Our Top Picks for AMD Ryzen™ and Ryzen™ PRO Processors

AMD Ryzen and AMD Ryzen PRO Processors

AMD Ryzen™ and AMD Ryzen™ PRO Processors are built for high performance laptops, desktops, and workstations. Whether you're a business multi-tasker, a competitive gamer, a digital artist, or a PC enthusiast who demands the best, there's a lot to love and benefit from in an AMD Ryzen processor.

The impressive AMD Ryzen processor line-up includes multiple tiers, each with its own specifications and aimed at different (sometimes overlapping) groups of PC users:

• AMD Ryzen™ 3:  Performance starts here, with an ideal combination of power and features for everyday work, home, and student use
• AMD Ryzen™ 5: Additional speed and features for gamers, professionals, and on-the-go users who need solid performance
• AMD Ryzen™ 7: Advanced performance, features, and battery life for professionals, creators and competitive gamers who want exceptional hardware
• AMD Ryzen™ 9: For users who accept only the best, with the some of the highest speeds and some of the most cores to power premium PCs and laptops.

AMD also makes specialized CPUs for workstations – AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ Processors and AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ PRO Processors. [See Lenovo Workstations with AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO Processors.]

AMD Ryzen processors are regularly cited as some of the most powerful and productive CPUs on the market today. Keep reading to learn more about the features and capabilities that make AMD Ryzen and Ryzen PRO processors so popular.

What are AMD Ryzen™ Processors?

AMD Ryzen™ (pronounced RYE-zen) is the brand name of the new, faster, premium AMD computer processors. AMD Ryzen processors are built on the company's highly evolved “Zen” microarchitecture, the latest generation of AMD processor technology. They're highly popular and power a wide variety of Lenovo's top-selling laptops, desktops, and workstations.

Since their initial release in 2017, AMD Ryzen processors have won acclaim around the globe. Technology analysts say the new AMD Ryzen line-up has lifted AMD into direct competition with other manufacturers in terms of processor performance. Today, many reviewers list AMD Ryzen processors among the best you can buy, thanks to their fast responsiveness, advanced memory support, efficiency and battery life, and high speed at completing demanding tasks.

What makes AMD Ryzen Processors different?

What sets AMD Ryzen™ processors apart from other CPUs? That's simple: It's the technology within each chip that delivers more power and new, advanced features compared to earlier generations.

With the AMD Ryzen brand, the company added vastly more cores. AMD Ryzen and Ryzen Threadripper processors offer from four cores to 16 cores for consumers, and as many as 64 cores for high-end workstations. AMD also introduced Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT), which doubles the processing resources, or threads, available for producing work from each core. So a four-core AMD Ryzen processor enjoys up to 8 processing threads, while a 64-core version boasts up to an astonishing 128 processing threads – unleashing performance levels that deliver truly premium experiences.

Compared to earlier AMD products, AMD Ryzen processors have several physical advantages:

• Smaller transistor structures – ranging from 14nm (“Zen”) to 7nm (“Zen 2” and “Zen 3”) and 6nm ("Zen 3+") – that use less power, generate less heat, and allow room for more cores on each chip
• Fewer shared resources, making each core more discrete, self-sufficient, and faster
• Improved intra-processor links for on-the-fly adjustments to core/thread utilization, to optimize performance
• Improved overclocking capabilities that can unleash additional processor cycles¹ for even more performance for advanced users

AMD Ryzen Processors are available across the Lenovo PC line-up, including ThinkPad, Yoga, IdeaPad, and ThinkBook laptops and IdeaCentre, Legion and other desktops.

AMD Ryzen Processor specifications

Here's a high-level look at AMD Ryzen™ processor offerings for laptops and desktops. Not every chip described here will be found on a Lenovo system, and over time, newer models will come out and older ones will be discontinued. But the list captures the depth and breadth of AMD Ryzen processor offerings and shows there's an AMD Ryzen CPU for virtually every user and computing need.

Table 1 shows the specifications of AMD Ryzen 6000 Series and 5000 Series processors for laptops as of March 2022. Not every CPU shown here might be found in a Lenovo system, and over time, new models may be added (and older ones dropped). But the list captures the range of core available counts and other features.

Table 1: AMD Ryzen 6000 Series and 5000 Series mobile processors

Table 2 shows the specifications of AMD Ryzen 5000 Series processors for desktop PCs as of March 2022. Not every CPU shown here might be found in a Lenovo system, and over time, new models may be added (and older ones dropped). But the list captures the range of core available counts and other features.

