In this article, we’re discussing the 2025 AMD Fire Range HX hardware platform meant for high-performance and gaming laptops.
This follows up on AMD’s Dragon Range HX platform from 2023/2024, and integrates updated Zen5 cores, but in a die design that’s otherwise fairly similar to the previous generation, with up to 16Cores/32Threads and optional 3D V-Cache memory on the top-tier Ryzen 9 9955HX3D. This is also AMD’s take on Intel’s alternative for similar computers in 2025, the Intel Raptor Lake HX platform.
At this point, it’s too early to tell for sure what to expect in terms of performance in comparison to the previous Ryzen 9 7945HX and HX3D CPUs, although we can estimate based on the desktop hardware, where the gains on the Zen5 processors are limited. Nonetheless, this is still going to be the fastest mobile hardware available today in multi-threaded loads, faster the the Intel Core Ultra 200HX platforms, and potentially the best option for high-performance laptops, especially with the HX3D SKU.
At the same time, we can hope for better efficiency with regular use and on battery power, and especially for wider adoption of the hardware in actual good products, with hopefully higher-tier implementations; although, the very few announced so far are disappointing.
Down below we’ll go over the specs and particularities of these Ryzen 9 9000HX processors, and then go over the list of actual laptops built on this hardware, with updates as new models are announced.
Here are all the Fire Range HX processors that you will find in notebooks this year. I’ve also included the Dragon Range HX Ryzen 9 7945HX in the table, as the most widespread SKU on that platform, to showcase the differences between the AMD high-performance hardware lineups.
| Ryzen 9 9955HX3D | Ryzen 9 9955HX | Ryzen 9 9850HX | Ryzen 9 7945HX | |
| Build process | TSMC 4nm FinFET | |||
| Generation | Zen 5 | Zen 4 | ||
| TDP | 54+ W | |||
| Cores/Threads | 16x Zen5, 32 Threads | 16x Zen5, 32 Threads | 12x Zen5, 24 Threads | 16x Zen4, 32 Threads |
| CPU Max Boost | up to 5.1 GHz | up to 5.4 GHz | up to 5.2 GHz | up to 5.4 GHz |
| L2+L3 Cache | 140 MB | 80 MB | 76 MB | 80 MB |
| Memory Type | DDR5-5600 | DDR5-5200 | ||
| Graphics | Radeon 610M, 2 CUs, RDNA2 | |||
The Ryzen 9 9955HX3D has the potential to showcase the 3D V-Cache memory in games, but so few only the Asus Strix G notebooks were announced to feature this hardware, and only in configurations with mid-tier Nvidia RTX 5000 graphics chips.
Update: There’s also the MSI Raider A18 HX, announced with those much-awaited configurations with the R9 9955HX3D processors and up to RTX 5090 graphics, alongside a premium chassis, mini LED display, and proper cooling. And a more compact XMG Neo 16.
For now, there are no other high-tier configurations with this Ryzen HX hardware and RTX 5090 launched so far, not even on the latest Lenovo Legion Pro 7, which in the past was one of the very few laptops to offer this sort of hardware combo. But at least for now, the 2025 Legion Pro 7 is Intel-exclusive, just like all the other top-tier gaming/performance options such as the Asus ROG Scar, Acer Predator, or the MSI Titan lineups.
That could perhaps change later in the year, as Dragon Range laptops won’t be available in stores sooner than Q2 or even Q3 2025, as long as AMD can ensure partners that they will allocate resources to this mobile hardware platform. As far as I know, inventory for Dragon Range HX has always been problematic, and without inventory, OEMs are not going to even bother developing devices on this hardware, no matter how good they could potentially be and how much clients would want them. Even that is debatable.
Complete list of AMD Fire Range laptops (up to Ryzen 9 9955HX3D or 9955HX)
This section lists all available/launched devices built on this Ryzen 9000 HX hardware. There are very few announced so far, but stay around for updates as new models are released.
So far, the new Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is the most interesting design to offer Dragon Range hardware, with the updated chassis and an OLED display, the same offered on the upper-tier Legion Pro 7i this year, and a rarity among mid-tier laptops. At the same time, though, Lenovo won’t offer the 9955HX3D processor on the Pro 5, and have only announced lower and mid-tier GPU configurations for this AMD model, up to an RTX 5070Ti.
And then there’s the MSI Raider A18, a premium-tier gaming chassis configurable up to the best possible specs of the moment, with the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX 590 24GB graphics. This costs an arm and a leg, though, as expected.
The Asus Strix G and the MSI Vector A18, on the other hand, offer mid-tier specs within more reasonable budgets. Asus touted the Ryzen 9 9955HX 3D processor on both their 16-inch G16 and 18-inch G18 models, with up to RTX 5070Ti graphics, while MSI still go with the regular 9955HX processor, but paired with up to RTX 5080 graphics in the Vector A18 HX.
We’re updating the list as it goes.
| Model | Screen | Hardware | Graphics | Weight | |
| Asus ROG Strix G16 G614 | 16-inch 16:10 IPS 240Hz 3ms matte | up to AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, max 64 GB DDRD5 RAM |
up to GeForce RTX 5070Ti (140W) | 5.5 lbs / 2.5 kg | |
| mid-range full-size performance and gaming chassis, clamshell format; 16:10 IPS 2.5K 240Hz 3ms panel, matte; 4-zone RGB keyboard; several configurations, up to Ryzen 9 9955HX3D with 3D-Cache memory and RTX 5070Ti 12GB, 2x DIMMs, 2x SSDs; tri-fan cooling design with full-rear heatsink, liquid metal; 90 Wh battery, 280W charger, dual-speakers |
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| Price: $1899 for R9 + RTX 5070 configuration | |||||
| Asus ROG Strix G18 G814 | 18-inch 16:10 IPS 240Hz 3ms matte | up to AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, max 64 GB DDRD5 RAM |
up to GeForce RTX 5070Ti (140W) | 6.6 lbs / 3.1 kg | |
| larger 18-inch variant of the Strix G16, with otherwise similar features and specs | |||||
| Price: $1999 for R9 + RTX 5070 configuration | |||||
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 | 16-inch 16:10 OLED 240Hz 1ms glossy | up to AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX, max 64 GB DDRD5 RAM |
up to GeForce RTX 5070 (115W) | 5.6 lbs / 2.55 kg | |
| new for 2025 mid-range full-size performance and gaming chassis, clamshell format; 16:10 glossy display with OLED 2.5K 240Hz 1ms panel; 26-zone RGB keyboard; several configurations, up to Ryzen 9 9955HX and RTX 5070 8GB, 2x DIMMs, 2x SSDs; updated dual-fan cooling with rear-only exhausts; 80 Wh battery, 245W charger, dual-speakers, 5 MPx camera |
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| Price: from $1399 for R9 + RTX 5060 configuration, expected around summer 2025 | |||||
| MSI Raider A18 HX | 18-inch 16:10 mini LED 4K 120Hz matte | up to AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, max 96 GB DDRD5 RAM |
up to GeForce RTX 5090 (1750W) | 7.95 lbs / 3.6 kg | |
| premium-range full-size performance and gaming chassis, clamshell format; 16:10 mini LED 4K 120Hz 3ms panel, matte; per-key RGB keyboard; several configurations, up to Ryzen 9 9955HX3D and RTX 5090 24GB, 2x DIMMs, 2x SSDs (one PCIe gen5); dual-fan quad-exhaust 7-heatpipe cooling; 99.9 Wh battery, 400W charger, 4x speakers, 2MPx camera |
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| Price: tba | |||||
| MSI Vector A18 HX | 18-inch 16:10 IPS 240Hz 3ms matte | up to AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX, max 64 GB DDRD5 RAM |
up to GeForce RTX 5080 (175W) | 7.95 lbs / 3.6 kg | |
| mid-range full-size performance and gaming chassis, clamshell format; 16:10 IPS 2.5K 240Hz 3ms panel, matte; 26-zone RGB keyboard; several configurations, up to Ryzen 9 9955HX and RTX 5080 16GB, 2x DIMMs, 2x SSDs (one PCIe gen5); dual-fan quad-exhaust cooling; 99.9 Wh battery, 330W charger, 4x speakers, 2MPx camera |
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| Price: tba | |||||
| MSI Crosshair A18 HX | 18-inch 16:10 IPS 240Hz 3ms matte | up to AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX, max 64 GB DDRD5 RAM |
up to GeForce RTX 5070 (115W) | 7.95 lbs / 3.6 kg | |
| entry-tier full-size performance and gaming chassis, clamshell format; 16:10 IPS 2.5K 240Hz panel, matte; 26-zone RGB keyboard; several configurations, up to Ryzen 9 9955HX and RTX 5070 8GB, 2x DIMMs, 2x SSDs (one PCIe gen5); dual-fan quad-exhaust cooling 90WH battery, 2x speakers |
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| tba | |||||
| XMG Neo 16 E25 | 16-inch 16:10 IPS or mini LED 240Hz 3ms matte | up to AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, max 64 GB DDRD5 RAM |
up to GeForce RTX 5090 (175W) | 5.5 lbs / 2.5 kg | |
| full-size performance and gaming chassis, clamshell Tongfang/Clevo barebone format, metal build; 16:10 IPS or mini LED 2.5K 240Hz panel, matte, 180 hinge; per-key RGB keyboard; glass touchpad; several configurations, up to Ryzen 9 9955HX3D and RTX 5090 24GB, 2x DIMMs, 2x SSDs (PCIe gen5); dual-fan quad-exhaust cooling with multiple heatpipes, compatibility with XMG OASIS external water cooler 99.8WH battery, 2x speakers |
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| tba | |||||
That’s about it for this article.
I’m updating it as new AMD Dragon Range HX notebooks are announced, and as we get to review some of these configurations, hopefully the Legion Pro and the Asus Strix Gs.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this Ryzen 9000 HX mobile hardware and your expectations for high-performance AMD laptops this year.
Altandmain
January 17, 2025 at 12:21 am
Apart from the MSI Raider A18, it seems that there are no laptops with a 5090 and the AMD 9955HX3D.
That's a big disappointment because the AMD Ryzen 9955HX3D is going to be the best gaming CPU of this generation and on desktops, it has a clear advantage over Intel's Arrow Lake. The 3D V-Cache is a big step up in gaming and with the Zen 5, there isn't the huge penalty in clockspeed.
It has led to speculation that Intel may have paid extra to the laptop / motherboard companies to get them to not release their top end laptops (they have done this in the past and were even fined by the government for this).
The MSI Raider is generally the lower end model with a bit less cooling and upgrade capabilities, but is a bit cheaper. The 2024 generation of Raider for example did not have the mechanical keyboards that the MSI has on the Titan line.
There has also been a laptop in China with 9955HX3D and the Nvidia 5090 from Mechrevo.
https://videocardz.com/newz/worlds-fastest-gaming-laptops-with-amd-ryzen-9-9955hx3d-and-geforce-rtx-5090-announced-up-to-280w-power
The downside is that these are second tier brands without the strong reputation of a company like Lenovo for reliability and longevity. They also have limited aftermarket sales support in the Western world. There are also some negative reviews about this brand.
Overall it seems like all of the flagship gaming laptops have shipped with Intel CPUs, despite AMD having the better gaming CPU for this generation.
cen
January 20, 2025 at 4:12 pm
xmg neo 16 will have a AMD Ryzen 9955HX3D and up to 5090, it will be available 3 months after the intel variant release date
Yasen Tsvetanov
January 19, 2025 at 8:21 pm
Ryzen 9 9955HX has 16 cores, Ryzen 9 9855HX has 12 cores. Please check out the table. Thank you for your work!
NikoB
January 28, 2025 at 2:50 pm
Can someone explain to me why AMD did this nonsense in its two new lines?:
1. Zen5 HX – pci-e 5.0 28 lanes (24 free!). But a shameful 128-bit memory controller, which is simply not capable of servicing all these lines! And at the same time a maximum of 96 GB of RAM! Instead of 256 GB (384 GB) in Zen4 Phoenix? For what purpose is this line?
2. Zen5 Halo – shameful pci-e 4.0 with only 16 lanes, but at the same time a powerful 256-bit memory controller with a theoretical throughput of more than 200 GB/s. But at the same time up to 128 GB of RAM can be soldered. For what purpose is this line with such a flawed, morally obsolete pci-e bus?
What are the AMD developers smoking? This is something very heavy…
Where is the HX series with a 256-bit memory controller and a PCI-E 5.0 bus with 28 lines from the processor? I was expecting exactly this, but I got 2 absolutely crazy lines for no clear purpose…
We needed 2 lines – HX with a 256-bit memory controller and a PCI-E 5.0 bus (so that there were at least 4 M.2 2280 4.0 x4 slots) – one with a powerful IGPU – for working laptop models (students, scientists, engineers without heavy 3D tasks) without a dGPU. And the second HX without a powerful IGPU, because it is intended for laptops that always come with a dGPU. But the memory bus for both should always be 256 bits and in both versions a 5.0 PCI-E controller with the same 28 lines.
So it feels like everyone who needs AMD for work is being deliberately squeezed into the server chip sector and the outrageous prices for workstations with them (where they also throw in a professional dgpu at an outrageous price). Instead of maximum accessibility for beginning creative people and home workers who are showing promise and need advanced equipment and who often don't need super-expensive dgpu and who don't have that much money to buy super-expensive workstations…
Altandmain
January 29, 2025 at 7:08 am
I'm glad to see XMG is releasing a 9955HX3D option. XMG sells laptops that are made from Clevo, a laptop ODM, which means that Eurocom and all of the other Clevo companies will have this model as well.
Hopefully we will see more companies with this. I hope as well that MSI releases a Titan variant with the AMD 9955HX3D.