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AMD announced their 7045 HX Series of Mobile Processors at CES 2023 and the specification sounded almost too good to be true. The top-of-the-line Ryzen 9 7945HX promised 16 cores, 32 threads, heaps of cache and up to 5.4GHz Boost speed. That sounds like a regular Ryzen 9 7950X with a TDP of a mere 55W which is surely impossible and something we have to see for ourselves.
Timestamps
00:00 AMD / ASUS story – Eh?
01:12 7045HX Series CPUs
01:47 Cinebench 23 (battery and mains runs)
02:25 Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
04:00 Vapor Chamber Cooler
05:29 AMD development / power / voltage
06:37 AMD claims the win / combined power budget
07:39 Asus Armory Crate Profiles
08:41 Testing the 7945HX
11:34 Performance charts / power
14:17 3DMark
14:39 Gaming Benchmarks
15:35 Battery Tests
15:51 1440p and GPU options
17:07 Some other bits and pieces
17:59 Leo’s Closing Thoughts
AMD gives details about their new Zen 4 Dragon Range CPUs and we can see they are impressive, packing the technology of a Zen 4 chiplet CPU in a laptop with the promise of high performance and low power draw. We are used to the idea of compromise so you will understand that an offer of a win-win will take a while to sink in.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) G733PY
Specification
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX 16 cores/32 threads, 2.5GHz/5.4GHz 55W+ TDP
- Integrated GPU: AMD 610M with RDNA2 technology
- Display: 17-inch, 2,560×1,440 resolution, 240Hz refresh IPS with G-Sync
- Add-in Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop 16GB GDDR6, 2090MHz at 175W
- Memory: 32GB Samsung DDR5-4800 dual channel
- SSD: 2TB SK Hynix PC801 PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD (our sample has 1TB)
- Audio: Stereo speakers
- Wi-Fi: MediaTek WiFi-6e
- I/O ports:
- 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
- 3.5mm Combo audio jack
- 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with DisplayPort and Power Delivery
- 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with DisplayPort
- 1x HDMI 2.1
- LAN Realtek 2.5Gb
- Battery: 90Wh/5,675mAh, 330W power adapter
- Dimensions: 395mm x 282mm x 59-72mm
- Weight: 3.0kg plus 1kg for power supply and mains cable
- Operating system: Windows 11 Pro
AMD sent KitGuru a sample of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) G733PY laptop to showcase their Ryzen 9 7945HX CPU. As we highlight in our video, the CPU draws slightly under 100W by default while the Nvidia GPU draws 150W. For our second set of test runs we reduced the CPU power settings in Asus Armoury Crate from 92W to 65W. In other words the CPU is somewhat overshadowed by the GPU. While the impressive Asus Vapour Chamber cooling system is able to keep the hardware under control, we have to wonder whether the AMD CPU would look more impressive in the cheaper version of this laptop that comes with RTX 4080 Laptop graphics.
Performance and Testing: CPU
Cinebench R23 Multi Core
In Cinebench R23 Multi Core the new Ryzen 9 storms to the top of the chart with 16 cores running at 4.3GHz.
Cinebench R23 Single Core
In Cinebench R23 Single Core, AMD scores another victory with the single core running at 5.4GHz.
Blender 3 Classroom
Blender 3 Classroom shows similar results to Cinebench R23 and the new Ryzen 9 again dominates the chart.
CPU Power Consumption
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the new Ryzen 9 is that it delivers stunning performance while using relatively little power. You still need a chunky laptop with a decent cooling system but this new generation of CPUs has reset our expectations.
Testing and Performance: System
BAPCo CrossMark
We typically think of BAPCo CrossMark as a test that favours Intel CPUs but here we see the new Ryzen 9 at the top of the chart by a healthy margin.
7-Zip
The 7-Zip benchmark shows Ryzen 9 winning by a ridiculous margin compared to every other laptop we have ever seen.
AIDA64 Memory Benchmark
AMD often struggles with memory speed and control but here in the AIDA64 Memory Benchmark we see decent performance that does a good job against Intel.
PC Mark 10 Battery
The PC Mark 10 Battery test shows the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 delivers a good user experience from its 90Wh battery.
Testing and Performance: Gaming
3D Mark Time Spy – CPU Score
The CPU element of 3D Mark Time Spy throws up different results to Cinebench and Blender and while AMD does well it has not excelled.
Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy at 1080p
In Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy at 1080p the combination of Ryzen 9 and RTX 4090 Laptop performs well but fails to top the chart.
Far Cry 6 at 1080p
In Far Cry 6 at 1080p we see, as expected the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 does a good job and the gaming experience is top notch.
Watch Dogs Legion at 1080p
Watch Dogs Legion at 1080p puts the cherry on the icecream sundae with the ROG Strix Scar 17 stomping the rest of the field.
The new AMD Dragon Range offers huge performance, however we would have expected nothing less as the Ryzen 9 7945HX appears, on paper, to be a desktop CPU in a mobile package.
The impressive thing is that AMD has delivered high levels of efficiency alongside the performance, which effectively gives you the best of both worlds. While it feels like flim-flam when AMD talks about power optimisations that allow the Ryzen 7045 series to run at low Vcore, the fact of the matter is that they have delivered. These mobile parts run in the range 1.2V-1.3V where desktop parts use around 1.35V and that is a solid win.
The negative part of the equation is that this HX family of CPUs is far-removed from thin and light territory so you have to deal with a 3kg laptop, plus a 1kg power supply and a power cord. You can certainly use this laptop on battery however it is pretty much a portable workstation that will not want to stray far from mains power.
While Dragon Range is impressive, we are keen to see new AMD silicon in a thinner, lighter and more portable laptop.
You can buy the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) G733PY for £3670 HERE.
Pros:
- Stunning CPU performance.
- Asus Vapour Chamber cooling is superb.
- Nvidia RTX 40 Laptop graphics are excellent.
- Decent battery life.
Cons:
- A 3kg laptop with 1kg power supply is unwieldy.
- Asus Armoury Crate is frustrating.
- You pay a fortune for each bump in Nvidia graphics.
- The layout of ports and connectors is slightly weird.
KitGuru says: The new AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX CPU delivers storming performance.
