AMD has recently unveiled the Ryzen Z2 Go APU, sparking curiosity about how its performance stacks up against the older Ryzen Z1 series. Thankfully, Fps VN has come to the rescue, providing us with benchmark results for the Lenovo Legion Go S against the Asus ROG Ally X, tested across three games with varying power settings.
The Lenovo Legion Go S, equipped with the Ryzen Z2 Go APU, has caught attention despite having fewer cores than the Z1 Extreme. It’s built on the Zen 3+ architecture instead of Zen 4 and features lower base and boost clock speeds. With a base speed of 3.0 GHz compared to 3.3 GHz, and boost clocks reaching 4.3 GHz instead of 5.1 GHz, Lenovo’s decision to incorporate it into their recent gaming handhelds naturally piques our interest as it challenges AMD’s previous high-end Ryzen Z1 Extreme.
Before diving into performance details, let’s take a quick look at what each device offers. Revealed at CES 2025, the Lenovo Legion Go S boasts an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor, paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400 memory, a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and an impressive eight-inch display with a 1920×1200 resolution at 120 Hz. In contrast, the Asus ROG Ally X, which made its debut in mid-2024, is powered by an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, along with 24GB of LPDDR5 memory, a hefty 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and a slightly smaller seven-inch, 1920×1080 IPS screen with the same 120 Hz refresh rate.
When examining the FPS test results, it’s clear that the Asus ROG Ally X generally outshines the Lenovo Legion Go S. This isn’t too surprising, considering the ROG Ally X’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme has more cores, faster clock speeds, double the L3 cache, and a newer integrated GPU. It delivered an average of 4 FPS more across the tested games.
Despite this, the differences aren’t monumental, with the Z2 Go rendering about 10% less performance than its predecessor. This was quite unexpected given the ROG Ally X’s additional 8GB of memory and smaller, less demanding screen. Yet, both AMD and Lenovo appear to have finely tuned the Z2 Go to make full use of its capabilities despite the constraints of portable gaming devices.
Pricing plays a notable role in these devices’ appeal. The Asus ROG Ally X is tagged at $799, while the Lenovo Legion Go is slightly cheaper at $729. While hardware enthusiasts might lean toward the superior performance of the Z1 Extreme in the Ally X, the Legion Go’s larger screen and lower price might attract casual gamers who won’t likely discern the 4 FPS advantage in real-world usage.
In summary, while the Asus ROG Ally X takes the lead in performance, the Lenovo Legion Go might still capture the hearts of those looking for a larger display and a more budget-friendly option.
