Ryzen Z2 Go APU is allegedly exclusive to the Lenovo Legion Go S — chip reportedly offers four Zen 3+ cores, 12 CU RDNA 2 iGPU, and LPDDR5X-6400 support

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The successor to AMD's Z1 series is almost here.

Legion Go
(Image credit: Lenovo)

We covered a leak a while back detailing AMD's upcoming Ryzen Z2 lineup of APUs. The list featured a particular budget-oriented offering based on Rembrandt-R: the Ryzen Z2G or Z2 Go. Today, renowned leaker Golden Pig Upgrade Pack, with a proven track record (via Olrak at X), alleges that the Z2 Go will be exclusive to Lenovo's forthcoming Legion Go S handheld and mentions its specifications.

In 2023, AMD's Z1 series took the handheld market by storm. These APUs were rebadged Phoenix chips Zen 4 and RDNA 3, featured across various devices. AMD seems to be readying a follow-up in the form of the Z2 series. Leaks suggest that the Z2 lineup features the Z2 Go, the Z2, and the Z2 Extreme. Rumor has it that the Z2 and Z2E employ Hawk Point and Strix Point silicon, respectively, while the Z2G, based on Rembrandt-R (Ryzen 7035 APUs), should be seen in cost-effective handhelds.

The leaker says that Z2G stands for Z2 Go, which we know, and sadly, is exclusive to Lenovo's upcoming Legion Go S handheld. Moreover, the Z2G sports a quad-core CPU layout based on Zen 3+ alongside a 12 Compute Unit iGPU (Integrated GPU) developed using the RDNA 2 architecture.

Ryzen Z2G specs

(Image credit: Golden Pig Upgrade Pack (via Olrak))

Skimming over AMD's Rembrandt and Rembrandt-R families, the Z2G has no direct equivalent. Still, such a setup should net the Z2G 8MB of L3 cache and 2MB of L2 cache, which isn't exciting, but bear in mind that the Z2G is designed to be an inexpensive choice for affordable handhelds. Memory-wise, there is support for LPDDR5X-6400 memory, and those same speeds should be carried over to the Lenovo Legion Go S.

Last month, the same tipster leaked AMD's mobile portfolio Iffor 2025. Assuming that leak proves true, AMD is expected to continue producing Rembrandt-R (Ryzen 7035) APUs into 2025 as a budget-friendly alternative to Hawk Point, Strix Point, and the Krackan Point series, which are scheduled to debut at CES. Despite not offering the latest architectures from Team Red, these chips still have a lot of horsepower, considering the price incentive.

AMD's Z2 family of APUs and Lenovo's Legion Go S handheld will likely be revealed at CES next month. Expect more details on pricing, performance, and availability at the event.

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Hassam Nasir
Hassam Nasir
Contributing Writer

Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.

5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • usertests
    I didn't expect this thing to be a quad-core. It should be directly comparable to the Steam Deck APU with 2/3 of the CUs.

    It's going to be fascinating to see what APU Valve chooses to upgrade to. They might hold out for Zen 6(c), and might stick with quad-core if it's custom.
    Reply
  • Amdlova
    The 13100t with the 6700xt use the GPU almost 100% . Some newer games may struggle with the quad core. A quad core machine can push gaming without issues.
    Reply
  • thestryker
    If the core count is accurate that would indicate that AMD is taking the handheld market more seriously. The leaks regarding the Zen 5 one also feature a lowered core count compared to the laptop alternative with the same IGP. Hopefully they'll also optimize the power profiles so third party software isn't required to optimize for best performance when gaming.
    Reply
  • usertests
    thestryker said:
    If the core count is accurate that would indicate that AMD is taking the handheld market more seriously. The leaks regarding the Zen 5 one also feature a lowered core count compared to the laptop alternative with the same IGP. Hopefully they'll also optimize the power profiles so third party software isn't required to optimize for best performance when gaming.
    I had very low expectations for "Z" APUs after the first round that were carbon copies of Phoenix. AMD is stuffing refreshes in there but they are mixing it up.

    I think we'll see 8 cores in basically everything soon though since they make so many APU dies with 8 cores, with the mainstream APUs moving to 12 cores. Kraken with 8 cores is the tiny Strix Point.

    This Z2 Go is obviously a Rembrandt die with half the cores disabled, which is not ideal. But they have probably accumulated a lot of suitable dies from years of Rembrandt and Rembrandt-R refreshes. Unless it's custom, most things will end up with over 4 cores.
    Reply
  • thestryker
    usertests said:
    This Z2 Go is obviously a Rembrandt die with half the cores disabled, which is not ideal. But they have probably accumulated a lot of suitable dies from years of Rembrandt and Rembrandt-R refreshes. Unless it's custom, most things will end up with over 4 cores.
    I think the question with this one is what all ended up fused off because if they're able to keep the full 16MB L3 these will probably end up being better than the Z1. Even if it's cut down to 8MB they'll still probably be better in a lot of games due to the increase in CUs.
    usertests said:
    I had very low expectations for "Z" APUs after the first round that were carbon copies of Phoenix. AMD is stuffing refreshes in there but they are mixing it up.
    The rumors point to 3 Z SKUs with the regular Z2 just being the Z1E with a new name. The Z2E is supposed to be Strix Point in 3/5 form as opposed to the 4/8 of the HX 370/375. I assume these are just binned CPUs as well, but none of the leaks have indicated cache etc.
    Reply