Best AMD Zen 3+ Ryzen 6000 Laptops So Far (Mid 2022)
Perhaps the most memorable announcement by AMD at CES 2022 (aside from the disastrous RX 6500 XT) is that Ryzen 6000 series CPUs promised one last push to optimize Zen 3 performance on mobile even further. This means better watt-to-performance ratio, somewhat substantial instruction cycle improvements, and perhaps most notably, the very first rollout of RDNA 2.0 based integrated graphics.
The next few months after the reveal has been a trickle of models and other supported hardware. As such, we did not have a tangible idea of Ryzen 6000’s practical benefits in real-world laptop scenarios. But today, we’ve finally managed to provide a great lineup of recommendations that we think are best suited to showcase what the Zen 3+ architecture is truly capable of.
Why Buy a Ryzen 6000 “Rembrandt” Laptop Again?
We look at reasons for buying the Ryzen 6000 based laptops followed by actual CPU benchmarks.
1. Zen 3+ performance improvements
At least according to AMD’s presentation slides, Ryzen 6000 “Rembrandt” mobile CPU promise to offer at least 30% (theoretical) better processing power all across the board when compared to each SKU’s direct Ryzen 5000 (“Lucienne”) mobile predecessors. Take note that this is strictly only when using CPU-intensive productivity applications. In most day-to-day cases, or especially when gaming with powerful discrete GPU, Ryzen 6000 would feel no different than its direct predecessor.
2. Zen 3+ energy efficiency improvements
When combined with other power delivery optimization perks, Ryzen 6000 processors can allow a supported laptop to last for almost an entire day (20+ hours) without needing to charge. Based on what we have already witnessed with Ryzen mobile so far (and with Ryzen 6000 recently in particular), this isn’t a farfetched claim to make. Though, the all-day claim may just feel like AMD is stretching a bit too much.
3. From Vega to RDNA 2.0
Vega APUs have broken the legendary GTX 750 Ti barrier since the Athlon 3000G, and delivered basically the same performance on an integrated GPU throughout its other succeeding models. With RDNA 2.0 as the next architecture in line, we expected future Ryzen APUs to break the GTX 1050 Ti barrier. Indeed, that is what we have seen so far, and on some applications, even mimicking the power of a GTX 1060 6GB! The existence of these APUs puts a direct dent on the continued viability of Nvidia MX-powered laptops, which still form a good bulk of sold laptops that doesn’t use AMD processors.
(NOTE: Ryzen 7 SKUs usually have RDNA 2.0 12 CUs, while Ryzen 5 only has 6 CUs)
4. Fast DDR5/LPDDR5 support
Unlike desktop DDR5 memory which can be at risk of scalpers due to their lucrative prices at the moment, mobile DDR5 costs are a bit more regulated. We can focus at least more on the advantages of such a new memory design on a CPU series that has been known so far to benefit greatly from enhanced memory. Especially since DDR5 has the potential to push the envelope for iGPU performance.
5. PCIe 4.0 support
Obligatory update to the PCIe standard that makes use of even faster lanes of memory. In laptop applications, this update is less noticeabel for graphics cards, and more appreciable when considering options for new SSD storage media.
If these are not good enough reasons, check out the performance benchmarks in our article on the Gaming Performance of AMD Ryzen 6000 vs 5000 mobile processors.
Best AMD Zen 3+ Ryzen 6000 Laptop Overview
- Mid-range: Lenovo Legion 5 Pro
- Mid-range: Asus TUF Gaming A15
- Style focus: Zenbook S 13 OLED
- Style focus: Asus ROG Flow X13
- High-end: Razer Blade 14
- High-end: Alienware M17 R5 Ryzen Edition
- BONUS: Acer Nitro 5
(NOTE: unless specified, all models here are assumed to be the latest 2022 version)
1. Considerably more than barebones: Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (3050 Ti ver.)
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (8C/16T, 4.7 Ghz boost, 20MB cache) |
| GPU | Nvidia Geforce RTX 3050 Ti mobile GPU |
| Memory | 16GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 512GB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 16-inch QHD 2560×1600 60Hz IPS screen |
| Battery | “Up to 5 hours” (advertised) |
| Ports | Audio, Ethernet, HDMI x2 USB Type-C, x3 USB Type-A |
| Connectivity | Wifi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
Unfortunately, at the time of gathring good recommendations for this article, we were not able to find a nice MSI Katana or GS series laptop that uses a Ryzen 6000 processor. As an alternative, we recommend at the lower end (but still competitive), the 2022 version of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.
