AMD may have transformed this thin and light laptop into a gaming powerhouse

By Jacob Roach Published September 11, 2024

AMD has a new driver for its latest Ryzen AI 300 processors, and it introduces a feature that could provide a massive performance boost in games. It’s called Variable Graphics Memory, or VGM, and it allows the integrated graphics to convert up to 75% of the memory in a system to dedicated graphics memory. This, according to AMD, can not only boost performance in games, but also make some otherwise unplayable titles boot.

The new Ryzen AI 300 processors are mostly found in thin and light laptops, including devices like the Zenbook S 16 that aren’t targeted at gamers. In addition to VGM in the new driver, AMD also turned on its Fluid Motion Frames 2 (AFMF 2) feature for Ryzen AI 300 processors. With both features working in tandem, you can see the performance boost on the Zenbook S 16 below.

Performance at 1800p for Ryzen AI 300 processors. — AMD

Guardians of the Galaxy is the most interesting inclusion, as AMD claims the game needs VGM turned on to even run. According to AMD, this is because some games come with hard-coded requirements for video memory. By default, the integrated graphics on a Ryzen AI 300 processor only get a dedicated 512MB pool, sometimes leading to errors or outright game crashes if the title calls for more dedicated memory. VGM gets around that issue.

Performance for AMD Ryzen AI 300 processors at 1080p. — AMD

It seems that AFMF 2 is pulling most of the weight when it comes to performance gains, however. In a less taxing scenario for integrated graphics, AMD showed its Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 hitting close to 100 frames per second (fps) or higher in the games it tested at 1080p.

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As you can read in our testing of AFMF 2, it’s a huge improvement over the original version. The frame generation feature works with nearly any game, and the second version has much better image quality and stability. In addition, AMD added support for OpenGL and Vulkan with AFMF 2, allowing you to play nearly any PC game with the feature turned on.

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AFMF 2 and VGM are available through a technical preview driver now. The driver also includes support for the recently released Warhammer 40K: Space Marines 2. As is always the case with preview drivers, there’s a chance you could run into some minor bugs, and AMD asks that users report bugs when using a preview driver.

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Lead Reporter, PC Hardware

Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from…

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