After a long time, we finally saw a glimpse of a mid-range Zen 5 Strix Halo chip, which is usually rare to find on devices.
AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro 385 Benchmarked on Geekbench; Scores 2489 Points in Single and 14136 Points in Multi-Core Tests
It has been quite a while since AMD launched its premium segment Zen 5 mobile chips. The Strix Halo is the strongest-ever lineup based on the Zen 5 architecture, which offers up to a staggering 16-cores/32-threads configuration. However, most of the machines, including AI mini PCs and laptops, are mostly equipped with the flagship model, even though AMD also launched several SKUs in the lineup.
AMD's Ryzen AI Max Pro 395 is usually seen on high-end mobile devices, boasting 16-core/32-threads and a Radeon 8060S, but this is probably the first time we have witnessed a mid-range 8-core/16-thread SKU. It's the Ryzen AI Max Pro 385, which offers 8x Zen 5 cores clocked at 3.6 GHz with boost clock of up to 5 GHz and carries the RDNA 3.5-based Radeon 8050S graphics. Unlike the Pro 395, the Pro 385 is significantly weaker in the CPU department but is fairly strong when it comes to the integrated graphics.
While the iGPU needs to be tested for comparison, the Radeon 8050S is only 8 Compute Units behind the Radeon 8060S. This will surely put the latter in a noticeably higher position in graphical performance, but the Radeon 8050S is likely the second strongest iGPU you will currently find on the mainstream market. Nonetheless, coming to the CPU itself, the Ryzen AI Max Pro 385 is used on an HP ZBook Ultra G1a 14-inch mobile workstation laptop. We have seen such laptops and mini PCs with faster Strix Halo variants, but it's good to see that manufacturers are going to offer more affordable options.
The processor scored 2489 points in single and 14136 points in multicore tests, but that will hugely vary from test to test, and we all know that Geekbench 6 isn't exactly a reliable test platform for CPUs. What's more important is that we can finally see cheaper alternatives to Ryzen AI Max Pro 395-based devices, offering excellent iGPU performance. Mini PCs and laptops equipped with Ryzen AI Max Pro 385 can easily play games at 1080p with playable framerates, but keep in mind that many of these devices will be targeted towards professionals and content creators.
Being able to offer up to 50 NPU TOPS and over 100 TOPS of AI performance overall, the Ryzen AI Max Pro 385 can be a solid option for AI workloads as well. Ryzen AI Max Pro 395-based laptops and mini PCs usually cost nearly $2000 and above, but with the availability of Ryzen AI Max Pro 385, we can finally see sub-$1500 systems.
News Sources: Geekbench, Videocardz
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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