"While a 20% lower CPU performance will inevitably affect game performance, it will not be a substantial performance drop; a 66% lower GPU performance will however dramatically drop framerates"
The difference won't be that big because in a TDP scenario and limited bandwidth, the iGPU with 12CU cannot express its full potential.
It's been hard for me to find reliable reviews on the ROG Ally due to its Windows nature. Like when you mention the Z1 vs Z1 Extreme comparison, do we know for certain that both systems were tested using the same Windows 11 install, same Windows updates applied, same drivers across the board? Because all of those things can affect scores, especially in TDP constrained environments like handhelds.
It seems they should have considered four Zen 4 cores to keep the iGPU prioritized. Most of these games aren't CPU limited with such a weak GPU. I'm worried the decisions here are more marketing than engineering but what do I know I didn't design the thing maybe cutting CPU cores won't have a big impact on thermal headroom...
It looks like the main reason they launched this version was to have an option with a lower price point. Even if the $699 is a lot better value a lot of people may not be able or willing to go past a $599 sticker price.
It’s likely ASUS never intended for an alternative SoC version but the $699 version was selling enough units they looked at their options to make a version with a lower cost to entry. It’s even possible Best Buy reached out to ASUS directly to lobby for a cheaper version.
Only 4 RDNA3 CUs and way less TMUs and ROPs enabled and that device is just too close to the Z1 Extreme based Ally. And there needs to be some direct Steam Deck to Ally(Z1 Non Extreme) testing as that's the competition there for this SKU.
That Proprietary Plug solution is also a big minus because that limits the device to only the ASUS eGPU solutions. So I would avoid that until the price differential is at least $150 US dollars. And what about any SD card reader issues?
There was nothing extreme about the higher spec CPU aside from the name on the packaging.
Its nice to see a cheaper processor option for those of us that might like the idea of docking that thing and pairing a BT keyboard and touchpad to it to use it for on the go word processing and e-mail fetching instead of gaming though I wish they would get rid of the controller components and use that internal volume for battery, storage, and cooling.
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Dante Verizon - Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - link
"While a 20% lower CPU performance will inevitably affect game performance, it will not be a substantial performance drop; a 66% lower GPU performance will however dramatically drop framerates"The difference won't be that big because in a TDP scenario and limited bandwidth, the iGPU with 12CU cannot express its full potential.
dontlistentome - Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - link
Indeed, but 12 CUs at crippled clock will still easily beat 4 maxed out on power and performance.meacupla - Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - link
The 12CU vs 4CU does make a huge difference.Z1 extreme pulls ahead consistently.
However, the CPU 8 core vs 6 core works in weird ways. The Z1 ends up being faster in a lot of benchmarks for pure CPU stuff.
This is in both 15W and 25W TDP modes.
NextGen_Gamer - Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - link
It's been hard for me to find reliable reviews on the ROG Ally due to its Windows nature. Like when you mention the Z1 vs Z1 Extreme comparison, do we know for certain that both systems were tested using the same Windows 11 install, same Windows updates applied, same drivers across the board? Because all of those things can affect scores, especially in TDP constrained environments like handhelds.meacupla - Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - link
There are only a bunch of reviews/comparisons from reputable and reliable sources out right now.Samus - Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - link
It seems they should have considered four Zen 4 cores to keep the iGPU prioritized. Most of these games aren't CPU limited with such a weak GPU. I'm worried the decisions here are more marketing than engineering but what do I know I didn't design the thing maybe cutting CPU cores won't have a big impact on thermal headroom...Dante Verizon - Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - link
six cores and 6CU seems like the perfect balance for efficiency.Skeptical123 - Thursday, September 21, 2023 - link
It looks like the main reason they launched this version was to have an option with a lower price point. Even if the $699 is a lot better value a lot of people may not be able or willing to go past a $599 sticker price.It’s likely ASUS never intended for an alternative SoC version but the $699 version was selling enough units they looked at their options to make a version with a lower cost to entry. It’s even possible Best Buy reached out to ASUS directly to lobby for a cheaper version.
FWhitTrampoline - Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - link
Only 4 RDNA3 CUs and way less TMUs and ROPs enabled and that device is just too close to the Z1 Extreme based Ally. And there needs to be some direct Steam Deck to Ally(Z1 Non Extreme) testing as that's the competition there for this SKU.That Proprietary Plug solution is also a big minus because that limits the device to only the ASUS eGPU solutions. So I would avoid that until the price differential is at least $150 US dollars. And what about any SD card reader issues?
meacupla - Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - link
Hopefully they make an Ally2.PeachNCream - Thursday, September 21, 2023 - link
There was nothing extreme about the higher spec CPU aside from the name on the packaging.Its nice to see a cheaper processor option for those of us that might like the idea of docking that thing and pairing a BT keyboard and touchpad to it to use it for on the go word processing and e-mail fetching instead of gaming though I wish they would get rid of the controller components and use that internal volume for battery, storage, and cooling.