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Legion Go S vs ROG Ally X: Ryzen Z2 Go gaming performance impresses against Z1 Extreme

The Ryzen Z2 Go-powered Legion Go S appears to boast decent gaming prowess. (Image source: Lenovo, Fps Vn, edited)
The Ryzen Z2 Go-powered Legion Go S appears to boast decent gaming prowess. (Image source: Lenovo, Fps Vn, edited)
A recent video has showcased the performance difference between the newly unveiled entry-level Ryzen Z2 Go APU, and the previous-gen flagship, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme. The chips, housed in the Legion Go S and ROG Ally X, performed in close proximity to one another, making the affordable Ryzen Z2 Go look enticing for budget gamers.

At CES 2025, AMD announced a trio of new APUs for gaming handhelds: the entry-level Rembrandt-based Ryzen Z2 Go, along with the Hawk Point-based Ryzen Z2 and Strix Point-based Z2 Extreme. The 4-core, 8-thread Ryzen Z2 Go is set to power the affordable Legion Go S, currently available for pre-order in the US, UK, and Europe.

A recent YouTube video by Fps Vn has revealed the performance difference between the Lenovo Legion Go S and the Ryzen Z1 Extreme-powered ROG Ally X in a total of three games. Unlike the Ryzen Z2 Go, the Phoenix-based Ryzen Z1 Extreme sports an octa-core setup. In terms of graphics capabilities, however, both the APUs are more evenly matched, sporting 12 compute units each. As the video reveals, the Ryzen Z2 Go is roughly around 7-10% slower than the Z1 Extreme in gaming performance.

The Ryzen Z1 Extreme is roughly 7% ahead of the Z2 Go at 30 watts with FSR enabled. (Image source: Fps Vn via YouTube)
The Ryzen Z1 Extreme is roughly 7% ahead of the Z2 Go at 30 watts with FSR enabled. (Image source: Fps Vn via YouTube)

In Black Myth: Wukong set to medium settings at 720p and both the APUs set at 15 watts, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme-equipped Rog Ally X managed an average of around 40 FPS, whereas the Z2 Go-powered Legion Go S managed 36 FPS. In Cyberpunk 2077 with the same settings, the Legion Go S managed 50 FPS, whereas the Ally X edged ahead with 54 FPS. In Ghost of Tsushima, the story was much the same, with the ROG Ally X and the Legion Go S managing 62 and 66 FPS respectively. When the settings were cranked to medium at 1080p with FSR, the results were exactly the same, at 62 and 66 FPS for the Z2 Go and the Z1 Extreme respectively.

Of course, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme will be far ahead of the Ryzen Z2 Go when it comes to CPU performance, with the latter having only half the physical cores. The Z2 Go-powered Legion Go S with SteamOS is expected to start at just around $500, which substantially undercuts the ROG Ally X in price, and delivers a roughly comparable experience in most titles. The Ryzen Z2 Extreme, on the other hand, is set to pack an iGPU with 16 CUs, and will likely make its way into premium handhelds offering a substantial bump in graphics performance.

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Source(s)

Fps Vn via YouTube, spotted by Wccftech

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2025 01 > Legion Go S vs ROG Ally X: Ryzen Z2 Go gaming performance impresses against Z1 Extreme
Sambit Saha, 2025-01-16 (Update: 2025-01-16)