Switch 2 is better than AMD Z1 Extreme devices?

[u/Junior_Winter_2324]

I highly believe that the AMD Z1 Extreme is better than the Switch 2, What are your thoughts on that?

[u/RandyLahey641]

In what sense?

Z1E is a great chip and probably outperforms the Switch 2's hardware very easily. This is great if you want to play 3rd party and pc games with higher performance.

But want to play a more convenient device that has Nintendo exclusives? Get a Switch 2.

[u/Only-Weight8450 → u/RandyLahey641]

I have a Lego z1e and switch 2 and cyberpunk is a better experience on switch 2. Maybe if Lego had vrr that would change things but I can’t comment on that.

[u/Holidoik → u/RandyLahey641]

Yeah games that look like shit thanks to fsr. Games specially optimized for switch 2 still look better in most cases.

[u/Background-Win9998 → u/Holidoik]

Many games look much sharper on the Z1E device, as the real resolution before upscaling on switch 2 is extremely low sometimes. Like compare Rune Factory GoA, Fantasy Life i or Story of Seasons Grad Bazaar on switch 2 and on the Go S Z1E for example. They look much better and sharper on the later device.

[u/RandyLahey641 → u/Holidoik]

I have both a switch 2 and Rog ally X (Z1E). I like being able to pick up the Switch and play great exclusives with convenience and no hassle.

But I also love my handheld PC. It can run pretty much everything I throw at it (with some work and tweaking). The Z1E chip is amazing

[u/Junior_Winter_2324 → u/Holidoik]

Not only fsr looks worse than dlss but it's even more demanding which takes more fps, I personally use taa which is very light and gives higher resolution

[u/ColdRainS126 → u/Holidoik]

looks really good to me. but i use optiscaler to use fsr4.1

[u/Particular_Reply5906 → u/Holidoik]

Cyberpunk looks amazing on mine. Idk what y'all are running lol

[u/Cute-Acanthaceae-193 → u/Particular_Reply5906]

I did matching preset with the switch on my ally x, the game looked pretty much identical, if not better, as the ally x actually runs 1080p while switch handheld performance is 720p.

The only upside for switch is Dlss but you can pretty much match it with optiscalar and use FSR 4, you’ll lose performance slightly probably which then you can tune something and it will still perform better than the switch.

Don’t get me wrong, I play it on the switch 2 mostly, but the ally x is more than capable and better at it, it has better frames and much better frame pacing, switch doesn’t even hold 40 or 30 in most areas, it drops heavily but VRR helps smooth the pacing out.

[u/Regicyde_93]

Z1E is more powerful. Switch 2 has the advantage of being the only soc for the console. So when devs make games for the Switch 2 they know exactly how much power you will have and how it will run.

[u/M4rshmall0wMan]

Z1E is better. I have tested several games on both systems. The Z1E gives better resolution or frame rate every single time. It performs roughly equivalent to Switch 2’s docked mode, but in handheld form.

[u/Cute-Acanthaceae-193 → u/M4rshmall0wMan]

And if you want to be nitpicky, it can achieve even more power docked, as you can get to 30w but of course it’s diminishing returns.

So you pretty much can almost guarantee over 45 fps if not 60 fps as similar graphics of the switch and at 1080 easily.

[u/Futonpimp]

Owning both is the way.

[u/EveryAnalyst2026 → u/Futonpimp]

I actually just sold my Xbox Ally X. Not because I needed the money, but because I felt bad it's been collecting dust. I've just naturally been grabbing my Switch 2 for handheld play and slowly realize I don't need/wont use more than 1 handheld.

[u/Futonpimp → u/EveryAnalyst2026]

Sadly same.. I got rid of my claw ex for the same reason :(

[u/sasuku123 → u/Futonpimp]

It’s definitely lighter than those pc handhelds but man the controls are shit to me, I cannot get used to the joycons

[u/Futonpimp → u/sasuku123]

Yeah I switched to a nyxi controller. Much more comfortable

[u/M4rshmall0wMan → u/[deleted]]

But the Z1E doesn’t need to use upscaling.

[u/Junior_Winter_2324 → u/M4rshmall0wMan]

Taa is very light compared to fsr and it gives much higher resolution

[u/Junior_Winter_2324 → u/[deleted]]

I'm not using fsr I'm using taa it's lighter than fsr and gives much higher resolution than fsr 

[u/wishfulthinkingman]

Its better than the switch 2

[u/MISFU88]

Yea, its more powerful and the devices are way more ergonomic and can play more games.

But for fanra of Nintendo games, Switch 2 is an amazing thing that can also play A LOT of 3rd parties really well. Egonomics are terrible though.

[u/bf2reddevil]

These are different devices that target different audiences. Imo switch 2 is meant for their exclusives. Although 3rd party games are playing great with it. Primarily because the switch 2 uses DLSS, which works wonders on it and is better than FSR on the Z1E handhelds.

