AMD Unveils New Gaming Laptop Chips Using Last-Gen Tech

AMD has recently unveiled its next-generation Ryzen 8000 series processors designed specifically for gaming laptops, with the flagship being the Ryzen 9 8945HX. Unlike the Ryzen AI 300 series chips introduced earlier this year, these new processors are built on the previous Zen 4 architecture. This lineup includes four high-performance processors tailored for gaming enthusiasts.

At the top of the range, the Ryzen 9 8945HX boasts 16 cores and 32 threads, with a boost clock reaching up to 5.4GHz. On the other end, the Ryzen 7 8745HX comes equipped with 8 cores and 16 threads, achieving a boost clock of 5.1GHz. Notably, these new chips share very similar specifications with their last-generation counterparts, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX, which also features 16 cores and a 5.4GHz boost clock, along with 80MB of cache.

These Ryzen 8000 processors are designed to be paired with the most powerful graphics chips found in high-end gaming laptops. My earlier review of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile highlighted some performance struggles when paired with a less powerful AMD Ryzen AI HX 370 processor, despite it being built on the newer Zen 5 architecture. In contrast, the Ryzen 9 8945HX can operate with a configurable TDP ranging from 55W to 75W, promising a significant performance boost. Although a Zen 5 chip with a similar power budget would have provided even greater performance gains.

If you're holding off for AMD's latest processors before purchasing a gaming laptop, you can expect these chips to start appearing in high-end gaming laptops in the coming months. Below, I've outlined the detailed specifications of the new AMD Ryzen 8000 series processors:

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