If you want to say that the biggest change in notebook chips in 2024, it must be Intel's Core Ultra processor, which has a huge increase in Arc core graphics performance, and it is not a dream to surpass AMD Radeon 780M.
But users who have seen Radeon 780M reviews know that if you want to get the full performance of the GPU, you need not only a display chip, but also many necessary conditions.
So what conditions must be met?
Today, we will use an Ultra 7 processor thin and light laptop as an example to briefly analyze:
ASUS Zenbook 14 2024
Left side of the fuselage
The right side of the fuselage
It is configured as follows:
Ultra 7 155H processor
32GB LPDDR5x 7467MHz 内存
1TB SSD
14-inch 2880×1800 resolution, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 120Hz refresh rate, OLED screen
The battery capacity is 75Wh
厚度 13.9~15.6mm
Weight 1.20kg
Adapter weight 218g
The reference price is 6599 yuan
Its advantages and disadvantages are as follows:
Advantages!1, the body is thin and light, and the portability is strong
2. The screen quality is good
3. The battery is larger and the battery life is better
Disadvantages!1, there are fewer interfaces, only one USB-A port
2. The fuselage is not resistant to dirt, and the surface is easy to get grease
3. The noise is louder under high load
【Upgrade Suggestion】It is not difficult to disassemble this laptop, and the back cover can be removed after removing the screws of the D case.
The dual-channel 32GB LPDDR5x 7467MHz memory meets the needs of most applications, and the memory is onboard and cannot be replaced.
The SSD capacity of the test machine is 1TB, the model is Western Digital SN560, supports PCIe 4.0×4 and NVMe, and the machine only has one M.2 slot with 2280 specifications, and can replace the solid state if necessary.
[Purchase suggestion] 1, the requirements for lightness, thinness and portability are very high
2. There is a certain pursuit of screen quality
3, the number of external equipment is not high, ASUS Zenbook 14 2024's fuselage is relatively light and thin, less than 1.2kg weight and 13.9~15.6mm fuselage in the same price range, which is to take the thin and portable route. In terms of screen, the measured color gamut volume is 171.1%sRGB, 121.2%DCI-P3, and the color gamut covers 100.0%sRGB and 100.0%DCI-P3;
The machine is DC-like dimming at about 40nits, that is, more than 40% of the system brightness, PWM dimming below, and full-brightness DC-like dimming after HDR is turned on. In terms of interfaces, there is a USB-A 5Gbps port on the left side of the computer, two USB4 ports on the right side (supporting PD charging and DP output), a 3.5mm audio jack, and an HDMI2.1 port.
In terms of battery life, the test score of daily application simulation script is 6 hours and 58 minutes.
In terms of noise, it has a decibel level of 48.3dB at full load. (32.9dB ambient noise)
The price of ASUS Lingyao 14 2024 was 6599 yuan when it was first released, and now just after the first period, the price of JD's self-operated has risen to 6999 yuan.
So if you want a thin and light laptop with a good screen quality and good energy control, then this notebook can be considered.
But if you're looking for high performance and want to juggle a lot of games, then this PC isn't for you.
【Heat Analysis】The above picture is the actual disassembly of the ASUS Zenbook 14 2024, the combination of a single fan and a single heat pipe, which is the same as last year's specifications, but the layout is optimized and there is an additional air outlet, which can theoretically improve the heat dissipation efficiency.
Room temperature 25 °C
Reflectance1.0
BIOS版本:UX3405MA.201
For Core Ultra processors, we use Stress FPU for stress testing.
In the full load state, the high-efficiency mode mode is enabled, the CPU temperature is up to 101°C, stable at 83°C, the power consumption is 28W, the P-core frequency is 2.0~2.3GHz, the E-core frequency is 1.9~2.0GHz, and the LPE core is 1.2GHz.
Swipe left to see the temperature on the back
Oven back temperature
The surface temperature is shown in the graph above, with keyboard keycaps up to 44.2°C at "F9", 36.5°C for WASD keys, and 35.1°C for arrow keys. The temperature of the left wrist rest is 34.7°C, and the center point of the back is 37.8°C. Overall, the ASUS Zenbook 14 2024's cooling performance has improved, and while power consumption is still conservative, the core temperature is much lower, and fan noise has decreased.
【The Pig King's Conscience Conclusion】
As a thin and light laptop with a high-spec Arc GPU, Zenbook 14 also achieves strong memory performance, using 32GB LPDDR5x 7467MHz memory, which is one of the necessary conditions to ensure the performance of the GPU. But in addition, Zenbook 14's heat dissipation capacity is not strong enough, and the CPU can only be released up to 28W power consumption, which is relatively low.
I think it is necessary to be able to achieve at least 45W in order to give full play to the core display performance.
To sum up, if you want to experience the performance of the latest Intel Core Ultra, the thin and light laptop must meet the following conditions:
1. Equipped with Ultra 7/9 processor
The Ultra 5's GPU specs were cut, and 7/9 didn't.
2. LPDDR5x 7467MHz memory specification
Actually, there are higher, but they are very rare, so they are not counted.
3. At least 45W or more performance release
If it is a large screen book of more than 15 inches, the standard should be increased to more than 65W.
According to the above conditions, such as Lenovo Xiaoxin Pro14, HP Star Book Pro14 and other small size thin and light notebooks "high-end version" should be able to meet the demand, but the price after meeting the demand is much higher than the AMD Ryzen version under the same mold.
So even if Intel Core Ultra is technically superior, the cost performance of thin and light laptops is still stronger than AMD, and "high cost" is a problem that Intel can never solve.