When “7” Doesn’t Mean Better: Ryzen AI 7 445 Fails to Outperform Ryzen AI 5 340
AMD’s mobile processor naming has always required a bit of decoding, but a new round of testing suggests the company may have created a situation where a higher model number no longer guarantees better performance. Notebookcheck’s latest benchmarks reveal that the Ryzen AI 7 445—a chip positioned above the Ryzen AI 5 340 in the stack—delivers performance that is not only similar but in some metrics actually below its lower-numbered sibling.
The findings raise questions about AMD’s SKU strategy as the Ryzen AI 400 series begins appearing in retail laptops. With many of the announced systems still not widely available, this is one of the first real-world comparisons buyers have to go on.
Same Core Count, Different Core Mix
On paper, both processors are 6-core, 12-thread parts. But the devil is in the details. The Ryzen AI 5 340 (Krackan Point) uses 3 Zen 5 cores and 3 Zen 5c cores. The Ryzen AI 7 445 (Gorgon Point) uses 2 Zen 5 cores and 4 Zen 5c cores.
The difference matters. Zen 5c cores are denser and more power-efficient than standard Zen 5 cores, but they typically run at lower sustained performance. By reducing the number of full-performance Zen 5 cores from three to two, AMD has essentially created a chip that carries a higher model number but offers less of the architecture’s peak capability.
Other specifications reinforce the downgrade. The AI 7 445 has 8MB of L3 cache compared to the AI 5 340’s 16MB. Its maximum boost clock is also slightly lower at 4.6 GHz versus 4.8 GHz.
Benchmarks Tell the Story
Notebookcheck’s testing of a Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 16 equipped with the Ryzen AI 7 445 produced an aggregate processor rating of 61.2 points. The Ryzen AI 5 340 in a Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 14 scored 63.7 points. In other words, the lower-tier chip outperformed the higher-tier one.
Cinebench R15 multi-loop averages told a similar story: the AI 7 445 system posted 1,638 points, while an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V-based Yoga 7 16 scored 1,433. The AI 5 340 was not directly compared in that specific test, but the aggregate rating paints a clear picture.
Integrated Graphics Also Lag
The Ryzen AI 7 445 uses Radeon 840M graphics with 4 cores. In Notebookcheck’s 3DMark performance rating database, it scored 19.3 points. That sits below the Ryzen AI 5 340 configuration at 22 points and is far behind Intel systems with Arc 140V graphics, which landed around 41 points.
For users expecting higher-tier graphics performance from a chip with a “7” in its name, the results are disappointing.
What’s Going On?
The confusion stems from AMD’s approach to the Ryzen AI 400 series. The AI 5 340 is based on the Krackan Point die, while the AI 7 445 is based on Gorgon Point. Despite the newer codename and higher model number, the Gorgon Point chip sacrifices core configuration for what appears to be minimal gains elsewhere.
Both processors share the same 28W default TDP, the same NPU performance (up to 50 TOPS), and the same graphics architecture. The AI 7 445 does offer slightly higher AI performance (up to 59 TOPS versus 50), but for most users, that difference is unlikely to outweigh the CPU and graphics performance gap.
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- AMD Marks AM4’s 10th Anniversary, Says AM5 Will Follow the Same Long-Life Philosophy
The Bottom Line
For consumers shopping for a new laptop, the lesson is clear: model number alone no longer tells you which chip is faster. The Ryzen AI 7 445 carries a higher SKU than the Ryzen AI 5 340 but delivers less performance in key areas. Until AMD clarifies its naming or refreshes the lineup, buyers should scrutinize core configurations and cache sizes rather than assuming a “7” automatically beats a “5.”
Source: notebookcheck