If you have been following all of the laptop launches during CES 2021, you would notice that a number of brands are offering models with AMD Ryzen 5000 mobile processors. which succeeds last year’s Ryzen 4000 mobile processors, tWhat’s different between the two? We check out the changes in our Ryzen 5000 mobile explainer:

Unified cache layout. The Ryzen 5000 mobile processors use a similar Zen 3 architecture used on the desktop versions. In the case of the mobile versions, you get a unified 16mb L3 cache across all cores instead of using two 4MB L3 cache that is divided equally to available cores. This means that all cores can utilize the same L3 cache. Aside from the unified L3 cache, all cores are now in one CCX (Core complex) cluster. Wi

Improved memory controller. Utilizing AMD’s Infinity Fabric, Ryzen 5000 mobile CPUs now support both DDR4-3200 and LPDDR4X-4266 RAM, which translates to higher bandwidth and better efficiency at the same time. Improvements include improved power regulation during various power states.

Better-performing Vega GPU. While there’s technically no difference with the Ryzen 5000 mobile’s Vega graphics, AMD claims that they can run at higher frequencies, offering improved performance for graphics-intensive tasks. This is done through improving the chip’s onboard voltage regulator for better sustained performance even at heavy loads.

With these tweaks, AMD claims of up to a 71% improvement over Ryzen 3000 mobile processors and up to 15% improvement over Ryzen 4000 mobile processors.

Different variants. Like with Ryzen 4000 mobile, there are different variations with Ryzen 5000 mobile. The top-tier HX series are geared towards gaming notebooks and can be overclocked, while the mainstream U series have low 15w TDP rating and are aimed towards battery efficiency. The H-series processors come with a 45w TDP, while HS-series processors comes with a 35w TDP.

Aside from the different variants, it is worth noting that there are U-series processors that utilize Zen 2 architecture: these are the Ryzen 3 5300U, Ryzen 5 5500U, and Ryzen 7 5700U.  While that makes the whole Ryzen 5000 mobile series confusing, AMD explains that those chips exist to accomodate specific OEM demand for the lower end of their product lines.

That’s it for our Ryzen 5000 mobile series explainer. If you plan to get a laptop powered by the latest Ryzen 5000 processors, Lenovo’s upcoming Legion laptops are expected to arrive in the Philippines soon,