AMD introduces Ryzen 7040U processors that offers enhanced graphics for thin-and-light laptops

AMD introduces Ryzen 7040U processors that offers enhanced graphics for thin-and-light laptops

After completing its lineup of high-performance mobile CPUs that are designed for 35 to 75W+ TDP profiles, AMD is now focusing on chips designed for thin and light laptops.

The company has unveiled the Ryzen 7040U processors, which promise to outperform competing chips from Intel and Apple, particularly benefiting gamers who rely on integrated graphics. Like the higher power Ryzen 7040H series, the new Ryzen 7040U series borrow certain traits from it, such as featuring RDNA 3-based Radeon 700M GPUs, delivering enhancements similar to those seen in desktop video cards.

According to AMD, the Ryzen 7 processor paired with the Radeon 780M GPU performs between 30 per cent and 139 per cent faster than an equivalent Intel 13th-gen Core i7 P-series chip, when running games at 1080p with low graphics settings. It's certainly not high-performance gaming level, but this improvement claim may enable gamers to play previously incompatible games on their laptops.

In addition to graphics performance, AMD claims that the Ryzen 7040U line offers superior raw computing power compared to its rivals. The Zen 4 architecture reportedly delivers between 29 per cent and 128 per cent better application performance than both the Core i7 and the M2 chip found in Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro. AMD substantiates these claims using synthetic benchmarks, focusing on the highest-end Ryzen 7 variant. These enhancements could be beneficial for users engaged in video editing or multitasking with productivity apps.

The new Ryzen 7040U processors also introduce Ryzen AI acceleration (just like on the Ryzen 7040H series which is a world's first), which offloads certain tasks from the main compute units, resulting in improved efficiency. AMD asserts that this enhanced efficiency contributes to extended battery life, although specific estimates are not provided, as they may vary depending on the CPU model and laptop configuration.

The initial lineup includes four processors:

• The entry-level Ryzen 3 7440U features four cores, eight processing threads, a base clock speed of 3GHz (up to 4.7GHz), and 12MB of cache.
• Positioned in the mid-range segment, the Ryzen 5 7540U offers six cores, twelve threads, a base clock speed of 3.2GHz (up to 4.9GHz), and 22MB of cache.
• Slightly faster, the Ryzen 5 7640U includes Ryzen AI support, a clock speed of 3.5GHz (up to 4.9GHz).
• At the top end, the Ryzen 7 7840U boasts eight cores, sixteen threads, Ryzen AI, a starting clock speed of 3.3GHz (up to 5.1GHz), and 24MB of cache.

All four models have a thermal design power ranging from 15W to 30W.