AMD Ryzen 5 6600H vs AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U vs AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS

AMD Ryzen 5 6600H

The AMD Ryzen 5 6600H is a processor for big (gaming) laptops based of the Rembrandt generation. The R5 6600H integrates six of the eight cores based on the Zen 3+ microarchitecture. They are clocked at 3.3 (guaranteed base clock) to 4.5 GHz (Turbo) and support SMT / Hyperthreading (12 threads). The chip is manufactured on the modern 6 nm TSMC process. 

The new Zen 3+ is a refresh of the Zen 3 architecture and should not offer a lot of changes. The chip itself however, offers a lot of new features, like support for USB 4 (40 Gbps), PCI-E Gen 4, DDR5-4800MT/s or LPDDR5-6400MT/s, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth LE 5.2, DisplayPort 2, and AV1 decode.

In the 6000 series, AMD finally switched to the current RDNA 2 graphics architecture for the iGPU. The 6600H only offers the slower Radeon 660M with 6 of the 12 CUs enabled and 1.9 GHz max. clock speed.

Performance

The average 6600H in our database is in the same league as the R7 5825U, the R7 6800U and also the Core i5-1340P, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. This is a very decent result, as of late 2022.

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are, and how competent the cooling solution of your system is.

Power consumption

This Ryzen 5 series APU has a default TDP, also known as the long-term power limit, of 45 W. A high-performance cooling solution is a must for a system built around such a chip.

The R5 6600H is built with TSMC's 6 nm process for great, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U

The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U is a processor for thin and light laptops based of the Rembrandt generation. The R7 6850U integrates all eight cores based on the Zen 3+ microarchitecture. They are clocked at 2.7 (guaranteed base clock) to 4.7 GHz (Turbo) and support SMT / Hyperthreading (16 threads). The chip is manufactured on the modern 6 nm TSMC process. The Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U is the professional version of the consumer R7 6800U with additional management features and the Microsoft Pluton Security processor. Compared to the similar R7 6850H, the 6850U offers a lower base clock speed and a lower TDP.

The new Zen 3+ is a refresh of the Zen 3 architecture and should not offer a lot of changes. The chip itself however, offers a lot of new features, like support for USB 4 (40 Gbps), PCI-E Gen 4, DDR5-4800MT/s or LPDDR5-6400MT/s, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth LE 5.2, DisplayPort 2, and AV1 decode.

A big novelty is the integrated GPU Radeon 680M, that is now based on the RDNA2 architecture and offers 12 CUs at up to 2.2 GHz.

Performance

The average 6850U in our database is in the same league as the Core i5-1340P, the Core i7-1360P and also the Ryzen 7 5825U, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. This is a really fast chip, as far as 2023 consumer laptops go.

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are and how competent the cooling solution of your system is.

Power consumption

This Ryzen 7 has a default TDP of 15 W to 28 W, the expectation being that laptop manufacturers will go for a higher value in exchange for higher performance. Either way, this is a little too high to allow for passively cooled designs.

The APU is built with TSMC's 6 nm process for great, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS

The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS is a processor for big (gaming) laptops based on the Rembrandt generation. The R9 6900HS integrates all eight cores based on the Zen 3+ microarchitecture. They are clocked at 3.3 (guaranteed base clock) to 4.9 GHz (Turbo) and support SMT / Hyperthreading (16 threads). The chip is manufactured on the modern 6 nm TSMC process. The HS variant offers a 10 W lower TDP and therefore a lower sustained performance than the HX version.

The new Zen 3+ is a refresh of the Zen 3 architecture and should not offer a lot of changes. The chip itself however, offers a lot of new features, like support for USB 4 (40 Gbps), PCI-E Gen 4, DDR5-4800MT/s or LPDDR5-6400MT/s, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth LE 5.2, DisplayPort 2, and AV1 decode.

Performance

The average 6900HS in our database matches the Intel Core i7-12800H in multi-thread performance while managing to keep up with the more power-hungry 6900HX. "Top of the crop" is precisely the right phrase to describe this Ryzen 9 series chip, as of Q4 2022, and it will have no difficulty ripping through any task imaginable for years to come.

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are, and how competent the cooling solution of your system is.

A big novelty is the integrated GPU Radeon 680M, that is now based on the RDNA2 architecture and offers 12 CUs at up to 2.4 GHz. It should be the fastest iGPU of all at the time of announcement.

The TDP of the APU is specified at 35 Watts and therefore better suited for thin and light laptops. The power efficiency should be very good, thanks to the improved 6 nm process  and additional power saving features in the 6000 series.