AMD has just launched the first “Zen” processors for Chromebooks, the Ryzen 3000C series. Set to be used in Acer, ASUS, HP and Lenovo systems, the new series of AMD mobile processors for Chromebooks will consist of 5 SKUs, offering up to 212% better performance than the previous generation.
Based on the “Zen+” CPU core architecture and featuring Vega integrated graphics, the Ryzen 3000C includes “the most powerful graphics available in a Chromebook”. Saeid Moshkelani, senior vice president and general manager of the client compute division at AMD, stated that the Ryzen 3000C SKUs “deliver the combined CPU, graphics and overall performance needed to stay productive and breeze through the high demands of distance learning and remote working”.
The Ryzen 7 3700C is a 4C/8T SKU that, when compared to the previous generation AMD Chromebooks, offers up to 251% better graphics performance, up to 104% faster office productivity, and 152% better photo editing. Featuring a base clock of 2.3GHz, boosting up to 4.0GHz, 6MB of cache and 10 GPU cores, the Ryzen 3700C is the most powerful AMD mobile processor for Chromebooks. Following this Ryzen 7 SKU, there is the 4C/8T Ryzen 5 3500C with a base clock of 2.1GHz, a boost clock of 3.7GHz, 6MB of cache and 8 GPU cores. The last Ryzen SKU for Chromebooks is the 2C/4T Ryzen 3 3250C with 5MB of cache, 3 GPU cores, and a base clock of 2.6GHz, boosting up to 3.5GHz. All of these Ryzen SKUs have a 15W TDP.
The lower-end models are the 2C/4T Athlon Gold 3150C and the 2C/2T Athlon Silver 3050C. Both feature 5 MB of cache and a 15W TDP, but differ in the amount of GPU cores, with the Athlon Gold model coming with 3, while the Athlon Silver one comes with 2. The base and boost clocks also differ, but not by much. The Athlon Gold comes with a 2.4GHz base clock and 3.3 boost clock, and the Athlon Silver features a 2.3GHz base clock and 3.2GHz boost clock.
Thanks to their power efficiency and premium performance, the Ryzen 3000C CPUs “enable thinner and lighter Chromebook designs that deliver long battery life as well as Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 capabilities for enhanced connectivity”.
The Ryzen 3000C processors are expected to be available in Chromebooks starting Q4 2020.
KitGuru says: Do you own a Chromebook? Would you acquire one powered by a Ryzen mobile processor?