Budget-Focused Ryzen 8000 HX Offers Zen 4 Power Without Premium Pricing Features

In a market where consumers are highly price-conscious, AMD’s release of the Ryzen 8000 HX mobile processor series appears well-timed. Designed for gaming laptops, this lineup offers a more budget-friendly alternative to AMD’s higher-end Ryzen 9000 series. By omitting some of the premium features found in the newer generation, AMD is targeting gamers and users who prioritize performance without the premium price tag.

Refreshed Ryzen 8000 HX Builds on Zen 4 with Minor Performance Tweaks

The Ryzen 8000 HX series, internally referred to as “Dragon Range Refresh,” closely resembles the earlier Ryzen 7000 HX processors released in early 2023. While the Ryzen 9000 series uses AMD’s latest Zen 5 architecture, the 8000 HX and its predecessor are built on the older Zen 4 architecture. These chips support configurations up to 16 cores and 32 threads, and have a TDP range of 45W to 75W, though the default sits at 55W.

Both the Ryzen 7000 HX and 8000 HX series are built on TSMC’s 5nm manufacturing process. One notable update in the new lineup is the replacement of the six-core Ryzen 5 7645HX with the more powerful eight-core Ryzen 7 8745HX. While the architecture and process remain largely the same, the refresh introduces slight improvements in clock speeds and firmware optimization.

Integrated Graphics Present, But Discrete GPUs Needed for True Gaming Performance Potential

Although the Ryzen 8000 HX chips include integrated graphics — specifically the Ryzen 610M with two RDNA 2 cores — these are not sufficient for gaming on their own. As such, AMD anticipates that OEMs will pair these processors with newer, more powerful discrete GPUs. This aligns with AMD’s strategy to give users more flexibility and performance options for gaming-focused laptops.

In terms of memory and I/O, the Ryzen 8000 HX series supports DDR5 SODIMM memory and provides 28 lanes of PCIe 5.0, offering robust bandwidth for high-speed components. These enhancements ensure that, despite the older architecture, the 8000 HX processors can still keep up with modern performance demands, especially when paired with the latest GPUs and gaming peripherals.