The Intel-AMD processor war is heating up. Both companies are working on the latest generation of products to gain an edge in performance, energy efficiency, and emerging AI applications. HP's latest Zhan 99 laptop has become a new battlefield in this war, and it has become the latest contest of strength between the two sides.
HP Zhan 99 notebook product introduction
As HP's high-end mobile workstation series, the Zhan 99 notebook has always been known for its outstanding performance and excellent reliability. The latest Zhan 99 notebook has been further improved in terms of appearance design, using an all-metal one-piece body, which is fashionable and avant-garde. The airframe has undergone 21 military-grade tests to maintain excellent stability in harsh environments.
In terms of configuration, the Zhan 99 notebook offers a variety of processors, graphics cards, memory and storage combinations to meet the needs of different users. The top-of-the-line version is powered by Intel's 13th Gen Core i9-13900HX processor with a turbo frequency of up to 5.4GHz, which is capable of extreme multi-threaded performance. In terms of graphics card, you can choose up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 12GB discrete graphics card, which can easily handle demanding tasks such as 3D modeling and rendering.
The Zhan 99 notebook also has excellent expansion capabilities. It offers dual memory slots that can support up to 64GB of DDR5 memory; Dual M.2 SSD slots for flexible storage expansion. A wide range of interfaces also bring convenience to users, including Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, HDMI, etc., and can connect a variety of peripherals without the need for a docking station.
Processor war
Intel Core Ultra processor
Intel's latest Core Ultra processor is extraordinary. It uses Intel 4 process technology and Foveros 3D packaging technology to integrate CPU, GPU and NPU in a single chipset. The new Redwood Cove architecture improves instruction execution per clock cycle, while the low-power efficiency Crestmont offloads background workloads for efficient multitasking.
The Core Ultra processor provides up to 16 cores and 22 threads of computing power, clocked at up to 5.1GHz. In terms of GPU, it uses Intel's latest generation of Arc graphics architecture, with a significant increase in the number of cores and frequency, and the performance of 3D games and creative applications will be unprecedented.
The More Core Ultra processor has a dedicated NPU (Neural Network Processing Unit) built in to provide hardware acceleration support for AI applications. According to data released by Intel, the AI performance of the Core Ultra processor can be 79% ahead of the competition when running large language models.
AMD Ryzen 8040 processor
Not to be outdone, AMD has also done a good job with the latest generation of Ryzen 8040 series processors. Based on the 7nm Zen 4 architecture and RDNA 3 graphics card architecture, the Ryzen 8040 series has significantly improved CPU and GPU performance.
But the biggest highlight is that the Ryzen 8040 series integrates the AMD XDNA NPU architecture in select models, and the AI computing power is up to 16 TOPS, which is a staggering 60% improvement over the previous generation. This gives the Ryzen 8040 Series an unmatched advantage when it comes to running AI workloads.
The Ryzen 8040 series has already received support from several major OEMs at the beginning of its launch, including brands such as Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Razer, and is expected to launch a new product with this processor in the first quarter of 2024.
Who will win
In the face of the brand-new products of the two processor giants, Intel and AMD, consumers will make comprehensive comparisons and trade-offs from multiple perspectives such as performance, energy efficiency, and AI acceleration.
When it comes to traditional CPU and GPU performance, both Intel and AMD have their own areas of strength. However, with the increasing popularity of AI applications, the acceleration ability of NPU will become a new important consideration. Whether it is the inference of large language models or the real-time enhancement of video conferences, it needs to be supported by powerful AI acceleration capabilities.
Power consumption and battery life will also be key metrics for mobile platform users. Intel Core Ultra processors excel in this area, while the AMD Ryzen 8040 series also adjusts TDP to improve energy efficiency.
For HP, it is undoubtedly a big advantage to be able to provide processor options from both Intel and AMD camps for the Zhan 99 notebook at the same time. Consumers can freely choose the best configuration based on their actual needs, weighing factors such as performance, energy efficiency, AI acceleration, and price.
The arrival of the HP Battle 99 notebook will undoubtedly ignite the head-to-head battle between Intel and AMD on mobile platforms once again. This new product is equipped with the latest and most powerful processors from both companies, and the performance output and AI acceleration capabilities have reached unprecedented heights. Its performance will greatly affect consumers' perception and choice tendency of the latest products of the two camps.
For high-intensity workloads such as creative design, 3D modeling, and video encoding, the Zhan 99 notebook is definitely the best choice. Its excellent portability also makes it a great partner for mobile work. Whether it is performance control or aviation party, you can find the products that best meet your needs in the Zhan 99 series.
At present, artificial intelligence is penetrating into our lives and work at an unprecedented rate. Having strong AI acceleration capabilities will help unleash the potential of more innovative applications. I believe that in the near future, the HP Zhan 99 notebook equipped with Intel Core Ultra or AMD Ryzen 8040 processor will bring us a new intelligent experience.