Legion Go S Faces Off with ROG Ally X: Ryzen Z2 Go Appears 10% Slower Than Ryzen Z1 Extreme

AMD’s latest unveiling has sparked quite a bit of excitement in the gaming world. The introduction of the Ryzen Z2 Go APU has many eager to see how it stacks up against the Ryzen Z1 series. Enter Fps VN, who’ve kindly answered our curiosities by releasing FPS test results for the Lenovo Legion Go S and the Asus ROG Ally X, spanning three different games across various power settings.

Lenovo’s new gaming device, the Legion Go S, runs on the Ryzen Z2 Go APU. While it features a Zen 3+ architecture and only half the cores found in the Z1 Extreme, its specs still intrigue many. It sports lower base (3.0 GHz to the Z1’s 3.3 GHz) and boost (4.3 GHz versus 5.1 GHz) clocks, yet Lenovo opted for this chip in its latest handheld, so naturally, comparisons to the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme are inevitable.

Before jumping into performance data, it’s worth outlining what each device brings to the table. The Legion Go S, showcased at CES 2025, boasts an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor coupled with 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400 memory. Its generous 512GB PCIe 4.0 storage and large, vibrant eight-inch 120 Hz display (1920×1200 resolution) caught many eyes. Meanwhile, the Asus ROG Ally X—released in mid-2024—packs an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip with an impressive 24GB of LPDDR5 memory. Its smaller, but sleek, seven-inch 120 Hz display (1920×1080 resolution) complements a hefty 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD.

Let’s dive into the games tested. In “Black Myth Wukong,” the Legion Go S managed an average of 36 FPS at 720p Medium 15W settings, while the Asus ROG Ally X hit 40 FPS. At 1080p Low FSR 20W, they scored 30 and 32 FPS respectively, and pushed to 60 and 64 FPS under 30W. For “Cyberpunk 2077,” both showed competitive numbers—50 vs 54 FPS at 720p Medium 15W, slightly closer at 45 versus 47 FPS on 1080p Low FSR 20W, and 61 against 66 FPS with 30W power. “Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut” saw similar margins.

In general, the data confirms what might have been expected. The Z1 Extreme chip in the Asus ROG Ally X retains a slight edge, powered by its additional cores and speedier clocks. Its GPU advantage, thanks to the newer 780M chip compared to the Z2 Go’s 680M, contributes to this upper hand.

Remarkably though, the performance gap in gaming isn’t as wide as one might suspect, with the Ally X typically only squeezing out a mere 4 FPS more on average. AMD’s optimizations paired with Lenovo’s engineering mean the Z2 Go compensates well for its power limitations, delivering results closer than anticipated to the heavyweight Z1 Extreme.

When weighing the devices, the Asus ROG Ally X comes in at $799, a smidge higher than the Lenovo Legion Go’s price of $729. Performance numbers put the Z1 Extreme ahead, but the allure of a bigger screen and a slightly friendlier price point makes the Legion Go a strong contender. Especially when the FPS differences are minor, many gamers might find the trade-off worth it for the larger visual experience.