ASUS has issued a fresh firmware update for its ROG Ally handheld that eliminates the performance issues at lower TDPs, offering a 20% boost in gaming.
ASUS ROG Ally Firmware Update Puts Steam Deck Way Behind In Terms of Raw Performance
Dave2D was the first to identify the issue. He observed that at lower TDPs, the ASUS ROG Ally hand-held was unable to compete with its competitor Steam Deck. The Steam Deck has an AMD Van Gogh APU with quad-core Zen2 architecture, half as many CPU cores, and only four GPU clusters, compared to the ROG Ally's more powerful Ryzen Z1 APU. Technically speaking, the ROG Ally ought to be in the lead, but in Dave's benchmarks, the Steam Deck was on par with the ROG Ally and, in some instances, even in the lead.
ASUS released a new firmware update for the ROG Ally handheld, compatible only with the most recent GPU drivers to address this issue. The firmware update significantly boosted the handheld's performance by up to 20% in some cases. According to Dave, the updated firmware now puts the console head-to-head with the AYANEO 2S, powered by the Ryzen 7 7840U Phoenix APU.
Playing games at 3W is one area where the Steam Deck continues to have an edge. Since the APU created for Steam Deck can function at such low voltage, it is perfect when you don't need much performance and would prefer a longer battery life. But if you want something faster, then ASUS's ROG Ally is definitely the choice to go for.
You can view our roundup about the ROG Ally where we have discussed about the handheld's capabilities in detail.
Handheld Gaming Console Lineup:
| Name | ASUS ROG Ally X | MSI CLAW AM1 | Steam Deck OLED | Lenovo Legion Go | ASUS ROG ALLY | Ayaneo Air 1S | AYANEO 2S | AOKZOE A1 Pro | AOKZOE A2 | GPD Win Max 2 | GPD Win 4 (2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU Name | AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme | Intel Core Ultra Series 1 | AMD Sephiroth | AMD Ryzen Z1 Series | AMD Ryzen Z1 Series | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U AMD Ryzen 5 7640U |
| CPU / GPU Architecture | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | Meteor Lake / Arc Xe-LPG | 6nm Zen 2 / RDNA 2 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 |
| CPU Cores / Threads | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 16 / 22 @ 4.8 GHz 14 / 20 @ 4.5 GHz | 4 / 8 @ 3.5 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz 6 / 12 @ 4.9 GHz |
| GPU Cores | 12 CU @ 2.8 GHz | 8 Xe @ 2.25 GHz 7 Xe @ 2.20 GHz | 8 CU @ 1.6 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.8 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.8 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.7 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.8 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.7 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.7 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.7 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.7 GHz 8 CU @ 2.6 GHz |
| Memory | 24 GB LPDDR5X-7500 | 16 GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16 GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16 GB LPDDR5-7500 | 16 GB LPDDR5-6400 | 32-64 GB LPDDR5x | 16 GB LPDDR5x-7500 | 32-64 GB LPDDR5x | 32-64 GB LPDDR5x | 16 GB LPDDR5x-7500 | 16-64 GB LPDDR5x-7500 |
| Storage | 1 TB (M.2) Micro-SD UHS-H | 512 GB / 1 TB (M.2) | 512 GB / 1 TB (M.2) | 512 GB- 2 TB (M.2) | 512 GB (M.2) + Micro-SD UHS-H | 512 GB - 2 TB (M.2) | 512 GB - 2 TB (M.2) | 512 GB- 2 TB (M.2) | 512 GB - 4 TB (M.2) | 512 GB - 2 TB (M.2) | 512 GB - 4 TB |
| Display Resolution | 1920x1080 @ 120Hz | 1920x1080 @ 120Hz | 1280x800 @90Hz | 2560x1600 @ 144Hz | 1920x1080 @ 120Hz | 1920x1080 @ 60Hz | 1920x1200 | 1920x1200 @ 60Hz | 1920x1200 | 1920x1200 | 1920x1200 @60Hz |
| Screen Type | 7-Inch | 7-Inch IPS | 7.4" OLED | 8.8-Inch Full IPS | 7-Inch | 5.5-Inch Amoled | 7-Inch Full IPS | 8-Inch Full IPS | 7-Inch Laminated IPS | 10.1-Inch Full IPS | 6-Inch Full IPS |
| WiFi Option | WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 | TBD | WIFI 6E + BT 5.3 | WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 | WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 | WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 | WIFI 6.0 + BT 5.0 | WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 | WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 | WIFI 6.0 + BT 5.0 | WIFI 6.0 + BT 5.0 |
| Battery Size | 80Wh | 53Wh | 50.0Wh | 49.2Wh | 40Wh | 38Wh | 50.25Wh | 65Wh | 48Wh | 67Wh | 45.62Wh |
| Weight | 678g | 675g | 640g | 845g | 608g | 405g | TBD | 729g | 649g | 1005g | 598g |
| Form Factor | 280.2x114x36.9mm | 294x117x21mm | 298x117x49mm | 299x131x41mm | 28.0 x 11.3 x 3.9mm | 224x89.5x21.6mm | TBD | 28.5 x 12.5 x 2.1mm | 265x105x22 | 227 × 160 × 23 mm | 220 × 92 × 28 mm |
| Operating System | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Steam OS/Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 |
| Release Date | July 2024 | 1H 2024 | November 2023 | November 2023 | May 2023 | 2023 | May 2023 | May 2023 | December 2023 | May 2023 | August, 2023 |
| Price | $799 US | $699 (125H + 16 GB + 512 GB) $799 (155H + 16 GB + 1 TB) | $549 (16 GB + 512 GB) $649 (16 GB + 1 TB) | $649 (16 GB + 512 GB) $749 (16 GB + 1 TB) $799 (16 GB + 2 TB) | $699 (Z1 Extreme) $599 (Z1 Standard) | $799 (16 GB + 512 GB) | TBD | $799 US (32 GB +512 GB) | $699 US (32 GB + 512 GB) | 730 EUR (7640U+16+1) 959 EUR (7840U+32+2) | TBD |
News Source: Dave2D
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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