New AMD Ryzen Pro 6000 Series CPUs Bring ‘Zen 3+’ to Enterprise Laptops

We tested the first Ryzen 6000 series mobile CPUs earlier this year, and today, AMD is bringing the best of Ryzen to the business world with its announcement of the Ryzen Pro 6000 series, a family of enterprise-class processors for laptops. The new CPUs boast the same “Zen 3+” architecture and RDNA 2-based on-chip graphics that make the current Ryzen 6000 consumer CPUs so competitive, and they add security and IT-management support that’s ideal for business use cases.

Zen 3+ and RDNA 2 Are Going to Work

The eight new Ryzen Pro 6000 “Rembrandt” processors are built on AMD’s most advanced architecture, Zen 3+. AMD's 6-nanometer manufacturing process is further enhanced with a focus on power efficiency, with a new power-management framework, new power planes in the SoC, deep partitioning built in, and component-level optimizations.

The result, according to AMD, is up to 1.3 times faster CPU performance (the claim made versus an equivalent previous-gen Ryzen 5000 mobile chip) and better performance per watt, which, the chip maker claims, translates into longer battery life and cool, quiet performance under load.

The new chips also get RDNA 2, the architectural underpinning for AMD's most powerful integrated graphics solutions to date. In addition to performance optimizations, and other generational improvements, AMD has added HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.0 support, along with multi-display support that can handle up to four individual 4K panels, all while handling the latest codecs for video conferencing and other video applications.

Performance in collaborative tools such as Microsoft Teams is another major focus. AMD claims that the Ryzen Pro 6000 series can deliver 15% faster performance than comparable Intel 12th Generation “Alder Lake” Core i7 CPUs (Core i7 P-series versus Ryzen 7 6000 U-series) while running productivity applications. The claims are based on Teams video conferences, PCMark 10 scores, and typical Microsoft Office exercises under UL's Procyon benchmarking tool.

Business Class: Security and Management

In addition to the improved performance and power efficiency, AMD has also outfitted the Ryzen Pro 6000 series with the latest connectivity options. These include support for USB 4.0 (with 40GB-per-second Thunderbolt 4), Wi-Fi 6E, and PCI Express 4.0.

Added to this are AMD's enterprise-class security and manageability features. These include not only AMD-proprietary solutions (AMD Memory Guard and AMD Shadow Stack), but also Microsoft's Pluton technology (which eliminates the attack vector between the CPU and its security processor). The Pro line also has support for Windows 11 security tools, as well as manufacturer security tools from partners such as Lenovo and HP.

Here's a look at the new Ryzen 6000 Pro mobile-CPU stack, which comprises both higher-wattage (35-watt and 45-watt) H- and HS-series chips for power-user machines and workstations, and a pair of 28-watt Ryzen 6000 Pro U-series processors…

The U-series chips will be bound for thinner ultraportables. The new chips are a mix of eight-core Ryzen 7 and six-core Ryzen 5 models. All support SMT for thread-doubling.

Ryzen Pro 6000: Coming Soon

The AMD Ryzen Pro 6000 series processors will show up in several systems across a range of manufacturers starting in the second quarter of 2022. A handful of these were highlighted in our briefing with AMD.

The first is the Lenovo ThinkPad Z, a new model in the ThinkPad line, that features premium touches like vegan leather across the lid, a recycled aluminum frame, and an extra-large touchpad and iconic red TrackPoint nestled in the center of the keyboard. The ThinkPad Z will be available in 13-inch and 16-inch sizes, with AMD Ryzen Pro 6000 CPUs (in a special “Ryzen 7 Pro 6860Z” chip version) and Windows 11 Pro. (See our first look at the ThinkPad Z from CES 2022.)

The 13-inch Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 will sell for $1,549, while the larger Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a base price of $2,099. Both will begin selling in May.

The second is the HP EliteBook G9, which pairs the new Ryzen Pro 6000 CPUs with features like Bang & Olufsen audio, a 5-megapixel webcam, and a sleek all-aluminum chassis. Available in 13-, 14-, and 16-inch sizes, the EliteBook G9 features AMD Pro Security and HP Wolf Security, and promises industry-leading battery life. Though no parallel HP announcements have divulged just yet when the EliteBook G9 models will begin selling, they were originally announced at CES for an April launch, so we’ll probably see them in the coming weeks.

Finally, AMD teased an unspecified number of mobile workstations coming that would feature the new Pro Series processors. Only one was mentioned by name: the Lenovo P16s, which will be outfitted with the Ryzen 7 Pro 6850U. The AMD hardware brings RDNA 2 to professional applications, and AMD notes that 19 ISV certifications are planned for using the new CPUs in workstations.