When purchasing a new laptop, it’s crucial to examine its specifications to determine if it offers a significant upgrade or, if you’re buying your first laptop, to find one with a good power-to-price ratio for your needs. Unlike desktop PCs, laptop processors often don’t perform as well as expected or even fall short of their stated specifications. This is due to reliance on the cooling system and TDP, meaning clock speeds can vary depending on the laptop model.
We’ve encountered instances where a more expensive processor offers no improvement, and the Ryzen AI 7 345 is a prime example, delivering worse performance than the Ryzen AI 5 340, which feels like a rip-off.
Both laptop processors and graphics cards generally perform less effectively than their desktop counterparts. This is because they cannot sustain extremely high frequencies and consume hundreds of watts, as this would severely drain the battery and lead to overheating. Even laptops using identical hardware can exhibit considerable performance differences.
AMD Deceives Customers with Ryzen AI 7 345: Worse Performance Than Ryzen AI 5 340
In the laptop market, the most expensive hardware isn’t always the best. We’ve seen cases where Core i7 processors perform like i5s, and Core i9s perform like i7s. This often occurs when Intel releases higher-end CPUs that are essentially the same with only slightly increased frequencies. AMD is not exempt from this practice, and the Ryzen AI 7 345 is a worse offender, boasting inferior specifications and poorer performance than the Ryzen AI 5 340. PC users feel misled by AMD with this APU, as despite both having 6 cores, the 345 uses 2 Zen 5 cores and 4 Zen 5c cores, while the 340 features 3 full-sized Zen 5 cores.
Furthermore, the Ryzen AI 7 345 boosts to a maximum frequency of 4.6 GHz on its two Zen 5 cores, whereas the Ryzen AI 5 340 reaches 4.8 GHz. The issues don’t stop there, as AMD has further compromised this processor by including only 8MB of L3 cache and 14 PCIe 4.0 lanes for the 345, while the 340 offers 16MB of L3 cache and 16 PCIe 4.0 lanes.
Ryzen AI 7 350 Offers Real Improvements with 8 Cores and Radeon 860M
In other specifications, the Ryzen AI 7 345 is identical to the Ryzen AI 340. It reaches the same 3.4 GHz on its Zen 5c cores and features the Radeon 840M graphics running at 2.9 GHz, suitable for 1080p gaming. If you encounter a laptop with this APU, avoid it at all costs. These laptops typically cost around 1,000 euros, while those with the Ryzen AI 5 340 are priced at about 600 euros. You’ll save hundreds of euros and get better performance with superior specifications by choosing the 340. If you’re looking for a significant upgrade, the Ryzen AI 7 350 is a viable option, as it offers genuine changes and improvements unlike the 345.
The Ryzen AI 7 350 features 8 cores, split between 4 Zen 5 and 4 Zen 5c cores. The Zen 5c cores run 100 MHz faster at 3.5 GHz, and the Zen 5 cores will reach 5 GHz. It also includes 16MB of L3 cache and 16 PCIe 4.0 lanes, along with a Radeon 860M graphics chip operating at 3 GHz with 8 Compute Units, double that of the 840M.