You may ask, why the heck is a Ryzen 7 laptop considered low-end? Because it is essentially within the performance competition range. 3050 Ti’s may be ridiculed in the face of the more cost-efficient 3050 mobile and more VRAM buffed 3060 mobile, but when paired with the highly efficient Ryzen 7 6800H, it becomes a smart resolution scaling workhorse. Boot drive internal storage may be a tad bit lacking at its price point, though.
2. Solid chassis, solid performance: Asus TUF Gaming A15 (3070 Ti ver.)
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (8C/16T, 4.7 Ghz boost, 20MB cache) |
| GPU | Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 Ti mobile GPU (115+25W) |
| Memory | 8GB/16GB DDR5 4800 Mhz (dual-channel, max 32GB) |
| Storage | 512GB/1TB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 15.6-inch 1440p 165Hz DCI-P3:100 IPS, with VRR, MUX + Optimus |
| Battery | 10+ Hours on casual workloads (non-gaming) |
| Ports | Audio, Ethernet, HDMI, x2 USB Type-C, x2 USB Type-A |
| Connectivity | Wifi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
Asus TUF Gaming A15 2022 on ASUS website.
High level Asus TUF series gaming laptops have alway distinguished themselves with a much better chassis (than the flimsy entry-level TUF ones), and much better connectivity. This year’s TUF Gaming A15 is no different, although this time, the performance has been bumped up just a tiny bit thanks to its Ryzen 7 6800H CPU.
The one we specifically recommend, optimization-wise would be the model that has the RTX 3070 Ti mobile, as it is going to be able to perform well side-by-side with the Ryzen 7 6800H in balanced component workloads, and gaming in 1080p. If price is the bigger concern, we recommend going with the RTX 3060 mobile version instead.
On the flip side, if you have a bit more money and do not mind a bit of heft, the bigger Asus TUF Gaming A 17 2022 spots the same processor, all the same discrete graphics options with a bigger 17-inch screen. The IPS panel has a 17.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution with high refresh rate of 144Hz.
ASUS TUF Gaming A17 2022 on ASUS website.
3. Simple, but elegant and stylish: Zenbook S 13 OLED (6600U ver.)
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 6600U (6C/12T, 4.5 Ghz boost, 16MB cache) |
| GPU | AMD Radeon RDNA 2.0 Graphics |
| Memory | 16GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 512GB/1TB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 13.3-inch 2.8K 2880×1800 60Hz DCI-P3:100, OLED Touchscreen |
| Battery | 16.5+ Hours on casual workloads (non-CPU-intensive) |
| Ports | Audio, x3 USB Type-C (supports display and data) |
| Connectivity | Wifi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 |
Zenbook S 13 OLED ơn ASUS website.
Last year’s Zenbook S 13 impressed with its lofty price tag minimalist look, subtle color styles, and weirdly convenient features such as numbered trackpads. While those things were more or less the same with the newer model, this one packs a better deal when it comes to overall efficiency. You can expect it to outlast the older by about a good hour or two.
Incidentally, the Zenbook S 13 OLED was also one of the very first Ryzen 6000 laptops to primarily showcase its RDNA 2.0 compute units as the primary graphics “engine”. As expected, gaming performance was quite impressive for an iGPU, allowing it to simply destroy the previous Zenbook 13 on similar games (30-50% FPS difference), and even manage to outpace Lenovo and HP’s similar 2021 lineups. It achieved all that in a package that weighs no more than 1kg and measures 14.9mm thin.
