AMD is Making Laptops Affordable

The video begins by outlining a sponsorship with Lenovo and presenting the Lenovo Flex 14 two-in-one as the demonstration platform. Initially promising as a modest review of a $550 laptop, the host Linus discovers unexpectedly strong performance from the AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor, prompting a deeper comparison against Intel’s Core i5-8250U. Updates to BIOS and chipset are highlighted as critical for unlocking the Ryzen’s potential, with a notable jump in single-thread performance after the updates. Across Blender and Cinebench, the Ryzen 5 3500U consistently outperforms the i5 option by more than 10%, underscoring how four cores can translate into real-world gains in productivity tasks and light content creation. The discussion then pivots to a broader context: even though Ryzen’s advantage is clear in multi-core workloads, Intel retains some advantages in single-threaded performance and PCMark 10 scores. Power consumption is also contrasted, with the Ryzen rarely exceeding 20 watts versus the Intel model hitting up to 40 watts, suggesting potential battery life implications. The host considers practical tradeoffs for everyday users, noting that the Ryzen-based Flex 14 2-in-1 delivers “good enough” gaming performance for casual titles at low to medium settings, and highlights the 1080p touch display, included pen, and a serviceable port selection as solid value for the price. Overall, the verdict is that AMD has pushed the budget laptop market forward by delivering compelling performance at a historically accessible price point, while Lenovo’s sponsorship is acknowledged and appreciated for enabling the real-world comparison.

Topics · computing hardware · laptops · amd · intel · budget electronics · consumer electronics · gaming hardware