
AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme

The Ryzen Z2 Extreme is a relatively powerful Strix Point family processor that debuted in early 2025. The hybrid architecture APU has 8 CPU cores onboard (a mix of three Zen 5 and five Zen 5c cores) running at 2.0 to 5.0 GHz, along with the 16 CU RDNA 3.5 Radeon 890M graphics adapter and the 50 TOPS XDNA 2 neural engine. Compared to the similar Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360, the Z2 Extreme does not offer the Ryzen AI NPU.
Architecture and Features
Strix Point family APUs are powered by Zen 5 and Zen 5c microarchitecture cores found in two separate clusters, the latter being a slightly slower, smaller and more energy-efficient version of the former. One of the differences between Zen 5 and Zen 5c is cache size; Zen 5 cores have larger caches to work with.
Either way, mobile Zen 5 implementation is reportedly (ChipsAndCheese) closer to desktop Zen 4 than to desktop Zen 5 due to differing cache sizes, vast differences in AVX-512 throughput and other factors.
Elsewhere, the Ryzen chip supports DDR5-5600 and LPDDR5x-8000 RAM, giving system designers a choice between lower latency and higher throughput respectively. The chip is natively compatible with USB 4 (and therefore Thunderbolt). It has PCIe 4.0 support for a throughput of 1.9 GB/s per lane, just like its 8000 series predecessors did. The integrated XDNA 2 NPU, which is a lot more complex than first-gen XDNA was, delivers up to 50 INT8 TOPS for accelerating various AI workloads.
As is usual for mobile CPUs, the Ryzen 7 AI PRO chip is not user-replaceable as it gets soldered down for good.
Performance
The performance should be similar to the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 due to the similar specs, but limited due to TDP and heat restrictions in handhelds.
Graphics
The Z2 Extreme integrates the fast AMD Radeon 890M iGPU with 16 RDNA 3.5 CUs (1024 unified shaders).
Power consumption
The Z2 Extreme is supposed to have a low-term TDP power target of 28 W, with handheld makers free to set between 15 and 35 W.
The 4 nm TSMC process that these CPUs are built with makes for above average, as of late 2024, energy efficiency.
| Codename | Strix Point (Zen 5) | ||||||||||||
| Series | AMD Strix / Gorgon Point | ||||||||||||
Series: Strix / Gorgon Point Strix Point (Zen 5)
| |||||||||||||
| Clock Rate | 2000 - 5000 MHz | ||||||||||||
| Level 1 Cache | 640 KB | ||||||||||||
| Level 2 Cache | 8 MB | ||||||||||||
| Level 3 Cache | 16 MB | ||||||||||||
| Number of Cores / Threads | 8 / 16 3 x 5.0 GHz AMD Zen 5 5 x 3.3 GHz AMD Zen 5c | ||||||||||||
| Power Consumption (TDP = Thermal Design Power) | 15 Watt | ||||||||||||
| Manufacturing Technology | 4 nm | ||||||||||||
| Socket | FP8 | ||||||||||||
| Features | DDR5-5600/LPDDR5x-8000 RAM, PCIe 4, USB 4, XDNA 2 NPU (50 TOPS), Secure Processor, SMT, AES, AVX, AVX2, AVX512, FMA3, MMX (+), SHA, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A | ||||||||||||
| GPU | AMD Radeon 890M | ||||||||||||
| 64 Bit | 64 Bit support | ||||||||||||
| Architecture | x86 | ||||||||||||
| Announcement Date | 01/06/2025 | ||||||||||||
| Product Link (external) | www.amd.com | ||||||||||||
Benchmarks
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
Reviews for the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor


8-inch gaming handheld now also with AMD - MSI Claw A8 review

Full-screen Xbox experience for gaming handhelds - Asus ROG Xbox Ally X review
Lenovo Legion Go 2: AMD Radeon 890M, 8.80", 0.9 kg
External Review » Lenovo Legion Go 2
Asus ROG Xbox Ally X: AMD Radeon 890M, 7.00", 0.7 kg
External Review » Asus ROG Xbox Ally X
MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM: AMD Radeon 890M, 8.00", 0.8 kg
External Review » MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM
Lenovo Legion Go 2: AMD Radeon 890M, 8.80", 0.9 kg
» Lenovo's Legion Go 2 is also available with the slower AMD Ryzen Z2, but SteamOS still will take longer
» €1,500 for Lenovo's Legion Go 2 gaming handheld with the Z2 Extreme is just too much
MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM: AMD Radeon 890M, 8.00", 0.8 kg
» The new AMD version of the MSI Claw A8 is worse than the Intel version, despite the same price
Asus ROG Xbox Ally X: AMD Radeon 890M, 7.00", 0.7 kg
» Microsoft's new Xbox full-screen experience does not improve the gaming performance
» Asus ROG Xbox Ally X: Currently the most comfortable gaming handheld on the market
