Legion Go S Faces Off Against ROG Ally X as Ryzen Z2 Go Appears 10% Slower Than Ryzen Z1 Extreme

AMD’s recent unveiling of the Ryzen Z2 Go APU has generated quite a buzz, especially with comparisons to the Ryzen Z1 series in full swing. Thanks to Fps VN, we’ve got some early performance insights. They shared FPS test outcomes from the Lenovo Legion Go S and the Asus ROG Ally X using three different power settings across various games, shedding some light on what gamers can expect.

Lenovo unveiled the Legion Go S, now featuring the Ryzen Z2 Go APU. This chip comes with only half the cores of the Z1 Extreme, operating on the slightly older Zen 3+ architecture instead of the Zen 4. It also clocks in at a lower base (3.0 GHz compared to 3.3 GHz) and boost speed (4.3 GHz versus 5.1 GHz). Despite these seeming drawbacks, Lenovo elected this APU for its newest gaming handhelds, piquing our interest in how it measures up against the top-tier Ryzen Z1 Extreme from the previous lineup.

Before diving into the performance specifics, let’s compare the general specs. The Lenovo Legion Go S, showcased at CES 2025, runs on an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor coupled with 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400 memory. It features a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD and boasts an eight-inch, 120 Hz, 1920×1200 IPS display. Meanwhile, the Asus ROG Ally X, launched in mid-2024, is powered by the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip with a heftier 24GB of LPDDR5 memory. It offers a larger 1TB PCIe 4.0 storage and a 120 Hz, 1920×1080 IPS screen on a seven-inch display.

In a head-to-head FPS match-up across games like Black Myth Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077, and Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut under different settings and power constraints:

– Black Myth Wukong scores saw the Ally X slightly ahead in most settings.
– In Cyberpunk 2077, the margin was again in favor of the Ally X but not drastically so.
– Ghost of Tsushima results followed the same trend.

These numbers make it clear that the Z1 Extreme in the Asus ROG Ally X tends to surpass the Z2 Go in the Lenovo Legion Go S, which is understandable given its superior clock speeds, double cores, and larger L3 cache, not to mention its more advanced 780M integrated GPU compared to the 680M of the Z2 Go.

Surprisingly though, the performance gap isn’t as wide as one might expect, with the ROG Ally X edging out by just around 4 FPS on average. This indicates that while the Ryzen Z2 Go performs about 10% lower, the practical differences are subtle.

Given its more modest hardware, one might have anticipated a larger disparity, especially considering the Ally X’s 8GB extra memory and smaller, yet denser, display resolution. However, it seems AMD and Lenovo have adeptly tuned the Z2 Go to punch above its weight class.

Price-wise, the Asus ROG Ally X retails at $799, with the Lenovo Legion Go closely behind at $729. While the Z1 Extreme-equipped Ally X offers nominally better performance, the Legion Go’s larger screen and affordability might entice gamers more, particularly as the actual gameplay experience is barely impacted by the difference in FPS.

Overall, while the Ally X has the spec sheet advantage, the Legion Go offers enough competitive features at a better price, making it a worthy option for those seeking performance-balanced gaming enjoyment.