Skip to main content

AMD is still getting shortchanged by laptop brands

We made it. New laptops are finally coming with both Intel and AMD variants, even in higher-end models. AMD has worked its Ryzen platform for years to get to this point.

But as evidenced by the division in HP’s newly announced Envy laptops, certain premium features are still being reserved exclusively for Intel.

Recommended Videos

HP announced an updated version of its Envy x360 15 laptops that is geared toward content creators with its sleek design and powerful internals. On the surface, the only thing separating the Intel and AMD models are the color of the chassis, with one in black and one silver.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

But when you dig into the configurations, you’ll find a dirty little secret: HP has reserved its most premium laptop features only for the Intel models. Namely, the AMOLED 4K screens won’t come to the AMD option, nor will the Nvidia MX450 graphics card.

If these laptops weren’t aimed at creatives, that wouldn’t be a big deal. But with a 15-inch Envy, that’s your main audience. For photographers, designers, and other content creatives, a high-end screen and more powerful graphics are crucial. The base AMD configuration comes with only a 1080p screen and integrated Radeon graphics. That’s likely not going to entice the target market for these laptops.

That’s a shame, especially when AMD offers the better multi-core performance, especially in the thin-and-light laptop form factor. The Ryzen 7 5700U has eight cores and 16 threads, twice of what Intel’s models include, which will greatly increase the content-creation capabilities of these laptops.

Therein lies the problem. Laptop brands like HP, Dell, and Lenovo are forcing customers to choose between multi-core performance and high-end laptop features. You can’t have both. It’s not as important in larger laptops that use an 45-watt Intel processor (which have up to eight cores), but here, the discrepancy does not have the buyer’s best interest in mind.

Gaming brands have already happily adopted AMD Ryzen components in their highest-end configurations, but the rest of the industry is still behind.

We still don’t why laptop manufacturers are making this choice. They keep saying demand for Ryzen is skyrocketing, but apparently, it’s not enough to shake off old mentalities about AMD as a budget brand. In 2021, that’s simply not true — and it’s time we started seeing that in the available laptops we can buy.

Luke Larsen
Former Senior Editor, Computing
Luke Larsen is the Senior Editor of Computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.
Phones and laptops aren’t getting pricey, thanks to tariff relief
A MacBook and iPhone in shadow on a surface.

If you have lately been concerned about an imminent — and meteoric – rise in the price of electronics such as iPhones, laptops, and PC components, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The US government has granted an exemption to a wide range of electronics items from the heavy tariffs it has imposed on China over the past few weeks.

Why was it a dire situation?

Read more
AMD’s Ryzen 8000HX CPUs arrive in laptops, but you might not see a difference
A woman sits by a desk and plays a game on a laptop equipped with an AMD processor.

AMD has just expanded its lineup of the best processors for laptops by introducing the Ryzen 8000HX series. These CPUs are set to appear in some of the best gaming laptops coming out in the next few months. The downside? There might not be much of an increase compared to the 7000HX series.

These CPUs, while new, aren't exactly a "fresh" product line. They're a refresh of the Dragon Range lineup, dubbed Ryzen 7000HX series, and are built on Zen 4 architecture. For reference, we already have Zen 5 chips in laptops; those belong to the Fire Range generation and are still very new, so you might not be able to find them in stores.

Read more
AMD Ryzen CPU failures: what’s happened and what it means for you
The Ryzen 7 9800X3D sitting on a motherboard.

When AMD launched its Ryzen 9000X3D series back in November last year, it did so with the confidence of a market leader riding high on the success of 3D V-Cache technology. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Ryzen 9 9950X3D were billed as the fastest gaming CPUs available, bringing stacked cache improvements and performance leaps over their non-X3D counterparts. However, the launch buzz was quickly overshadowed by an emerging technical crisis.

Within weeks of release, early adopters began reporting fatal CPU issues online. Systems built with the new Ryzen 7 9800X3D, often running at stock settings, would shut down unexpectedly and refuse to power back on. Unlike typical overheating or instability scenarios, these failures were terminal: CPUs stopped posting altogether, motherboards were rendered unusable, and in many cases, physical signs of damage were evident.

Read more