Table 2: AMD Ryzen 5000 Series desktop processors

For gamers, in particular, AMD Ryzen processors – with their excellent per-core performance and overclocking features – deliver incredibly fast frame rates to support today's demanding AAA titles. So for many gamers, a gaming PC powered by an AMD Ryzen processor is a logical choice. [Learn more about AMD gaming laptops and the AMD Advantage.]

What are AMD Ryzen PRO Processors?

AMD Ryzen™ PRO Processors are built primarily for business users. Not only do they feature AMD Ryzen processor-level clock speeds, core/thread counts, and so on, they also deliver cutting-edge data security features and fleet management capabilities that IT departments love.

If you're a heavy office multi-tasker, an AMD Ryzen PRO CPU has plenty of power for your needs. Multiple browser windows. Video conferencing. Screen-sharing presentations. Instant messaging apps. AMD Ryzen PRO Processors can do it all.

Table 3 shows the specifications of AMD Ryzen PRO 6000 Series and 5000 Series processors for laptops. Not every CPU shown here might be found in a Lenovo system, and over time, new models may be added (and older ones dropped). But the list captures the range of core available counts and other features.

Table 3: AMD Ryzen 6000 PRO Series and 5000 PRO Series processors

AMD PRO Technologies

AMD PRO Technologies deliver a complete set of features that are essential for modern business: cutting-edge security features, robust manageability tools, and enterprise-grade stability and reliability. AMD Ryzen™ processors with PRO Technologies give you confidence that your PC will perform quickly and reliably—the ultimate business experience.

AMD PRO security: Enhanced system security features

All AMD Ryzen™ PRO processors come with AMD PRO security features that make them ideal for business and enterprise use. These advanced, on-chip security capabilities help combat today's increasingly sophisticated malware attacks and other threats.

AMD PRO security features on Ryzen PRO processors include:

• AMD Architecture: The AMD “Zen” architecture on which the latest AMD processors are built is designed to help reduce exposure to attacks.
• AMD Memory Guard: Encrypts memory data in real time to help prevent physical attacks that might reveal sensitive information and mitigate so-called "cold boot attacks."³
• AMD Secure Boot: Extends the silicon root-of-trust to the system BIOS to defend against new-style attacks that seek to embed malware into the system firmware.⁴
• AMD Secure Processor: A dedicated security processor (separate from the main processing cores) that performs many encryption and other tasks for processing and storing sensitive data and trusted applications.
• AMD Shadow Stack: Helps protect the system from control flow attacks by confirming the normal program stack against a hardware-stored copy and enabling Microsoft Hardware Enforced Stack Protection.
• Microsoft Secured-Core PC: AMD Ryzen 6000 PRO Series processors fully support the Microsoft Secured-Core PC initiative, which relies on a combined effort of chip makers, PC manufacturers, and Microsoft to provide deeply integrated hardware, firmware, and software for enhanced device protection. Secured-core PCs add a layer of protection by enabling full memory encryption by default.
• Integrated Microsoft Pluton Security Processor: AMD Ryzen 6000 PRO Series processors are the first x86 processors to integrate the Microsoft Pluton Security Processor, a chip-to-cloud security technology that hardens new Windows 11 PCs with continuous protection for user identity, data, and apps.5
  

AMD PRO manageability: Easy IT management

Along with their comprehensive data security protection features, AMD PRO manageability delivers a robust set of PC management features that are designed to help IT departments save time and money.

Some of the IT-friendly features of AMD PRO manageability include:

• Multi-vendor Supported Manageability: Increases flexibility and choice for management, including out-of-band management, of desktop and mobile systems from multiple OEM and both AMD and Intel processors.
• Seamless Windows Deployment: Deploy Windows to AMD powered systems using an identical process and similar amount of time, compared to other processors.
• Full support for current infrastructures and modern Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solutions.

AMD PRO business ready: Enterprise-grade quality assurance

AMD PRO business ready features provide IT decision makers with long term consistency to simplify IT planning and maximize return on investment.  All AMD Ryzen™ PRO processors offer enterprise-grade computing solutions that are designed for quality, stability, and reliability, in addition to platform longevity:

• 18 months of planned software stability
• 24 months of planned availability
• Enterprise-grade quality assurance and reliability
• Continuous platform validation to ensure dependability and a consistent user experience across multiple generations
• OS updates
• Firmware/BIOS updates
• Driver updates

Taken together,  AMD PRO security, AMD PRO manageability, and AMD PRO business ready features help protect sensitive data, simplify system deployment, and dramatically expand remote PC management – all at enterprise scale and using current infrastructure.

The information contained herein is for informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice. “Zen”; “Zen 2”; and “Zen 3” are codenames for AMD architectures and are not product names. (GD-122)

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, Ryzen, Radeon, Threadripper, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.