Demystifying AMD's confusing product names

Although AMD was the first to release a 64-bit desktop CPU in 2003, the company lagged behind Intel in the semiconductor industry for years. However, a turnaround occurred when AMD announced the original Ryzen series in 2017. While AMD has a slightly slimmer CPU lineup overall compared to Intel, the company's naming scheme still remains confusing at first glance. If you're looking for an AMD-based Windows laptop or desktop CPU, make sure you understand AMD's naming scheme to decide on the ideal processor for your workflow.

What exactly is the difference between Ryzen 7 8700F and Ryzen 5 8600G? Are you confused about the meaning of AMD Ryzen 7 7730U and Ryzen 7 7840S CPUs? Read on to learn more about AMD's product naming schemes, including the suffixes that differentiate its processors.

Understanding AMD Ryzen segmentation

Before we break down AMD's naming scheme for mobile and desktop processors, let's first get acquainted with its portfolio. AMD introduced the Ryzen CPU series in 2017. Ryzen is AMD's flagship consumer CPU brand and is divided into four segments:

• AMD Ryzen 3: Intended primarily for everyday productivity tasks. It offers smooth media streaming and is good enough for playing entry-level video games.
• AMD Ryzen 5: Ideal for casual gaming, basic image and video editing, and online streaming with increased audio and video quality.
• AMD Ryzen 7: It can run demanding games and edit your RAW photos and 4K videos without breaking a sweat. It can also stream 4K HDR videos without any glitches.
• AMD Ryzen 9: The pinnacle of the AMD series. It can easily run AAA gaming titles and handle complex 3D and other demanding tasks in a snap.

With the introduction of the HP OmniBook Ultra, AMD has also introduced a new range of laptop CPUs aimed at AI tasks. It is called AMD Ryzen AI 300 series and is available in three variants: Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and Ryzen AI 9 365. They support 55 AI TOPS and a dedicated NPU to handle AI tasks like To enable the generation of a travel route, summarize an email or sharpen and denoise graphics and videos. It is based on the latest Zen 5 architecture and competes directly with Intel's Lunar Lake CPUs. So far, only a handful of devices are equipped with AMD's Ryzen AI 300 series processors.

AMD also offers the Threadripper series, which is quite expensive and aimed exclusively at niche audiences with professional workstations.

Understanding the AMD mobile processor naming scheme

At the end of 2022, AMD completely revised its naming scheme for mobile processors. This insight can be helpful when purchasing a new AMD laptop. Next time you see two identical AMD laptops with 7730U and 7640U options, you can easily spot their differences and choose the better device.

Like the older naming scheme, AMD still uses a combination of four digits and a letter suffix. Here each letter and suffix have a specific purpose and meaning. Let's break it down.

First digit

The first digit indicates the model year of the generation. For example, if the first digit is 7, it is a 2023 model. Likewise, letter 8 shows that the CPU was introduced in 2024, and so on. According to AMD, this is a faster way for a regular consumer to detect when the CPU has started.

Second digit

The second digit refers to the processor family. For example, if the second digit of an AMD CPU is 5 or 6, it is part of the Ryzen 5 segment. The Ryzen 7 series can have either 7 or 8 as the second digit. Finally, Ryzen 9 chips can use either 8 or 9 in the second digit. For example, if it is a 7945HX, the CPU is part of the Ryzen 9 series.

Third digit

This is where things get interesting. The third digit shows the microarchitecture of the AMD processor. The company uses the Zen term, which indicates the manufacturing process in nanometers. For example, if the third digit is 3, the CPU is based on an older Zen 3/Zen 3+ 7nm/6nm microarchitecture. The latest Zen 4 CPUs have a 4 as the third digit and are based on AMD's more advanced 5nm manufacturing process.

Fourth digit

The last digit further separates the different processors within the segment. Let's take 7730U and 7735U as an example here. Both belong to the Ryzen 7 segment. However, the former is a 15W CPU with a base clock of 2GHz and maximum boost clock speeds of up to 4.5GHz. The latter is a 28W CPU with a 2.7GHz base and up to 4.75GHz maximum boost clock speeds. There is also a difference in the number of graphics cores (8 on the 7730U vs. 12 on the 7735U).

Suffix and its meaning

Finally, the last letter in an AMD mobile CPU is TDP (Thermal Design Power) in watts, which refers to power consumption under maximum load. Here's what each letter means.

• E (9W): This is basically a fanless variant for U-series CPUs that is used in inexpensive laptops.
• C (15-28W): Designed for energy efficient Chromebook devices.
• U (15-28W): Lower clocked laptop processors for thin and light devices.
• HS (35W+): High-performance CPUs with integrated graphics and lower power consumption.
• HX (55W+): Delivers maximum performance in AMD's mobile processor lineup.

Decoding AMD Ryzen desktop processors

Interestingly, AMD has not yet adopted a new naming scheme for desktop chips like it did for laptops. For example, the 7000 series desktop processors like 7950X, 7900X, 7700X and more are based on the Zen 4 architecture and don't really follow the same naming scheme as described above.

The confusing naming scheme continues with the Ryzen 9000 series. The company recently launched Ryzen 9000 series CPUs with multiple variants including Ryzen 9 9950X, Ryzen 9 9900X, Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X. These processors are based on AMD's latest Zen 5 architecture.

The first digit is a model number that indicates the series of the processor. For example, the Ryzen 7xxx series is a successor to the Ryzen 5xxx series and offers the latest microarchitecture available from AMD today.

The second number indicates the performance level within their series. It basically indicates a slight increase in clock speeds. For example, AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT is better than Ryzen 5 5500GT (up to 4.6 GHz vs. up to 4.4 GHz maximum boost clock).

The third and fourth digits show further differentiation within the same segment. Let's take the Ryzen 9 7940HX and 7945HX as an example. The latter is slightly better due to a higher maximum boost clock (up to 5.4GHz vs. 5.2GHz) and base clock speeds (2.5GHz vs. 2.4GHz).

AMD Ryzen desktop CPU suffixes and what they mean

Like mobile processors, desktop CPUs also end up with different endings.

• Q: Integrated graphics are missing.
• G: APU with powerful integrated AMD Ryzen graphics.
• GE: Has integrated AMD Radeon graphics but lower performance.
• X: Has faster clock speeds and higher power consumption.
• XT: Slightly better than X due to higher clock speeds.
• X3D: Equipped with AMD's 3D V-Cache technology for better gaming performance.
• S: Prioritizes efficiency and features integrated AMD Radeon Vega graphics.

Simplify AMD's new naming scheme

The CPU is the heart of every system. Choosing the wrong AMD CPU can ruin your workstation experience in an instant. You should understand AMD's naming scheme before you start looking for a new laptop or desktop device. After purchasing a desktop AMD processor, read our step-by-step guide on how to properly install it.