AMD has officially unveiled its upcoming Ryzen 8000 series processors for gaming laptops, headlined by the powerful Ryzen 9 8945HX. Interestingly, while these new chips are part of AMD’s latest product wave, they are based on the previous-generation Zen 4 architecture—unlike the recently launched Ryzen AI 300 series laptop processors that utilize the newer Zen 5 design.
The company is rolling out four high-performance CPUs specifically tailored for premium gaming laptops. At the top of the stack sits the Ryzen 9 8945HX, which packs 16 cores, 32 threads, and a maximum boost clock of up to 5.4GHz. On the lower end of the spectrum, the Ryzen 7 8745HX offers 8 cores, 16 threads, and a 5.1GHz boost clock. Notably, these new Ryzen 8000HX chips closely mirror the specifications of their predecessors—the Ryzen 9 7945HX also features 16 cores, a 5.4GHz boost clock, and 80MB of total cache—indicating more of an incremental update rather than a major architectural leap.
Despite not being built on the newer Zen 5 architecture, these processors are expected to power the next wave of high-end gaming laptops equipped with the most advanced graphics hardware available. Earlier this year, I tested the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile and found that it faced some performance limitations when paired with the lower-power Ryzen AI HX 370 chip—even though that chip was based on the newer Zen 5 architecture. In contrast, the Ryzen 9 8945HX can be configured to run at a TDP range of 55W to 75W, which should deliver a meaningful performance uplift, although it's worth noting that a comparable Zen 5 chip under the same power constraints would likely offer even better efficiency and speed.
For those considering a new gaming laptop, the Ryzen 8000HX series is expected to begin appearing in flagship systems over the coming months. Below is a detailed breakdown of each processor’s specifications:
AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX Specifications
- CPU Cores: 16
- Threads: 32
- Boost Clock: Up to 5.4GHz
- Integrated GPU: AMD Radeon 610M
- GPU Cores: 2
- Configurable TDP: 55W – 75W
- Total Cache: 80MB
AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX Specifications
- CPU Cores: 16
- Threads: 32
- Boost Clock: Up to 5.3GHz
- Integrated GPU: AMD Radeon 610M
- GPU Cores: 2
- Configurable TDP: 55W – 75W
- Total Cache: 80MB
AMD Ryzen 7 8840HX Specifications
- CPU Cores: 12
- Threads: 24
- Boost Clock: Up to 5.1GHz
- Integrated GPU: AMD Radeon 610M
- GPU Cores: 2
- Configurable TDP: 45W – 75W
- Total Cache: 76MB
AMD Ryzen 7 8745HX Specifications
- CPU Cores: 8
- Threads: 16
- Boost Clock: Up to 5.1GHz
- Integrated GPU: AMD Radeon 610M
- GPU Cores: 2
- Configurable TDP: 45W – 75W
- Total Cache: 40MB
