AMD introduces a new range of mobile processors – the Ryzen 7020 series. While they’re technically the first Ryzen 7000 CPUs, they don’t have much in common with the upcoming desktop lineup that AMD is releasing on September 27th.
Instead, they use the Zen 2 architecture – the same design AMD used with its Ryzen 3000 desktop processors. That’s because they’re built for portability and battery life, only hitting 15 watts for the most powerful chip in the lineup. There are three new processors equipped with integrated Radeon 610M graphics:
| Ryzen 5 7520U | Ryzen 3 7320U | Athlon Gold 7220U | |
| cores / threads | 4/8 | 4/8 | 2/4 |
| Architecture | Improved Zen 2 | Improved Zen 2 | Improved Zen 2 |
| base clock | 2.8GHz | 2.4GHz | 2.4GHz |
| boost clock | 4.3GHz | 4.1GHz | 3.7GHz |
| cache | 6MB | 6MB | 5MB |
| graphic | Radeon610M | Radeon610M | Radeon610M |
| power consumption | 8-15W | 8-15W | 8-15W |
While these processors don’t share the same DNA as desktop Ryzen 7000 CPUs, they’re still technically part of AMD’s Ryzen 7000 lineup. Codenamed Mendocino, they’re launching AMD’s mobile offerings, which will continue to expand through 2023. Built to perform, these processors offer up to 12 hours of battery life on a typical system, modern platform technologies, and integrated Radeon 610M graphics capable of driving up to four displays.
You may not get a new architecture with the Ryzen 7020 series, but you do get new platform features. The chips support LPDDR5 memory, fast charging and the Microsoft Pluton processor. This last feature offers Ryzen 7020 processors full support for Windows 11 with all the security features that the operating system offers.
The integrated graphics can’t hold a candle to the best graphics cards, but it still offers some key features. For starters, they use the same RDNA 2 architecture that AMD uses with its RX 6000 graphics cards, and they support AV1 decoding when integrated with streaming. You don’t typically want to game with integrated graphics, but AMD still claims Radeon 610M graphics can drive esports titles like League of Legends and Counter Strike Global Offensive at 720p and over 60 frames per second.
In terms of raw performance, AMD says the new processors are up to 58% faster than Intel’s Core i3-1115G4 and that they enable up to 31% faster application launches. That may seem impressive, but AMD’s numbers are being compared to the previous generation of Intel processors. With modern options, you should expect similar performance from Intel and AMD offerings at this price point.
AMD says the first laptops with these processors will arrive in the final months of 2022. The company says they’ll show up in machines like the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 and Acer Aspire 3, which places them firmly in the mainstream categories for buyers on a budget.
Looking ahead, AMD says it will offer more Ryzen 7000 laptop CPUs throughout 2023. Here’s what to expect next year:
- Ryzen 7030 – mainstream thin and light, launch in 2022
- Ryzen 7035 – Premium thin and light, launch 2023
- Ryzen 7040 – Elite ultra-thin, launch 2023
- Ryzen 7045 – Games and Developers, Launch 2023
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