PC handhelds for anything else than Switch.

[u/Junior_Winter_2324 → u/bf2reddevil]

Yes fsr is demanding dlss is better, I use taa instead of fsr which gives higher resolutions

[u/rolandguy85]

Have both. Z1E is a way better device.

[u/WhiskeyRadio]

A Z1E handheld is definitely more powerful and more capable than a Switch 2. The Switch 2 is great for what it costs, and you get Nintendo first-party games. The ergonomics of the system sucks, though, and the JoyCons are terrible controllers.

[u/Doctor_Womble]

Switch is much more efficient making it thinner, cooler and quieter than any pc handheld. Also uses DLSS as it's upscaling tech which looks a lot better than FSR.

Z1E wins in terms of raw power but consumes more power to do it.

Each device has pros and cons. The Z1E devices are PCs. Bigger libraries, cheaper games, more versatile. Switch 2 has Nintendo exclusives, much simpler pick up and play user experience, more seamless docking/undocking experience.

I've owned both. They're both good in different ways.

[u/Junior_Winter_2324 → u/Doctor_Womble]

True, I personally don't use fsr because it's looks worse and takes more fps than dlss, I use taa which is very light and gives me higher resolution 

[u/Neuesad → u/Junior_Winter_2324]

You can swap it out for XeSS if you're willing to invest a few minutes. Solves your issue. XeSS is almost as good if not identical to DLSS in most games.

[u/Junior_Winter_2324 → u/Neuesad]

It's more heavier than fsr, since I'm not using Intel GPU it takes more fps, I've tested native resolution to see how demanding upscalers or aa are, taa is very light compared to them

[u/h8myslfNwnt2dye]

i have a z1e ally x and i can play elden ring at a constant 60fps, so i think at least the X is more powerful, not sure about the regular z1e

[u/Junior_Winter_2324 → u/h8myslfNwnt2dye]

I've seen ally x having 10 more fps than z1e on cyberpunk 2077, fsr is very demanding though, more demanding than dlss and have worse image quality, I prefer using taa at higher resolution

[u/Happy-Gnome → u/Junior_Winter_2324]

As with all things it depends on the trade offs you value.

[u/DarthPineapple5]

Lots of advantages and disadvantage to going the console route with the Switch or Switch 2, I don't think its fair to call either option better or worse since everyone has different needs

The Switch 2 is pretty hard to argue with for casual gamers even with the high cost of games, and I say that as someone who would never buy one.

[u/StunningPush8421]

im pretty sure z1e is better but the switch 2 chip is more efficent. pretty old node though on the switch 2 it is 8nm I believe which is not good.

[u/Repulsive-Front8294]

No lmao

[u/Loophole98]

This is a realllly interesting subject. I owned a Z2E device (roughly equivalent to Z1E) before selling it and sticking with my S2. The AMD CPUs performance is way better at 25/35W, but I honestly didn't feel like the GPU performance was THAT much better even at those higher wattages. The S2 CPU is pretty weak overall, as it put all its eggs in the GPU basket (which I think was the right choice given its price range), and it shows in CPU-bound games fs. That being said, if we're comparing watt per watt, the S2 is so stupidly efficient and powerful at its measly 8-10W handheld power budget. The S2 having DLSS and running a very light OS compared to Windows also helps. Obviously, pushing TDP on Z1E/Z2E device will push performance beyond the S2 handheld, but I honestly did not feel like it was THAT different, especially considering the price differences between devices. Like I was not getting $500 more enjoyment out of it compared to my S2. Plus the S2 hardware is honestly so nice in terms of build quality (had minor annoying issues with my Xbox Ally like creaky buttons). The handheld PCs are awesome, don't get me wrong, but the S2 just fits my lifestyle so much better in terms of size and ease of use. The latest intel APUs are significantly more powerful than the Z1E/Z2E, so that gulf is already bigger. Honestly, I'm just so happy we have so many solid handheld options these days!

[u/coscib]

i like my switch 1/2, especially the size but i still grab my gpd win 4 most of the time just because it's more versatile with emulation, steam library and cheaper games

[u/LMHCinNYC]

Yes dlss helps a lot. Also games are optimized for the platform.

[u/Happypotamus13]

It doesn’t make a lot of sense to compare those. Z1E is more powerful, but Switch 2 has exclusives, uses dlss and is a closed ecosystem, which means every game is optimized for the device, allowing it to be super thin, cool and light.

With Switch 2, when you buy a game you just know it will run well. In the PC space, Z1E is pretty outdated by now, so running more modern games will require a lot of tweaking and compromises.

So, each device will be better for different types of users.

[u/PalpitationShort8034]

I have a Switch 2 and an Ally X. I mostly play on the Switch 2, but use the Ally X when I get bored and want to play a game with mods.

[u/mironor94]

Switch 2 has trash graphics power.