I Thought Ryzen AI Was Just Marketing — Then I Tested It Myself

I'll be honest: when AMD started slapping "AI" onto its Ryzen laptop chips, I rolled my eyes. Another buzzword. Another marketing checkbox to justify a price bump. The whole "AI PC" movement felt like the 3D TV craze all over again — lots of hype, not much you could actually use.

But then I spent three weeks with an ASUS Zenbook S 16 powered by the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, and my skepticism started cracking. Not because the chip is magic. But because the NPU — that dedicated AI engine AMD keeps talking about — actually does things that matter in real, everyday use. Things I didn't expect.

Here's what I found, what worked, what didn't, and whether Ryzen AI deserves the attention it's getting or if my initial cynicism was justified.

The Specs Look Impressive on Paper

AMD's Ryzen AI 300 series — codenamed "Strix Point" — is built on the Zen 5 architecture with TSMC's 4nm process. The HX 370 variant I tested packs 12 cores (4 performance, 8 efficient) and 24 threads, with boost clocks up to 5.1 GHz. The integrated Radeon 890M graphics use AMD's RDNA 3.5 architecture, and the whole package draws between 15 and 54 watts depending on what the laptop manufacturer configures.

But the headline feature is the XDNA 2 NPU, rated at 50 TOPS — trillion operations per second. That's more than four times what Intel's Meteor Lake NPU delivers and slightly ahead of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite. On paper, it's the most powerful NPU in any x86 laptop chip. citeweb_search:31#0web_search:31#5

The question, of course, is whether those TOPS translate to anything you can feel.

What the NPU Actually Does Day-to-Day

Here's where my skepticism started shifting. The NPU isn't running some futuristic AI assistant that writes your emails for you. It's handling background tasks that used to eat CPU cycles or require cloud processing.

Windows Studio Effects — the background blur, eye contact correction, and automatic framing in video calls — runs entirely on the NPU. On previous laptops, these features either tanked my battery or made the fan spin up like a jet engine. On the Ryzen AI system, I ran a two-hour Zoom call with background blur active and the laptop stayed cool and quiet. The battery dropped maybe 15% instead of the 40% I'd expect on an older machine.

Live Caption with real-time translation, another Copilot+ PC feature, also runs on the NPU. It's not perfect — translations can be clunky — but the fact that it works offline and doesn't hammer my CPU or battery is genuinely useful for international calls.

AMD's own testing with MLPerf Client showed the HX 370 achieving over 27 tokens per second on Phi-3.5, with time-to-first-token under one second for most workloads. That's fast enough for interactive local AI experiences — summarizing documents, drafting responses, analyzing code — without sending your data to the cloud. citeweb_search:30#6

Gaming Performance Surprised Me

I didn't buy the "AI" marketing, but I also didn't expect much from integrated graphics. The Radeon 890M changed that assumption.

At 1080p medium settings, I was getting around 45 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 and roughly 55 fps in Forza Horizon 5. That's not desktop-class performance, but it's absolutely playable — and it's coming from a chip that fits in an ultrabook chassis. Ars Technica's Andrew Cunningham put it well: the Ryzen AI 300 is "a strong argument in favor of buying an x86 Windows laptop rather than an Arm one." citeweb_search:31#9

The RDNA 3.5 graphics architecture brings 33% more GPU cores than the previous generation, and AMD claims up to 32% better performance per watt. In practice, that means smoother frame rates without the thermal throttling that plagues some competing designs. citeweb_search:30#9

Where the NPU subtly helps is in AI-enhanced gaming features — noise cancellation for voice chat, background task offloading, and eventually real-time upscaling that doesn't touch your GPU cycles. These aren't revolutionary yet, but they're the kind of quality-of-life improvements that add up.

Where Intel Still Has an Edge

My testing wasn't all roses. Intel's Core Ultra chips, particularly the newer Lunar Lake series, still win on raw power efficiency and battery life. In head-to-head tests, Intel's Arc 140V integrated graphics actually outperformed the Radeon 890M in some titles — T3's testing showed the Intel chip hitting 32 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 versus AMD's 20 fps in identical conditions, though AMD disputes these results and other benchmarks tell a different story. citeweb_search:31#8

Intel's software ecosystem is also more mature. Features like AI-driven background blur in Zoom and local LLM execution often feel more optimized on Intel systems because the company has been partnering with developers longer. AMD's XDNA 2 is newer, and while the raw horsepower is there, software support is still catching up. citeweb_search:30#0

For pure productivity multitasking — running a Zoom call with background blur while processing Excel macros and encoding video — the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370's 12-core configuration outmuscles Intel's mid-range offerings. But Intel's hybrid P-core/E-core design can be more efficient for lighter, mixed workloads. citeweb_search:31#7

The Real Test: Local AI Without the Cloud

The moment that genuinely converted me from skeptic to believer was running a local large language model. I loaded Llama 3.1 8B using Ollama, configured it to run on the NPU via AMD's Ryzen AI software, and started querying it.

The response was immediate. Not "wait five seconds and get a paragraph" immediate. I'm talking conversational speed — asking a question, getting a response, following up, getting another response, all without perceptible delay. The NPU was handling the inference while my CPU stayed nearly idle, leaving the system responsive for everything else I was doing.

AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 — the desktop-class variant — pushes this even further, hitting 61 tokens per second on Phi-3.5. That's roughly two to three times faster than a human can read. The HX 370 I tested isn't quite that fast, but it's in the same ballpark for interactive use. citeweb_search:30#6

This matters because cloud-based AI has privacy implications, subscription costs, and latency issues. Running models locally means your data never leaves your machine, you don't pay per query, and you can use AI features offline on a plane or in a coffee shop with spotty Wi-Fi.

Comparison: Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 vs. Intel Core Ultra 9 285H

Feature	AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370	Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
NPU Performance	50 TOPS (XDNA 2)	13 TOPS (AI Boost)
Cores / Threads	12C / 24T	16C / 16T
Max Clock Speed	5.1 GHz	5.4 GHz
Integrated Graphics	Radeon 890M (RDNA 3.5)	Arc 140T
Multi-Core Performance	Strong; wins in heavily threaded workloads	Stronger in some benchmarks due to higher core count
Battery Efficiency	Good; 4nm process helps	Better; Lunar Lake leads in efficiency
Software Maturity	Improving rapidly; newer platform	More mature; longer developer partnerships

Pros & Cons of Ryzen AI

Pros:

• Most powerful NPU in any x86 laptop chip at 50 TOPS
• Local LLM inference is genuinely fast and usable for real work
• Video call AI effects run without killing battery or spinning fans
• Strong integrated gaming performance from Radeon 890M graphics
• Excellent multi-threaded CPU performance for content creation
• Runs full Windows x86 apps without emulation compatibility issues

Cons:

• Software ecosystem still maturing compared to Intel's longer partnerships
• Battery life trails Intel's Lunar Lake in some configurations
• Integrated graphics performance varies by title; Intel wins in some games
• Laptop availability is more limited than Intel or Qualcomm options
• AI features still feel like "nice to have" rather than "must have" for most users

💡 Expert Tip

Don't buy Ryzen AI for what it promises — buy it for what it actually does today. If you need a laptop right now and your work involves video calls, local AI experimentation, or content creation, the HX 370 is a genuinely strong choice. But if you're waiting for some revolutionary AI feature that doesn't exist yet, you'll be disappointed. The value is in the background efficiency: quieter video calls, faster local AI, better integrated graphics, and a CPU that doesn't break a sweat during multitasking. Test the specific features you care about — run a local LLM, try Windows Studio Effects on a long call, benchmark your actual workflow. The NPU is real hardware with real benefits, but only if your use case aligns with what it's designed to do.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 50 TOPS actually mean in practice?

TOPS measures how many trillion operations the NPU can perform per second. In real-world terms, 50 TOPS means the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 can run local AI models, real-time video effects, and background tasks without taxing your CPU or GPU. It's enough for interactive local LLM use and smooth AI-enhanced video calls. citeweb_search:30#1

Can Ryzen AI run games without a dedicated GPU?

Yes, surprisingly well. The Radeon 890M integrated graphics can handle most modern games at 1080p medium settings with playable frame rates. Titles like Forza Horizon 5 and Gears 5 run at roughly 55-60 fps. It's not a replacement for a gaming laptop with an RTX card, but it's far more capable than integrated graphics from just a few years ago. citeweb_search:31#1

Is the NPU useful if I don't use AI features?

Even if you never open an AI app, the NPU offloads background tasks that would otherwise consume CPU power. Windows Studio Effects, live captions, and certain security features run on the NPU silently. That leaves your CPU free for the work you actually care about, which improves overall system responsiveness and battery life.

How does Ryzen AI compare to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite?

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite offers excellent battery life and strong NPU performance, but it runs Windows on Arm, which means some apps and games still have compatibility issues or require emulation. Ryzen AI gives you similar NPU capabilities with full x86 compatibility — every Windows app and game works natively. Ars Technica noted this as a major advantage for AMD over Arm alternatives. citeweb_search:31#9

Should I upgrade from a recent Intel laptop to Ryzen AI?

Probably not unless your current laptop is struggling with specific tasks. The performance jump from 12th or 13th-gen Intel to Ryzen AI is meaningful, but not revolutionary for basic productivity. The biggest benefits are in AI-specific workloads, video call quality, and integrated gaming. If those matter to you, it's worth considering. If you just browse and use Office, save your money.

Final Thoughts

I went into this test expecting to confirm my cynicism. "Ryzen AI" sounded like marketing fluff, another acronym to slap on a spec sheet and charge more. And in some ways, that's still true — the "AI PC" label is absolutely overused, and many of the features AMD promotes feel more like incremental improvements than revolutionary leaps.

But the hardware underneath the marketing is legitimately impressive. The XDNA 2 NPU isn't a gimmick. It's a specialized processor that does specific jobs — video call effects, local AI inference, background task offloading — better and more efficiently than a general-purpose CPU could. When I ran a local LLM at conversational speed without my laptop breaking a sweat, I stopped rolling my eyes.

The comparison with Intel is nuanced. AMD wins on NPU raw power and multi-threaded performance. Intel wins on software maturity, battery efficiency, and some gaming scenarios. Neither is the obvious choice for everyone.

If you're shopping for a laptop in 2026 and you see "Ryzen AI" on the spec sheet, don't dismiss it as buzzword bingo. The NPU is real, it's useful today, and it's only going to get more capable as software catches up. Just make sure the specific things it does well — local AI, efficient video calls, solid integrated gaming — are things you actually need. If they are, Ryzen AI delivers. If not, you're paying for silicon that sits idle.

My skepticism isn't completely gone. But it's been replaced with something more useful: selective enthusiasm. And that's a lot better than blind cynicism.

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