AMD Unveils New Gaming Laptop Chips Using Last-Gen Architecture

AMD has unveiled its next-generation Ryzen 8000 series processors designed specifically for gaming laptops, spearheaded by the powerful Ryzen 9 8945HX. Unlike the Ryzen AI 300 series chips introduced earlier this year, these new processors leverage the previous-generation Zen 4 architecture. This choice reflects AMD's strategy to deliver robust performance in high-end gaming laptops without the need for the latest architectural advancements.

The Ryzen 8000 lineup includes four new processors tailored for high-performance gaming, with the flagship Ryzen 9 8945HX boasting 16 cores and 32 threads, capable of reaching a boost clock speed of up to 5.4GHz. At the other end of the range, the Ryzen 7 8745HX comes with 8 cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock of 5.1GHz. These new processors mirror the specifications of their predecessors, such as the Ryzen 9 7945HX, which also featured 16 cores and a 5.4GHz boost clock, alongside 80MB of cache.

These processors are set to be paired with the fastest graphics chips available in high-end gaming laptops. My recent review of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile highlighted its performance struggles when coupled with the lower-power AMD Ryzen AI HX 370, despite its newer Zen 5 architecture. In contrast, the Ryzen 9 8945HX's configurable TDP ranging from 55W to 75W should provide a significant performance uplift, although a Zen 5 chip with the same power budget would have offered even more.

If you're considering upgrading to a gaming laptop powered by AMD's latest processors, you won't have to wait long. These new chips are expected to hit the market in high-end gaming laptops within the next few months. Below, I've detailed the specifications of each new processor in the Ryzen 8000 series: