AMD Zen 5 Strix Point CPU analysis - Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 versus Intel Core Ultra, Apple M3 and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite

The naming convention of previous AMD mobile processors was already complicated enough, especially since consumers need to pay close attention to which core generation is actually used on a processor (i.e. Zen 2, Zen 3, Zen 3+ or Zen 4). But there was at least still some sort of continuity, for instance the 6000 series is succeeded by the 7000 series and then the 8000 series. This is no longer the case: the new AMD mobile processors are called Ryzen AI 300. However, this isn’t where the changes end. The previous performance classes U/HS/HX are also completely gone. Instead, the new Ryzen AI 9 HZ 370 now covers a TDP range of 15 to 54 watts and replaces the old U and HS performance classes. At the same time, it has nothing in common with past HX chips – AMD can’t make things any more complicated for consumers. The following three models are available at launch:

AMD sticks to a monolithic design along with a 4nm FinFet fabrication process by TSMC, but the new mobile processors feature a combination of fully fledged Zen 5 cores and slightly less powerful Zen 5c cores. The two core types fundamentally offer the same feature set, but the Zen 5c cores have less cache and also deliver less performance. Both HX models are equipped with four full-fat and eight compact Zen 5 cores, whilst the Ryzen AI 9 365 has four Zen 5 cores, but only six Zen 5c cores, resulting in reduced cache. Additionally, the lower-tier model features the weaker Radeon 880M with 12 CUs. 

The three notebooks have very different TDP configurations, enabling us to cover a wide range of performance. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 operates at 33/23 watts in the Zenbook, 80/65 watts in the ProArt PX13, and 80 watts in the large ProArt P16. The two ProArt laptops thus run the Ryzen chip at a much higher wattage than the specified 54 watts. However, at a maximum of 80 watts, the power draw is still significantly lower than the 115 watts that Intel’s current Meteor Lake mobile processors can consume.

In order to meaningfully compare the different processors, we examined their pure performance in synthetic benchmarks as well as their power usage, which let us determine their efficiency. For our power usage measurements, the laptops were connected to an external display so that we can eliminate the internal displays as an influencing factor. Nonetheless, we measured the systems’ total power consumption rather than simply comparing just their TDP values.

Starting off with single-core performance, the highest CPU package power was around 19-21 watts in the single-core tests. In Cinebench R23, we saw an 8-15% improvement over the old Ryzen 8000 CPUs (Hawk Point), and the new Zen 5 chips were neck and neck with Apple’s M3 SoCs. Only the Intel Raptor Lake HX CPUs had an edge over the new Ryzens in this regard. You can disregard the Snapdragon SoCs in Cinebench R23, as the required emulation process reduces performance.

The newer Cinebench 2024 paints a slightly different picture. The Zen 5 processors delivered around a 10-12% improvement over the older Zen 4 CPUs and even beat the current Meteor Lake CPUs. The Intel HX chips were once again faster. Interestingly, even though the base Snapdragon X Elite model without Dual-Core Boost was outperformed by the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, the higher-end model with Dual-Core Boost (i.e. the X1E-80-100) was faster than the Ryzen. That said, Apple’s M3 chips still offers the best performance in Cinebench 2024. 

For our efficiency analysis, we once again made use of Cinebench R23 and Cinebench 2023 and, as previously mentioned, measured the total power usage of a system. We noticed the three new Zen 5 laptops have some of the highest power draws in our comparison, despite having a considerably lower CPU package power of 19-21 watts. This may be because the new Zen 5 chips haven’t been fully optimised yet or the three Asus laptops overall require quite a lot of power due to their faster memory. As you may expect, such factors have a more apparent effect on efficiency particularly in single-core tests. The new Ryzen chips are roughly 10% more efficient than the older ones, but there is certainly room for improvement.

The new Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 truly shines when it comes to multi-core performance and naturally benefits from having more cores than the older Zen 4 chips. Even the Zen 5 processor (33/28 watts) in the Zenbook S 16 delivered highly respectable results in the R23 Multi test, beating the Ryzen 7 8845HS (54 watts) in the Schenker Via 14 Pro and falling just slightly behind the Core Ultra 7 155H (90/45 watts) in the RedmiBook Pro 16. The two more powerful Zen 5 models managed to beat even the Core i7-14700HX (157/95 watts) and outperformed the Core Ultra 9 185H (120/83 watts) in the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 by more than 20%.

In Cinebench 2024, the comparison with the Snapdragon chips and Apple’s M3 CPUs is particularly interesting. Starting off with the Zenbook S 16, the Ryzen AI HX 370 in this device ranked higher than most of the Snapdragon competitors. Only the Vivobook S 15 offers slightly better performance. However, in the higher performance profiles (45 & 50 watts), the Vivobook S 15 achieved excellent results and can keep pace with the two faster Zen 5 chips. The Intel HX CPUs and Apple Max CPUs were likewise faster, but the M3 Pro was beaten by the two Zen 5 processors. 

In terms of efficiency in Cinebench R23 Multi, even the 80-watt variant of the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 provided a slight improvement over the Ryzen 7 8845HS running at 54 watts. The Zen 5 chip had a really great showing at 28 watts, breaking into the territory of Apple’s M3 lineup. The Snapdragon processors fell behind due to emulation. However, things were different in Cinebench 2024, where most of the Snapdragon laptops ran more efficiently.

Although the three Zen 5 laptops cover a wide range of TDPs, we still wanted to find out more by testing their performance at other power levels. For this purpose, we made use of Universal x86 Tuning Utility for both the AMD- and Intel-based laptops. The program allows users to easily configure a processor’s TDP. In the two tables below, we compared the new Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with the Ryzen Z1 Extreme (similar to the Ryzen 7 7840U) within a range of 9-28 watts and subsequently with the Ryzen 9 8945HS from 35 watts onwards, by running Cinebench R23 in both cases. The results clearly demonstrate that the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 offers substantially more performance at all TDP values.

During our benchmark runs at various TDPs, we ran our multimeter in parallel to evaluate the Zen 5 laptops’ efficiency and compare them with other devices, which we also tested out with different performance profiles. Unsurprisingly, efficiency improved as power limits decreased. The Snapdragon X Elite in the Vivobook S 15 continued to be more efficient even at low TDPs. But it is crucial to keep in mind that the TDP values provided for the Qualcomm chips include the power usage of not just the CPU, but also the RAM and controllers.

In a separate article, we have already extensively discussed the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370’s gaming performance with the new Radeon 890M. When paired with a dedicated Nvidia GPU, the new processor also demonstrated impressive gaming capabilities during our initial benchmarks on the Asus ProArt PX13, effortlessly handling all the games we tested except for F1 24. This particular title shows a bluescreen after launch, which AMD says is related to EA’s anti-cheat software and SecureBoot. A driver or software update is likely to be released soon to fix this issue.