Legion Go S vs. ROG Ally X: Ryzen Z2 Go Trails Ryzen Z1 Extreme by 10% in Performance

AMD’s recent introduction of the Ryzen Z2 Go APU has stirred up a flurry of curiosity regarding its performance compared to the previous Ryzen Z1 series. Fortunately, Fps VN quelled our anticipation by sharing in-depth FPS test results, pitting the Lenovo Legion Go S against the Asus ROG Ally X across three different games under various power settings.

Lenovo’s latest gaming handheld, the Legion Go S, features the Ryzen Z2 Go APU. It’s built on the Zen 3+ architecture, has half the cores of the Z1 Extreme, and comes with reduced base (3.0 GHz versus the Z1’s 3.3 GHz) and boost clocks (4.3 GHz vs. 5.1 GHz). Despite these differences, Lenovo selected it for their newest gaming devices, sparking our interest in how it stacks up against the last gen’s powerhouse chip, the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme.

Before we delve into the performance numbers, let’s check out the key specs of both devices. Launched at CES 2025, the Lenovo Legion Go S operates on an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor, paired with 16GB LPDDR5X-6400 memory. It also includes a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD and features an eight-inch, 120 Hz, 1920×1200 IPS display. The Asus ROG Ally X, which hit the market in mid-2024, is powered by the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and boasts 24GB of LPDDR5 memory. It also offers a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD and comes with a seven-inch, 120 Hz, 1920×1080 IPS screen.

To give you a clearer picture, here’s the data from the performance tests across different titles:

– For Black Myth Wukong at 720p Medium 15W, the Legion Go S achieved an average of 36 FPS, while the Ally X reached 40 FPS.
– At 1080p Low FSR 20W, the Legion scored 30 FPS compared to the Ally’s 32 FPS.
– At higher settings, 1080p Low FSR 30W saw the Legion at 60 FPS, and the Ally slightly ahead at 64 FPS.

Moving to Cyberpunk 2077:

– At 720p Medium 15W, the Legion hit 50 FPS against the Ally’s 54 FPS.
– At 1080p Low FSR 20W, the scores were 45 FPS for Legion and 47 FPS for Ally.
– At 1080p Medium FSR 30W settings, the Legion managed 61 FPS, while the Ally pushed to 66 FPS.

Lastly, for Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut:

– At 720p Medium 15W, Legion scored 62 FPS, and Ally topped at 66 FPS.
– At 1080p Medium FSR 20W, Legion reached 48 FPS against Ally’s 52 FPS.
– At a 30W setting, both devices clocked 62 and 66 FPS respectively.

What these numbers highlight is that the Z1 Extreme on the Asus ROG Ally X consistently outperforms the Legion Go S’s Z2 Go, as expected. This advantage owes to the Z1 Extreme’s superior specs, including double the core count, higher clock speeds, and a more advanced 780M integrated GPU compared to the Z2 Go’s 680M.

Interestingly, the performance margin across all titles wasn’t vast, averaging only about 4 FPS in favor of the ROG Ally X. The Ryzen Z2 Go delivered roughly 10% less performance than the Z1 Extreme based on these tests.

We initially anticipated a wider performance gap, given the Ally X’s extra 8GB of memory and a smaller screen with fewer pixels to push. But it seems AMD and Lenovo have fine-tuned the Z2 Go efficiently, balancing performance within the size and power constraints of handheld systems.

Priced at $799, the Asus ROG Ally X stands slightly above the Lenovo Legion Go at $729. In strictly numerical terms, the Ally X outperforms in raw power, but the larger screen and lower cost of the Legion Go may appeal to gamers who might not notice a 4FPS difference in real-world play.