – until new technology is on the horizon again.
Those who, like me, have been waiting to buy a gaming notebook now have no reason to wait any longer.
The first notebooks with Ryzen 6000 Mobile will be released in 2022
Which devices have already been presented? AMD has already introduced several notebooks during its keynote that will be delivered with the new processor.
- The newly introduced ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) is equipped with the new Ryzen 9 6900S combined with a Radeon RX 6800S as a graphics card. With 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and a larger trackpad than the predecessor, Asus has significantly revamped its model. Prices start at 1899 euros.
- The Alienware M17 R6 Ryzen Edition is significantly bulkier than the sleek Zephyrus G14 with its 17 inches and weighs just over 3 kg, making it not a lightweight. In its top configuration, you get the device with Ryzen 9 6980HX and Radeon RX 6850M XT. Prices start at 1599 US dollars for the base model.
An important development can be seen in both devices: At the CES 2021, nearly all notebooks were equipped with RTX 3000, in 2022, there are significantly more gaming notebooks that also rely on an AMD graphics card.
Where previously notebooks with Intel and Nvidia prevailed and from 2021 the first competitive notebooks with AMD and Nvidia appeared, this could become an exciting development for future notebook buyers. Because buyers will have significantly more choices and options when purchasing a notebook. Additionally, competition is known to stimulate business and is always beneficial for consumers.
When are the first devices expected to be released? AMD stated that the first gaming notebooks with Ryzen 6000 will be available in spring 2022. In the best case, we could therefore purchase the first notebooks with the new AMD processor as early as March or April.
If you are looking for tips and tricks for buying a future gaming notebook, you should check out the overview on MeinMMO. Because here you will find everything you need to know about buying a gaming notebook:
