Key Takeaways
1. AMD released the RDNA 3.5 series, with the Radeon 890M as the new flagship and the Radeon 880M as a mid-range option.
2. The Radeon 880M can outperform the Radeon 780M by up to 25% in certain laptops, but performance varies significantly by model.
3. Some laptops, like the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, struggle to match the performance of the Radeon 780M due to design and processor limitations.
4. The compact design of the ThinkPad T14s and its use of a slower Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 processor contribute to its lower performance.
5. The ThinkPad T14s is not primarily a gaming laptop, so its performance level may still be acceptable for office and light editing tasks.
AMD surprised everyone last year when they released the RDNA 3.5 series of integrated GPUs. Instead of positioning the Radeon 880M as the top-tier option, it has now been placed as the mid-range choice, while the newly launched Radeon 890M takes the lead as the flagship model. The 880M still provides a good performance boost compared to the RDNA 3-based Radeon 780M, though some models may not perform as well as expected.
Performance Comparison
In our comparison chart below, we look at different laptops that feature the Radeon 880M and compare their performance to the average Radeon 780M in our records. Some systems equipped with the 880M, such as the Lenovo ThinkBook 16 G7+, can deliver graphics that are up to 25 percent faster than the typical 780M. However, other laptops with the same GPU, like the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, can struggle and match the performance of an average 780M.
Reasons for Underperformance
There are several factors that could explain this lack of performance. To start, the ThinkPad T14s has a compact 14-inch design which likely affects the overall system performance. Additionally, this model is the first in our records to use the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360, while all the other 880M systems we’ve tested utilize the Ryzen AI 9 365. The slower processor combined with the smaller size leads to reduced Turbo capabilities, putting the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 iGPU at a significant disadvantage across all tested scenarios.
Target Audience
It’s important to note that the ThinkPad T14s isn’t designed mainly for gaming, so its lower graphic performance shouldn’t turn away potential users, particularly those in office settings or light editing tasks. Still, it’s a bit disappointing to see it performing on par with an average Radeon 780M rather than surpassing it like most other Radeon 880M devices.
