AMD has initiated the release of its lower-clocked Ryzen 9 7940HX and Ryzen 9 7840HX CPUs, belonging to the “Dragon Range,” designed specifically for high-end gaming laptops.
All About the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Laptop and AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX CPU
Reports from last year indicated that AMD was developing lower-clocked SKUs within its Dragon Range-HX CPU lineup. These laptop CPUs, while maintaining the high-end Zen 4 core architecture and supporting up to 16 cores, come with a slightly reduced clock frequency. The objective is to make use of all the Dragon Range CPU dies for gaming laptops, providing slightly more budget-friendly options.
In terms of specifications, ASUS has introduced a new configuration of its TUF Gaming A16 laptop, now featuring the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX CPU. This CPU retains the 16-core and 32-thread configuration with 64 MB of L3 cache, and the boost clock is now rated at 5.2 GHz. This represents a -200 MHz clock speed difference compared to the Ryzen 9 7945HX, which has been prevalent in the laptop HX segment.
While a -200 MHz clock speed difference may not be significant, and with power/thermal limits remaining unchanged, the Ryzen 9 7940HX CPU laptops are expected to come with slightly lower prices compared to the 7945HX variants. This presents an appealing option for users seeking fast 16-cores within a portable system. Alternatively, users may opt for Intel’s 13th Gen or 14th Gen Raptor Lake-HX CPUs, but these tend to run hot and consume more power. AMD’s Zen 4 architecture has demonstrated efficiency leadership, making it likely for the new entries to follow suit.
Anticipated to appear in more configurations in the future, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX with 16 cores and the Ryzen 9 7840HX with 12 cores provide additional choices. For optimal gaming performance, the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D remains the top choice among AMD’s range of high-performance laptop CPUs. Given the precedent of 3D V-Cache technology on the AM5 and AM4 platforms, there is an expectation of further 3D V-Cache variants in the laptop segment later this year.
