Ryzen Z2 Go Appears 10% Slower Than Ryzen Z1 Extreme as Legion Go S Competes with ROG Ally X

AMD has recently rolled out its Ryzen Z2 Go APU, sparking a wave of curiosity about how it measures up against the earlier Ryzen Z1 series in terms of performance. Luckily, Fps VN has shared some enlightening FPS test results, comparing the Lenovo Legion Go S with its Ryzen Z2 Go APU to the Asus ROG Ally X. These tests were conducted across three different games with various power settings, and the results are intriguing.

The Legion Go S, Lenovo’s latest gaming handheld, comes equipped with the Ryzen Z2 Go APU. While it boasts only half the cores of the Z1 Extreme and relies on a Zen 3+ architecture instead of Zen 4, it features lower base (3.0 GHz vs. 3.3 GHz) and boost (4.3 GHz vs. 5.1 GHz) clocks. Despite these differences, it’s interesting to see Lenovo opting for it in their newest device, prompting us to see how it matches up to the previous generation’s powerhouse, the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme.

Before diving into the performance data, let’s quickly outline the specs of both gadgets. Unveiled at CES 2025, the Lenovo Legion Go S is driven by the AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor, paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400 memory. It has a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD storage, and an eight-inch, 120 Hz, 1920×1200 IPS display. In contrast, the Asus ROG Ally X, released in mid-2024, operates on the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip. This includes 24GB of LPDDR5 memory, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and a seven-inch, 120 Hz, 1920×1080 IPS screen.

Taking a look at the provided benchmark results, the Asus ROG Ally X consistently outperformed the Lenovo Legion Go S powered by the Z2 Go. It’s somewhat expected since the Z1 Extreme is equipped with double the cores and higher clock speeds than the Z2 Go, not to mention double the L3 cache and its 780M integrated GPU, which is more advanced than the Z2 Go’s 680M.

Nevertheless, the difference in performance across all three games was quite narrow, with about a 4 FPS advantage on the ROG Ally X compared to the Legion Go S. From these benchmarks, it’s clear that the Ryzen Z2 Go stands about 10% behind the Ryzen Z1 Extreme in terms of performance.

Given the disparity in specs, you might have anticipated a larger performance gap, especially since the Ally X not only has an 8GB larger memory buffer but also a slightly smaller and lower-resolution screen. Yet, AMD and Lenovo appear to have fine-tuned the Z2 Go to maximize performance, even with the physical constraints of handheld consoles.

In terms of pricing, the Asus ROG Ally X sits at $799, while the Lenovo Legion Go S is a bit more budget-friendly at $729. If you examine pure performance metrics, the Z1 Extreme-driven Ally X indeed takes the lead over its newer opponent. However, the Legion Go’s larger screen and lower price might appeal to gamers, particularly since the 4FPS difference is hardly noticeable for most users during gameplay.