Ryzen Z1 & Z1 Extreme Processors’ TDP can go as low as 9W, Says AMD

Both the AMD Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen 7040U series use the same “Phoenix” silicon based on Zen4 and RDNA3 architecture. However, upon close inspection, you can find small details that make the Ryzen Z1 an optimal handheld gaming console.

AMD confirmed that the Configurable Thermal Design Power (cTDP) for the Ryzen Z1 series can go as low as 9W. On the other hand, the lower limit for the Ryzen 7040U series is 15W. AMD has already changed their official website to update the specs.

One should note that the Ryzen 7040U can operate at lower power. The TDP is just a measure of the CPU voltage/frequency curve, which is 15W for the Ryzen 7040U series. 

AMD is also yet to reveal the official clock speeds for the Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme chips. Most likely, the company will release them alongside the ASUS ROG Ally launch which is scheduled for May 11th. 

Matthew Hurwitz, Client PR at AMD:

“The Ryzen Z1 series are purpose-built with handheld gaming in mind. To accomplish this, AMD engineers had to validate entirely new power ranges and optimize the voltage curves specifically for this use case – this optimization and validation work should not be trivialized. So while the technology building blocks (like ‘Zen4’ and RDNA 3) are similar between the 7040 and Z1 series, the resulting models have very distinct characteristics customized for their use cases.”

Hurwitz also revealed that the AMD Ryzen AI engine is not available on Ryzen Z1 series processors. However, the AMD XDNA AI engine is not entirely removed from the console but rather simply disabled. 

AMD is set to announce the first Ryzen Z1 product on May 11th. ASUS ROG Ally is the only known handheld console to feature the Z1 processor whereas the Ryzen 7040U has been spotted on other consoles.

About Advanced Micro Devices

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

AMD develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. AMD’s main products include microprocessors, motherboard chipsets, embedded processors and graphics processors for servers, workstations, personal computers and embedded system applications.