AMD Ryzen 5 220: Ryzen 5 8540U Under a New Name

The AMD Ryzen 5 220 may appear as a new processor, but technically we are looking at the same Hawk Point. In terms of CPU configuration, Radeon 740M, and other key characteristics, it closely resembles the Ryzen 5 8540U. Therefore, one should focus not on the 220 index but on the price of the specific laptop.

The processor is still fast enough for a standard laptop. It is sufficient for work, studying, programming, and multitasking. Its main weaknesses are the Radeon 740M, which falls significantly short compared to Radeon 760M and 780M, and the complete lack of an NPU.

Two Zen 4 and Four Zen 4c

The Ryzen 5 220 utilizes two Zen 4 cores and four compact Zen 4c cores. In total, there are 6 cores and 12 threads.

Zen 4 cores can boost up to 4.9 GHz, while Zen 4c can reach up to 3.5 GHz. The standard TDP is 28W, and laptop manufacturers can adjust it within a range of 15-30W.

Zen 4c cores should not be equated with Intel's E-cores. They support SMT, meaning each of the six cores operates with two threads.

The Hidden Context of the Lineup

When comparing the Ryzen 5 7545U and the Ryzen 5 8540U side by side, the rebranding becomes obvious.

There are virtually no technical changes from the Ryzen 5 8540U present here.

Upgrading from a laptop with a Ryzen 5 7545U or Ryzen 5 8540U to a model featuring the Ryzen 5 220 for the sake of the processor is meaningless. The new index has not brought a new level of performance.

Performance of Ryzen 5 220 in Specific Laptops

In most laptops, the Ryzen 5 220 scores around 2400-2500 points in Geekbench 6 Single Core and about 8000 points in Multi Core.

In Multi Core, the difference between the highest and lowest scores reaches about 12%. Results are influenced by power limits, cooling, memory, and the chosen performance profile. The HP OmniBook X Flip 16 lags behind both ProBook models by approximately 10% in the multithreaded test.

In PassMark, the processor scores about 18,600 points in CPU Mark and 3640 points in the single-threaded test.

For browsing, office work, IDE, photo processing, and other everyday tasks, the performance is sufficient. In prolonged multithreaded workloads, the Ryzen 5 220 noticeably lags behind modern 8-core processors.

Radeon 740M - The Main Compromise

The Radeon 740M remains the primary limitation of this platform.

The integrated graphics contains only 4 RDNA 3 compute units and operates at a frequency of up to 2.8 GHz. In comparison, the Radeon 760M has 8 units, while the Radeon 780M has 12.

For everyday tasks, video playback, multiple monitors, and undemanding games, the Radeon 740M is adequate. However, it is clearly weak for modern games.

In the ASUS Vivobook S14 at a resolution of 1920x1080 and medium settings, it achieved about 25 FPS in Gears 5 and 32 FPS in A Total War Saga: Troy.

Older games, esports titles, and less demanding indie projects can run. In contemporary heavy games, you will need to significantly lower settings and resolution.

For gaming, it is better to look for a laptop with Radeon 760M, 780M, 840M, or more powerful integrated graphics.

No New AI Hardware

Another limitation of the Ryzen 5 220 is the absence of an NPU.

Against the backdrop of Ryzen AI 300, the lack of a dedicated AI block is quite noticeable. AI workloads can be executed on the CPU or GPU, but there is no separate Ryzen AI block here.

For general work, this is not an issue. For local AI tasks, it is better to choose a processor with a dedicated NPU.

The Laptop is More Important than the Processor

Here, the price is key.

The HP OmniBook X Flip 16 with Ryzen 5 220, 8 GB of memory, and a 512 GB SSD is available for approximately $630-705. At this price, the Ryzen 5 220 is quite justified, although 8 GB of RAM is already becoming a more significant limitation than the CPU itself.

The HP ProBook 4 G1ah with 16 GB DDR5 and a 512 GB SSD costs around $930-970.

Almost $1000 for a laptop with Ryzen 5 220 cannot be justified by the performance of the processor itself. In the case of the ProBook, the extra cost goes for the enterprise-class device, Windows 11 Pro, chassis, features, and support, rather than for the performance of the Ryzen 5 220.

Thus, one should choose a specific laptop rather than a processor by its name. The screen, memory capacity, upgrade options, battery life, and price are more important than the new CPU index.

Conclusion

The AMD Ryzen 5 220 is a solid mobile processor from 2023, which AMD reintroduced to the market under a new name in 2025.

Its 6 cores and 12 threads still handle everyday tasks competently. However, the Radeon 740M is weak, and there is no NPU at all.

For $600-700, a laptop with Ryzen 5 220 and 16 GB of memory can still be a worthwhile purchase. When the price approaches $900-1000, it is advisable to look for a newer processor, more powerful integrated graphics, or Ryzen AI.

The Ryzen 5 220 is not a reason to overspend. It is worth purchasing only as part of a genuinely advantageous laptop.