ASUS ROG Ally with Ryzen Z1 non-Extreme now at a record-low price
Poor MSI Claw.
Choosing between the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally might become a common dilemma for gaming enthusiasts seeking a new handheld console. The ROG Ally, equipped with the Ryzen Z1 non-Extreme APU, initially hit the market at $599 but quickly underwent price adjustments by ASUS due to its perceived lack of value.
In comparison to its Ryzen Z1 Extreme, the Ryzen Z1 features two fewer cores (6 cores vs 8 cores), a configuration based on Zen4 and Zen4c architectures, but also significantly lower GPU specifications. While the Z1 Extreme boasts 12 RDNA3 Compute Units, the Z1 non-E comes with only 4 Compute Units, operating at a 200 MHz lower frequency. Given the threefold decrease in GPU specifications, the $100 price disparity between the two Ally models was widely regarded as unfavorable.
ROG Ally at $299, Source: ASUS/BestBuy
ASUS and its official retail launch partner, BestBuy, have made a significant adjustment to the pricing of the ROG Ally with Ryzen Z1, now available at $299, a substantial $300 reduction from its debut price in September last year.
According to reviews, the AMD APU in the ROG Ally presents a strong challenge to the MSI Claw, regardless of the APU it houses. With a $400 price difference in favor of the Ally, the relevance of the MSI Claw may come into question.
Meanwhile, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme version, often found at a lower price point, is currently being sold at its manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $699. However, it frequently appears on the market at $599, while the Legion Go from Lenovo is available at $649 (affiliate link).
The more affordable ROG Ally also competes favorably with the original Steam Deck, offering faster memory and a higher-resolution screen. Although the Steam Deck boasts twice as many GPU cores, they are exclusively made in RDNA2.
| Handheld Gaming Consoles Specs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VideoCardz | MSI Claw | ASUS ROG Ally | Lenovo Legion Go | Valve Steam Deck OLED |
| Picture |  |  |  |  |
| Architecture | Intel Redwood Cove, Crestmont & Xe-LPG | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 | AMD Zen2 & RDNA2 |
| APU | Core 7 Ultra 155H 16C/22T up to 4.8 GHz or Core 5 Ultra 135H 14C/18T up to 4.6 GHz | Ryzen Z1 Extreme 8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz or Ryzen Z1 6C/12T up to 4.9 GHz | Ryzen Z1 Extreme 8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz or Ryzen Z1 6C/12T up to 4.9 GHz | AMD Sephiroth (6nm) 4C/8T up to 3.5 GHz |
| SoC GPU | Arc Graphics 8 Xe-C @ 2.25 GHz [155H] 7 Xe-C @ 2.20 GHz [135H] | AMD iGPU 12CU @ 2.7 GHz [Z1E] 4CU @ 2.5 GHz [Z1] | AMD iGPU 12CU @ 2.7 GHz [Z1E] 4CU @ 2.5 GHz [Z1] | AMD iGPU 8CU @ 1.6 GHz |
| SoC TDP | 28W | 1-30W | 9-30W | 4-15W |
| External GPU | Thunderbolt 4 | ROG XG Mobile (up to RTX 4090) | USB4 | Not officially |
| Memory Capacity | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16GB LPDDR5X-7500 | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 |
| Storage Capacity | 1TB/512GB | 512GB | 1TB/512GB | 512GB/1TB SSD |
| Storage Type | M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2242 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 3×4 |
| Display | 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz, 500 nits, VRR | 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz, 500 nits, 7ms, VRR | 8.8″ 2560×1600 IPS, 144Hz, 500 nits | 7.4″ 1200×800, 90 Hz |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.3 |
| Battery | 53 Wh, 6-Cell | 40 Wh, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion | 49.2 Wh, 900 mAh (controllers) | 50 Wh |
| Weight | 675 g | 608g / 1.34 lbs | 854g / 1.87 lbs | 640 g / 1.41 lbs |
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | 29.4 × 11.7 × 2.1 cm 11.6 × 4.6 × 0.8 in | 28.0 × 11.3 × 3.9 cm 11.0 × 4.5 × 1.5 in | 29.9 × 13.1 × 4.1 cm 11.8 × 5.2 × 1.6 in | 29.8 × 11.7 × 4.9 cm 11.7 × 4.6 × 1.9 in |
| Default OS | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Steam OS/Win 11 |
| Retail Launch Price | $799/€949 [155HU+1TB] $749/€849 [155H+512GB] $699 [135H+512GB] | $699/€799 [Z1E] $599/€699 [Z1] | $749 [Z1E+1TB] $699/€799 [1E+512GB] | $649/€679 [1TB] $549/€569 [512GB] |
| Release Date | March 2024 | June 2023 [Z1E] September 2023 [Z1] | October 31, 2023 | November 2023 |
Source: BestBuy
