16 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2021NEWS AMD’S LAPTOP RESURGENCE CONTINUES
resolution and Ultra High settings at more
than 50fps.
Processors, though, took center stage.
AMD launched thirteen new chips in the
AMD Ryzen 5000 Mobile series of
processors, adding updated 5900HS and
5980HS flagship processors as well as the
5900HX, which AMD brags will be the
“world’s best processor for gamers.” These
high-end 7nm processors will top out at 8
cores and 16 threads, with turbo clock speeds
maxing out at 4.8 GHz and many of them
doubling cache sizes to between 19MB to
20MB for even more overall performance.
While most of these new Ryzen processors
are designed for 15, 35, and 45 watts, thesenew HX chips afford laptop makers the option
for more than 45-watt designs.
If there’s a kicker, well, it’s that the rumors
were (mostly) true (go.pcworld.com/true):
AMD mixed in some processors that use the
older Zen 2 architecture inside the Ryzen
5000 series, without specifically
distinguishing one from the other. You’ll want
to pay close attention to which Ryzen laptop
you buy beginning in February, when the new
Ryzen Mobile 5000 family goes on sale. AMD
didn’t publish the graphics capabilities of the
new chips, either.
“Now, [many] good things have been
written about the Ryzen 4000 series—various
experts have called them game-changing, orAMD’s Ryzen Mobile 5000 family. AMD said after publication that the cache size of the Ryzen 5700U
should be 12MB, and the Ryzen 5 5500U should have an 11MB cache.