Skip to main content

AMD might finally beat Intel for the fastest mobile gaming CPU

AMD’s Ryzen 9 7945HX, the mobile flagship for this generation, was just spotted in some early benchmarks. The test results show that AMD might be really competitive in gaming laptops this year.

The CPU outpaced its last-gen equivalents by miles, and it kept up with Intel’s best processors despite having far fewer cores.

Recommended Videos

Ryzen 9 7945HX Geekbench 5 https://t.co/uAd8uidNa4 pic.twitter.com/vxbLFaknS2

— Everest (@Olrak29_) February 23, 2023

Please enable Javascript to view this content

AMD initially announced the mobile versions of Zen 4 during CES 2023. Now, the CPUs are starting to appear in laptops. We’ve first seen scores of the Ryzen 9 7845HX, and today, the flagship Ryzen 9 7945HX is making a remarkably successful appearance with some Geekbench 5 scores.

The processor belongs to AMD’s gamer-oriented lineup called “Dragon Range.” It comes with 16 cores and 32 threads, and it can hit a clock speed of 5.4GHz at 55 watts, but it’s likely to go higher if the full TDP is being used (75 wtts). Compared to the previous-gen Rembrandt CPUs, the core count has been doubled — the top chip in the last generation only had eight cores and 16 threads.

In this benchmark, the CPU was found in the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, which is one stunning laptop equipped with a dual screen and some of the best hardware in this generation, including an up to Nvidia RTX 4090 mobile GPU. Although we don’t know the GPU that has been used, it was probably one of the top GPUs from Nvidia. The laptop also comes equipped with 32GB of DDR5 RAM.

The highest available score for the Ryzen 9 7945HX put it near the very top of the list, and that includes not just laptop chip, but also desktop CPUs. The processor scored 2,217 points and 19,403 points in the Geekbench 5 single-core and multi-core tests, respectively.

With that score, AMD is the current winner in single-core when it comes to mobile chips, and it’s not far behind Intel’s Core i9-13980HX in multi-core tests. The average scores are a bit lower than the top, though, so when we take those into consideration, Intel wins in both — but not by much.

It’s also interesting how close the Ryzen 9 7945HX is to the desktop Ryzen 9 7900X, and in single-core, it’s almost keeping up with the Ryzen 9 7950X. Considering the massive difference in TDP (170 watts versus 55 watts), the mobile chip is doing some outstanding work in these benchmarks.

AMD's Ryzen 7000 mobile range with specs.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Comparing it to the previous generation also shows massive gains. It’s over twice as fast in multi-core operations  — the Ryzen 9 6900HX has an average score of 9,909 points. The single-core difference is not quite as big, but still huge, with the Zen 3 chip averaging 1,593 points.

It’s still a little too early to dub the Ryzen 9 7945HX the best AMD processor of the year. Geekbench 5 scores are one thing, but we’ve still got to see the CPU perform in real gaming scenarios.

Monica J. White
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
This new patch might finally fix the issues with Intel CPUs
Intel's 14900K CPU socketed in a motherboard.

The problems with Intel's best processors have been going on for months, and Intel's response has been measured. However, at long last, a fix might be imminent -- provided that this one actually helps. A couple of motherboard vendors have already announced BIOS updates that address issues within the microcode of Intel's 13th- and 14th-gen CPUs. With more to come, things might be looking up for the first time in a long time.

ASRock and MSI both announced BIOS updates, and those patches are already available for some motherboards. The following MSI boards are getting the update first:

Read more
Is your Intel CPU crashing? Here’s how to RMA an Intel CPU
Intel's 14900K CPU socketed in a motherboard.

If your Intel CPU is acting up, rest easy -- it's not just you. In fact, the owners of some of Intel's best processors have been going through a rough time lately -- and that even includes game developers. The Core i9-14900K and the Core i9-13900K have been crashing for months now, and even though Intel has been quiet on the matter, you may be able to get your CPU replaced if it's an ongoing problem.

Whether you own a recent Intel CPU or an older model is performing poorly, you can turn to a process called return merchandise authorization (RMA) to try to return the defective processor. Here's how to RMA your Intel CPU.
Start with the retailer

Read more
Game developer calls Intel flagship CPUs ‘defective’
Intel Core i9-13900K held between fingertips.

When it rains, it pours, at least for Intel -- or rather, its customers. As first reported in February, Intel's best CPUs have been crashing for months now, and the uproar that was previously limited to gamers is now spreading like wildfire to data centers and game studios. This time, Alderon Games, the studio behind Path of Titans, made a strong statement about the problem. The studio claims that Intel's 13th and 14th-gen CPUs have a "nearly 100%" failure rate, and as a result, Alderon Games is switching all of its servers to AMD.

Alderon Games didn't mince words in its statement, making it clear that there's something wrong with Intel's latest desktop processors. While mostly associated with consumer PCs, these CPUs are powerful enough to run game servers, too, and the lack of a fix over the last few months has become a problem for the company. Matthew Cassells, the founder of Alderon Games, mentioned issues such as crashes, instability, and corrupted SSDs and memory, with all of them only occurring on Intel's 13th and 14th-gen CPUs. Installing new BIOS and firmware updates didn't solve the problem.

Read more