4. Compact but loud, figuratively and literally: Asus ROG Flow X13 (FHD ver.)
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (8C/16T, 4.5 Ghz boost, 16MB cache) |
| GPU | Nvidia Geforce RTX 3050 Ti mobile / AMD Radeon RDNA 2.0 Graphics |
| Memory | 32GB LPDDR5 6400 (non-upgradeable) |
| Storage | 1TB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 13.4-inch 1080p 120Hz IPS touchscreen |
| Battery | 6+ Hours on medium-intensity workloads |
| Ports | Audio, DP, x1 ROG XG Mobile, 2x USB Type-C, 1x USB Type-A |
| Connectivity | Wifi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 |
The ROG Flow series has established itself as a brand that packs the most amount of performance, in the smallest form factor acceptable to the model’s reputation. So far, most of the decently priced offerings can “only” handle an RTX 3050 Ti as its main discrete GPU. For the most part, it works. But now, we have a much more power-efficient option of simply using the RDNA 2.0 iGPU if there is less performance demand on the table.
Be adequately warned, though. The ROG Flow brand would never really become as affordable as it would ideally be. But as a mobile investment for an all-rounder portable workstation, it’s got everything you can hope for and more. It comes with a 360 degree hinge and support for stylus, making it a very capable tablet too. There is an option for a 4K panel but we favour the Full HD 1080p display for our touchscreen.
5. “Stealthy” Endgame Ryzen performance: Razer Blade 14 (3080 Ti ver.)
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX (8C/16T, 4.9 Ghz boost, 16MB cache) |
| GPU | Nvidia Geforce RTX 3080 Ti mobile |
| Memory | 16GB DDR5 |
| Storage | 1TB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 14-inch 1440p 165Hz DCI-P3:100 IPS, with VRR and MUX |
| Battery | 8+ Hours on medium-intensity workloads |
| Ports | Audio, HDMI, x2 USB Type-C (supports display), x2 USB Type-A |
| Connectivity | Wifi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 |
The Razer Blade 14 doesn’t exactly showcase any too distinct features that makes it worthy of the high-end cost it carries. But take a closer look. It always shows a plethora of discrete GPU optimization solutions, as well as a nice integrated peripheral that typical high-end desktop units have.
But perhaps the best feature of this latest top-of-the-line endgame performer, is that heat management is quite better (relatively speaking) than its predecessors, all thanks to the Ryzen 9 6900HX. The extra power and cooling potential could then be focused further on the paired RTX 3080 Ti, which will presumably carry most of the work 1440p and beyond.
6. Sensible power efficiency: Alienware M17 R5 Ryzen Edition (6900HX ver.)
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX (8C/16T, 4.9 Ghz boost, 16MB cache) |
| GPU | AMD Radeon RX 6700M |
| Memory | 8GB/16GB/32GB/64GB DDR5 (integrated or dual-channel) |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB/4TB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 17.3-inch 1080p 360Hz IPS screen with MUX + Optimus |
| Battery | Approx. 6+ hours (64Wh) or 8+ hours (97Wh) on medium-intensity tasks |
| Ports | Audio, Ethernet, HDMI, 1x USB Type-C (supports display), x3 USB Type-A |
| Connectivity | Wifi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 |
Alienware’s jump to the Ryzen platform has been spectacular for the last few models Dell has showcased for the brand. That’s because power efficiency pretty much equates to requiring less complicated hardware for cooling solutions. And with the Ryzen 6000 series, the limits of what can be done with so little power are once again being challenged by its power blaster fans.
This is also exactly why we recommend in particular the Radeon RX 6700M-powered version of this laptop, as well as the FHD 360Hz variant of its display. Sure, it is Alienware, you can probably go ham with the 3080 Ti or the RX 6850M XT powering a tiny 17.3-inch 4K 120Hz screen. But with far less need to worry about thermal performance over time, this combination gets our efficiency seal of approval.
BONUS: The upstart Acer Nitro 5 2022 Edition
At the start of writing this article, we’ve decided that we should at least include one obligatory Acer Nitro entry to fill either the enthusiast or entry-level slot. Unfortunately, there are still no actual samples of the Ryzen 7 6800H version Acer Nitro 5 in the wild. We’d have to conclude that it should perform very similarly to the Asus TUF Gaming A15, since the most marketed model is the RTX 3070 Ti-powered one. But, we’re not really sure.
In any case, we are putting this out in our recommended list just in case this particular Acer Nitro 5 ever gets officially released in the next few weeks. You can visit its official product page here. And, just like the TUF Gaming from ASUS, there are two versions, the AN515 with 15.6-inch display and the AN517 with 17.3-inch display.
