AMD announces Ryzen Pro 6000 series mobile processors for business

AMD has released its next-generation commercial-grade mobile processors with improved efficiency, new graphics, and higher compute performance.

The 6000 series Ryzen Pro processors, based on the Zen 3+ architecture and built using 6nm transistors, will be joined by the 5000 series Ryzen Pro processors based on the older Zen 3 architecture and TSMC’s 7nm node. In total, the new lineup consists of 11 models.

AMD Ryzen Pro 6000 and 5000 specifications

In the high-performance segment, the Ryzen 9 Pro 6950H leads the pack with 8-cores/16-threads and 20MB of cache. With a 45W thermal design power (TDP), it’s designed for gaming, and production machines that need maximum performance. The HS variants of the chips feature the same boost and base frequencies as the H-series but have a lower 35W TDP, making them ideal for thinner, more portable devices. Because they have a tight thermal headroom, they likely feature shorter boost durations than the H-counterparts.

For performance portable designs, AMD offers up the Ryzen Pro 6000 U-series processors. Ranging between six and eight cores, the chips sport between 19 and 20MB of cache, and have a manufacturer-adjustable TDP of 15 to 30W depending on criteria like the capability of the cooling solution, battery life, and so on.

The efficiency range is populated by the new Ryzen Pro 5000 series based on the Zen 3 architecture. They feature between four and eight cores and 10MB to 20MB of cache. And with a 10 to 25W adjustable TDP, they aim to deliver higher performance to ultralight business notebooks. They exist as the equivalent of the existing Ryzen 5000 non-pro series, which does not have the enterprise-grade assurances as the Pro series.

But how do they perform? AMD says that on average, the Ryzen 7 Pro 6850U offers 1.1 times faster CPU performance at 15W, and 1.3 times the performance at 28W when compared to the 15W Ryzen 7 Pro 5850U from the previous generation. Moreover, its new RDNA2 graphics boasts 1.5 times the performance at 15W, and 2.1 times higher performance at 28W when compared to the same chip.

The more interesting comparison is of course against Intel’s offerings. On that front, AMD showed that the Ryzen 7 Pro 6000 U-series processors offer comparable single-threaded performance in Cinebench, and beat a comparable 28W Intel P series processor in multi-threaded performance. Furthermore, the Ryzen 7 6000 U-series chip scored 25 per cent higher in 3DMark Time Spy, a graphics benchmark.

For some benchmarks close to real-world workloads. AMD pulled up UL Procyon, which tests a system’s performance in the Microsoft Office suite. The company showed a system with a Ryzen 7 Pro 6860Z running a Teams conference while simultaneously running the benchmark produced 17 per cent higher score compared to a system with Intel’s 12th-gen Core i7-1260P processor. Note that the Ryzen 7 Pro 6860Z is an SKU exclusive to the Lenovo Thinkpad Z. Details are scarce around this chip, but some speculate that it’s a higher-binned version of the Ryzen 7 Pro 6850U.

Battery life is a crucial metric for business devices. Against AMD’s own Ryzen 5000 series processors, the new 6000 series boasts up to 35 per cent lower power consumption in video conferencing and 17 per cent lower in web browsing. The gap is even wider against Intel; AMD once again pitted the Ryzen 7 Pro 6860U against the Intel Core i7-1260P and claimed that its chip lasted 45 per cent longer in Microsoft Teams conferencing than the Intel-based system.

Moreover, AMD claims it achieved 26 hours of battery life using MobileMark 2018. The system used was an HP Elitebook 865 G9 laptop configured with a 76WHr battery, Ryzen Pro 6850U processor with Radeon graphics, 256GB HDD, 8GB memory, 60Hz 1080p display, and the power slider set to “better battery.” In its footnote, AMD noted that it did not verify the result independently, nor did it specify the screen’s brightness setting.

The company attributes the gains to higher core optimization, advanced transistor process, new processor power control features, and overall platform enhancements, such as LPDDR5 and more power-efficient displays.

AMD also compared the Ryzen Pro 5000 series to Intel’s 11th gen mobile processors. Benchmarks including PCMark, Geekbench, Passmark and Cinebench showed the eight-core Ryzen Pro 5875U leading against the four-core Intel Core i7-1185G7 despite running at almost half the TDP. The processor specifically shone in Cinebench multi-thread workloads, where the Ryzen chip’s higher core count produced nearly double the performance compared to its competitor. Furthermore, AMD claims that the HP ProBook 445 G9 based on the Ryzen 7 5825U can reach 20.5 hours of battery life, thanks to the processor’s advanced power-saving features.

Being a part of AMD’s Pro series, the new processors are based on a hardened platform designed for enterprise environments. Features like AMD’s Secure Processor and Microsoft Pluton co-processor complement additional layers of security in the operating system and OEM security.

Additionally, they come with increased stability and supply guarantees. For businesses, AMD promises 18 months of planned software stability, 24 months of planned availability, and a more rigorous quality assurance validation process for its Pro chips.

The new processors will arrive in a slew of new designs starting in Q2 2022.