Legion Go S and ROG Ally X Face Off: Ryzen Z2 Go Trails Ryzen Z1 Extreme by 10%

Recently, AMD made waves by unveiling the Ryzen Z2 Go APU, sparking a lot of curiosity about how it measures up against the previous Ryzen Z1 series. Thankfully, we got some clarity thanks to Fps VN, who released FPS test results comparing the Lenovo Legion Go S with the Asus ROG Ally X across three different games and varying power settings.

Lenovo has rolled out the Legion Go S featuring the Ryzen Z2 Go APU. This chip, while having half the cores of the Z1 Extreme, runs on Zen 3+ architecture instead of Zen 4. Its base clock is slightly lower at 3.0 GHz compared to 3.3 GHz, and its boost clock is at 4.3 GHz against 5.1 GHz of the Z1 Extreme. Despite these differences, Lenovo selected it for their shiny new gaming handhelds. Naturally, we are eager to see how it stacks up against the flagship AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip from the previous generation.

Before we jump into the performance numbers, let’s glance at the overall specs of both gadgets. The Lenovo Legion Go S, introduced at CES 2025, houses an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400 memory, a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and an eight-inch 120 Hz 1920×1200 IPS display. In contrast, the Asus ROG Ally X, which hit the shelves in mid-2024, boasts an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip with 24GB of LPDDR5 memory and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, along with a seven-inch, 120 Hz, 1920×1080 IPS screen.

Taking a peek at the performance results, here’s what we’ve got:

• Black Myth Wukong (720p Medium 15W): 36 FPS on Legion Go S vs. 40 FPS on ROG Ally X
• Black Myth Wukong (1080p Low FSR 20W): 30 FPS on Legion Go S vs. 32 FPS on ROG Ally X
• Black Myth Wukong (1080p Low FSR 30W): 60 FPS on both
• Cyberpunk 2077 (720p Medium 15W): 50 FPS on Legion Go S vs. 54 FPS on ROG Ally X
• Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p Low FSR 20W): 45 FPS on Legion Go S vs. 47 FPS on ROG Ally X
• Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p Medium FSR 30W): 61 FPS on Legion Go S vs. 66 FPS on ROG Ally X
• Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut (720p Medium 15W): 62 FPS on Legion Go S vs. 66 FPS on ROG Ally X
• Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut (1080p Medium FSR 20W): 48 FPS on Legion Go S vs. 52 FPS on ROG Ally X
• Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut (1080p Medium FSR 30W): 62 FPS on both

From the data, it’s clear that the Z1 Extreme on the Asus ROG Ally X consistently has the edge over the Z2 Go on the Lenovo Legion Go S. This isn’t entirely surprising, considering the Z1 Extreme packs double the cores, faster clock speeds, more L3 cache, and a more recent 780M integrated GPU compared to the 680M on the Z2 Go.

Despite the advantages of the Z1 Extreme, the performance gap across the game titles is surprisingly narrow, with only a 4 FPS average lead for the ROG Ally X. The benchmarks suggest the Ryzen Z2 Go trails the Ryzen Z1 Extreme by about 10% in terms of sheer performance.

You might expect a more dramatic gap given the Ally X has 8GB more memory and a slightly smaller, lower-resolution screen (hence fewer pixels to push). Yet, both AMD and Lenovo appear to have fine-tuned the Z2 Go to perform admirably, particularly given the constraints of handheld gaming devices.

As it stands, the Asus ROG Ally X comes in at $799, whereas the Lenovo Legion Go S isn’t too far off at $729. In raw performance terms, the Z1 Extreme-powered Ally X does perform better; however, gamers may find the larger screen and slightly lower price tag of the Legion Go S enticing, especially since most players aren’t likely to notice the modest 4 FPS difference in real-world usage.