AMD Ryzen Mobile (Raven Ridge), A Powerful CPU For Laptops
After many months, the big day for all AMD fans has finally arrived. The official announcement of the AMD Ryzen Mobile (Raven Ridge) processors is a big move that puts its main competitor Intel under even more pressure. When do the new laptops with Ryzen 7 2700U and Ryzen 5 2500U CPUs arrive, and what kind of performance can we expect after 4 years of development?
AMD Ryzen Mobile (Raven Ridge) Launch Dates
Will the first laptops equipped with AMD Ryzen Mobile processors appear before Christmas? Yes! Acer, HP, and Lenovo models will all be released in the next few weeks. However, this will be just a small preview. The full release of the AMD Ryzen Mobile range should take place at the beginning of 2018.
Are you interested in learning more about CPUs and the different types available? We have prepared a compelling overview of individual processors and their platforms in the article "What is a processor?". It will be interesting for both those who know nothing about the topic and also for more experienced computer enthusiasts.
AMD Ryzen Mobile Processors Include Integrated Vega Graphics
After AMD's great success with the Ryzen range of CPUs, they certainly kept improving, which is seen with their Ryzen Mobile processors. AMD Ryzen Mobile is a pure Accuracy Processing Unit (APU), a chip with an integrated CPU and GPU. The chip itself was codenamed Raven Ridge. The integration of the GPU has long been speculated, and AMD has surprised us in a good way. The desktop AMD Ryzen GPUs are still not available however, so there is still some uncertainty about how everything will turn out.
Raven Ridge features AMD's integrated Vega graphics. But some gaming fans that play games such as Wolfenstein II won't be too happy with the 4K resolution results. According to the manufacturer, AMD Ryzen Mobile will offer up to 161% more power than its competitors, which is plenty of power to handle graphics of less demanding games. You'll have no problem playing CS e-sports games such as: GO, Overwatch, League of Legends, DotA 2, etc.
The AMD Vega range integrated graphics card has been tweaked with the latest technologies. Some of the most interesting improvements includes support for HDR, H.264 and H.265 hardware (HEVC) and VP9 hardware playback. Energy consumption has also been considerably reduced when streaming video. In some cases, AMD even increased its battery life to last twice as long.
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U and Ryzen 5 2500U Specifications
Let's now focus more on the newly announced processors, specifically the AMD Ryzen 5 2500U. The best news is that it contains 4 powerful Zen cores that are capable of processing 8 threads at a time. Its base clock frequency is 2.0GHz that can boost up to 3.6GHz. The processor is also equipped with 2MB of L2 cache memory (512K per core), and 4MB of L3 cache. A new feature includes the dual-channel DDR4 controller with a frequency of up to 2400MHz. Its integrated Vega graphics chip has 8 Computing Units (CU) with a 1.1GHz frequency.
| Compared Properties | AMD Ryzen 5 2500U | AMD Ryzen 7 2700U |
|---|---|---|
| Number of CPU cores | 4 cores, 8 threads | 4 cores, 8 threads |
| Base Frequency | 2000MHz | 2200MHz |
| Boost Frequency | 3600MHz | 3800MHz |
| Number of GPU cores | Radeon Vega with 8 CU | Radeon Vega with 10 CU |
| GPU Frequency | 1100MHz | 1300MHz |
| L2 memory Capacity | 512 kB per kernel | 512 kB per kernel |
| L3 memory Capacity | 4MB | 4MB |
| TDP | 9-25W | 9-25W |
| Supported memory | DDR4 2400MHz | DDR4 2400MHz |
The second processor from AMD, the Ryzen 7 2700U also benefits from a combination of 4 cores and 8 threads. However, it has a higher frequency and a stronger Radeon Vega integrated chip with 10 CU (Compute Units) with 1300MHz frequency. The Radeon Vega graphics chip supports DirectX 12, which has advanced energy optimisation with lower chip power consumption (TDP 15W).
The First AMD Ryzen Mobile (Raven Ridge) Benchmark
The website notebookcheck.net has already made the HP Envy x360 laptop available, which is powered by AMD's new innovative processor - the Ryzen 5 2500U. According to the first synthetic tests (3D Mark 11, Cinebench), we are pleased to note that the performance is comparable to the Intel Core i5-8250U. The power consumption was even lower in all the test results.
AMD Ryzen Mobile (Raven Ridge) Final Summary
After the success of AMD's Ryzen desktop processors, it was only a matter of time before the mobile platform arrived. Raven Ridge looks pretty good, but disrupting Intel's lead in this segment will be extremely difficult. The two top mobile models, the Ryzen 5 2500U and the Ryzen 7 2700U are currently only part of a very small range, and they tend to focus on more expensive laptops or ultrabooks. We'll see what AMD pulls out of their hat, and how fast they can deliver their products to awaiting crowds.
