AMD Takes Aim at MacBook Neo Gaming Performance in New Ad Campaign
If you picked up an Apple MacBook Neo thinking it might double as a portable PC gaming rig, AMD has some blunt news for you. As part of its latest “Unleash Your Potential with Ryzen AI Processors” promotional campaign, the chipmaker has released data suggesting that Apple’s ultra-budget laptop is ill-equipped for the task.
AMD tested 20 of the most popular PC games and found that the MacBook Neo could run only five of them natively. In contrast, the company highlighted that a budget-friendly Windows laptop, specifically the HP Omnibook X Flip featuring an AMD Ryzen 5 220, successfully ran all 20 titles.
The Cost of Compatibility
While the MacBook Neo carries a lower price tag at $599, AMD argues that the extra investment for a Windows machine is worth it for the added versatility. The HP Omnibook X Flip currently retails for $689. While that is a $90 price gap, the AMD system offers features like a touchscreen and a convertible form factor, alongside hardware benefits such as 512GB of SSD storage compared to the MacBook's 256GB.
Beyond raw compatibility, AMD claims its Ryzen-powered systems offer up to 57% better multitasking, 38% faster content creation, and 2x faster Wi-Fi performance than the MacBook Neo, which is primarily built on a mobile phone processor optimized for battery life rather than heavy lifting.
Is the Ryzen 5 220 a Gaming Powerhouse?
It’s important to temper expectations: the AMD Ryzen 5 220 isn't a high-end gaming chip. Equipped with a Radeon 740M GPU, it provides roughly a third of the graphical power found in the Asus ROG Ally X’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip. In practice, this means you can expect about 70fps in CS2 at low 1080p settings, but modern, more demanding titles will likely struggle to maintain between 10-20fps. It’s not designed to replace a dedicated gaming PC, but it does provide a baseline for access to libraries on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and PC Game Pass.
The titles highlighted in AMD's promotional materials—which include Hollow Knight: Silksong, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Dune Awakening, Elder Scrolls Oblivion, Elden Ring Nightreign, Civ 7, Arc Raiders, Borderlands 4, Schedule 1, and Battlefield 6—represent a mix of current and upcoming hits that highlight the discrepancy between the two platforms.
For MacBook Neo owners feeling left out, the alternative remains cloud-based services like Nvidia GeForce Now, which is currently running a sale on its annual plans, allowing users to stream games regardless of their local hardware limitations.