AMD has recently unveiled its next-generation Ryzen 8000 processors, specifically designed for high-performance gaming laptops, with the flagship model being the Ryzen 9 8945HX. Unlike the Ryzen AI 300 series released earlier this year, these new processors are built on the Zen 4 architecture, which is a carryover from the previous generation.
AMD is introducing four new processors to cater to the gaming laptop market. The top-tier Ryzen 9 8945HX comes equipped with 16 cores and 32 threads, boasting a boost clock of up to 5.4GHz. At the other end of the lineup, the Ryzen 7 8745HX features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock reaching 5.1GHz. These new chips closely resemble their predecessors, such as the Ryzen 9 7945HX, which also had 16 cores and a 5.4GHz boost clock along with 80MB of cache.
These processors are set to be paired with the most advanced graphics chips available in high-end gaming laptops. My recent review of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile highlighted its performance limitations when coupled with the lower-power AMD Ryzen AI HX 370, despite the latter being based on the newer Zen 5 architecture. In contrast, the Ryzen 9 8945HX can be configured with a TDP ranging from 55W to 75W, promising a significant performance boost, although a Zen 5 chip with the same power budget would have offered even greater improvements.
If you're holding out for the latest from AMD to upgrade your gaming laptop, you won't have to wait long. These new Ryzen 8000 series processors are expected to be integrated into high-end gaming laptops in the coming months. Below, I've outlined the detailed specifications of these new chips:
AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX Specs
- CPU Cores: 16
- Threads: 32
- Boost Clock: 5.4GHz
- Integrated GPU: AMD Radeon 610M
- GPU Cores: 2
- Configurable TDP: 55W – 75W
- Total Cache: 80MB
AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX Specs
- CPU Cores: 16
- Threads: 32
- Boost Clock: 5.3GHz
- Integrated GPU: AMD Radeon 610M
- GPU Cores: 2
- Configurable TDP: 55W – 75W
- Total Cache: 80MB
AMD Ryzen 7 8840HX Specs
- CPU Cores: 12
- Threads: 24
- Boost Clock: 5.1GHz
- Integrated GPU: AMD Radeon 610M
- GPU Cores: 2
- Configurable TDP: 45W – 75W
- Total Cache: 76MB
AMD Ryzen 7 8745HX Specs
- CPU Cores: 8
- Threads: 16
- Boost Clock: 5.1GHz
- Integrated GPU: AMD Radeon 610M
- GPU Cores: 2
- Configurable TDP: 45W – 75W
- Total Cache: 40MB
