Friday, May 29, 2020
When you're buying a new laptop, the majority of the selection in front of you will be powered by Intel processors or a combination of Intel processors and NVIDIA dedicated graphics. AMD's Ryzen APU doesn't find its way into nearly as many, and that's a shame because overall, an AMD powered laptop represents an excellent value package, especially with its Radeon Vega integrated graphics.
Top pick
HP Envy x360
Staff favorite
When going for an Envy x360 with AMD power, you get a choice between two. There's 13- and 15-inch models that, spec-wise, are basically the same, aside from their physical size. There are Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, and Ryzen 7 4000 series APUs to choose from, providing excellent CPU and graphics power. Being an x360, it's a fully convertible laptop backed up by fast SSD storage, 8GB of RAM (which is upgradeable on the 15-inch), and a great-looking touch display with pen support for work and play.
Best Gaming
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
The Zephyrus G14 is one of the first batch of Ryzen 4000 series laptops to hit the market, and the range-topper boasts an 8-core Ryzen 9 4900HS, NVIDIA RTX 2060, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB PCIe SSD. That's all backed by a 120Hz 1080p display, a slim, sleek chassis, and even an LED panel on the lid for you to add some flair. This is one of the most exciting gaming laptops of 2020.
Budget gaming
Acer Nitro 5
The Nitro 5 comes with the older Ryzen 5 Mobile inside paired with an AMD Radeon RX 560X 4GB dedicated GPU. Other notable specs include upgradeable RAM with 8GB as standard and PCIe SSD storage inside, which is also upgradeable. The real standout feature, though, is the price. For lighter titles and gaming on a tight budget, this is an excellent buy.
New Hotness
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15-inch
One of Lenovo's new mid-range laptops to use the 4000 Series Ryzen Mobile chips, the Ideapad 5 is available in two sizes, but it's the 15-inch that gets the nod. Inside, you get the new Ryzen 7 4700U 8-core CPU paired with 7 Radeon GPU cores. RAM comes in at 8GB and sadly isn't upgradeable, but you do also get a 512GB SSD and an excellent 1080p IPS display inside a traditionally well-built chassis and at a very attractive price.
Ryzen Surface
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15
While a little pricey, the new Surface Laptop 3 is the first from Microsoft with AMD Ryzen. The customized chip inside has an additional GPU core over other Ryzen laptops, and retains staples like the high-resolution 3:2 ratio display with pen support, and the incredible design and build quality. It's available with either a Ryzen 5 or a Ryzen 7, with Vega 9 and Vega 11 graphics, respectively.
Actually insane
Origin PC EON15-X
The EON15-X is a beastly Ryzen 9 powered laptop from Origin PC. Oh, but that's not the new laptop Ryzen 9, no, this is the full-fat, 12-core, 105W TDP desktop Ryzen 9. All in a reasonably slim laptop. Absolutely insane, right? It may still weigh 6lbs, but it's packing a 144Hz display, 32GB of RAM, and an RTX 2070. You can get other versions with lower-tier Ryzen chips, but honestly, why would you?
European bargain
Huawei MateBook D 2020
The 2020 version of the MateBook D (also sold in a virtually identical form as the Honor MagicBook) is a mild upgrade over its superb predecessor, with a second-gen Ryzen mobile APU and a 14-inch display. But that's no bad thing because it's still one of the best budget laptops you can buy if you're in Europe. The sleek, all-metal body looks stunning, and there's even biometrics built into the power button now.
If we had to choose...
Ryzen powered laptops often slip under the radar, but the truth is there are some fantastic laptops out there powered by AMD. Currently, we'd happily recommend the HP Envy x360 to anyone specifically looking for a Ryzen laptop, and, frankly, anyone who wasn't that bothered with what's inside. It looks great; it's beautifully made, powerful, and quite affordable given the package it presents.
Gamers are well represented, whether that's the budget end of the spectrum with something such as the excellent Acer Nitro 5 or the more advanced, and ludicrous, Origin EON15-X with its full-fat, desktop Ryzen chips inside. You can't help but be impressed!
Budget buyers aren't left out either, with excellent laptops like the Huawei MateBook D delivering equal performance to much more expensive laptops, but at a price more agreeable to budget buyers, perhaps even for education or general home use with the kids.
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