AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 vs AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme

AMD Ryzen AI 9 365

The Ryzen AI 9 365 is a relatively powerful Strix Point family processor that debuted in June 2024. The chip features 10 CPU cores running at 2.0 GHz to 5.0 GHz, along with the 12 CU RDNA 3.5 Radeon 880M graphics adapter and the 50 TOPS XDNA 2 neural engine. Other key features include PCIe 4, USB 4 and LPDDR5x-7500 RAM support.

Of the 10 CPU cores, 4 are full Zen 5 cores with the other 6 being smaller Zen 5c cores. The latter probably run at somewhat lower clock speeds than the former. In the meantime, the more expensive Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 has both more CPU cores and a faster 16 CU integrated graphics adapter.

Architecture and Features

Strix Point family APUs are powered by Zen 5 and Zen 5c microarchitecture cores found in two separate clusters, the latter being a slightly slower, smaller and more energy-efficient version of the former. One of the differences between Zen 5 and Zen 5c is cache size; Zen 5 cores have larger caches to work with.

Either way, mobile Zen 5 implementation is reportedly (ChipsAndCheese) closer to desktop Zen 4 than to desktop Zen 5 due to differing cache sizes, vast differences in AVX-512 throughput and other factors.

Elsewhere, the Ryzen AI 9 chip supports DDR5-5600 and LPDDR5x-7500 RAM, giving system designers a choice between lower latency and higher throughput respectively. The chip is natively compatible with USB 4 (and therefore Thunderbolt). It has PCIe 4.0 support for throughput of 1.9 GB/s per lane, just like its 8000 series predecessors did. The integrated XDNA 2 NPU, which is a lot more complex than first-gen XDNA was, delivers up to 50 INT8 TOPS for accelerating various AI workloads.

As is usual for laptop CPUs, the Ryzen is not user-replaceable as it gets soldered down for good.

Performance

At 30 W, this Ryzen AI 9 series CPU is only just fast enough to compete with much older chips such as the Ryzen 9 4900H and Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS in multi-threaded benchmarks, suggesting power efficiency is the focus here rather than sheer performance.

Graphics

The Radeon 880M is the direct successor to the 780M. It packs just a few differences under the hood, such as faster caches; its 12 RDNA 3.5 architecture CUs/WGPs (768 unified shaders) run at up to 2,900 MHz. With well over 30 fps in both Once Human and The First Descendant (1080p - Low), this iGPU is certainly fast enough for a fair bit of casual as well as competitive gaming.

Naturally, the Radeon is capable of driving four SUHD 4320p60 monitors simultaneously. It can also efficiently encode and decode the most popular video codecs such as AVC, HEVC, VP9 and AV1. The latest addition to that list, the VVC codec, is not supported unlike it is with Intel Lunar Lake chips.

Power consumption

The 365 is supposed to have a base TDP of 28 W, with laptop makers free to crank it up to up to 54 W. Which they will most likely do to maximize performance.

The 4 nm TSMC process that these CPUs are built with makes for above average, as of late 2024, energy efficiency.

AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme

The Ryzen Z2 Extreme is a relatively powerful Strix Point family processor that debuted in early 2025. The hybrid architecture APU has 8 CPU cores onboard (a mix of three Zen 5 and five Zen 5c cores) running at 2.0 to 5.0 GHz, along with the 16 CU RDNA 3.5 Radeon 880M graphics adapter and the 50 TOPS XDNA 2 neural engine. Compared to the similar Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360, the Z2 Extreme does not offer the Ryzen AI NPU.

Architecture and Features

Strix Point family APUs are powered by Zen 5 and Zen 5c microarchitecture cores found in two separate clusters, the latter being a slightly slower, smaller and more energy-efficient version of the former. One of the differences between Zen 5 and Zen 5c is cache size; Zen 5 cores have larger caches to work with.

Either way, mobile Zen 5 implementation is reportedly (ChipsAndCheese) closer to desktop Zen 4 than to desktop Zen 5 due to differing cache sizes, vast differences in AVX-512 throughput and other factors.

Elsewhere, the Ryzen chip supports DDR5-5600 and LPDDR5x-8000 RAM, giving system designers a choice between lower latency and higher throughput respectively. The chip is natively compatible with USB 4 (and therefore Thunderbolt). It has PCIe 4.0 support for a throughput of 1.9 GB/s per lane, just like its 8000 series predecessors did. The integrated XDNA 2 NPU, which is a lot more complex than first-gen XDNA was, delivers up to 50 INT8 TOPS for accelerating various AI workloads.

As is usual for mobile CPUs, the Ryzen 7 AI PRO chip is not user-replaceable as it gets soldered down for good.

Performance

The performance should be similar to the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 due to the similar specs, but limited due to TDP and heat restrictions in handhelds.

Graphics

The Radeon 880M is the direct successor to the 780M. It packs several differences under the hood, such as faster caches; its 16 RDNA 3.5 architecture CUs/WGPs (768 unified shaders) run at a currently undisclosed clock speed. With well over 30 fps in both Once Human and The First Descendant (1080p - Low), this AMD iGPU is usually certainly fast enough for a fair bit of casual as well as competitive gaming.

Power consumption

The Z2 Extreme is supposed to have a low-term TDP power target of 28 W, with handheld makers free to set between 15 and 35 W. 

The 4 nm TSMC process that these CPUs are built with makes for above average, as of late 2024, energy efficiency.