The performance of the Steam Deck portable set-top box was directly compared to the capabilities of the Aya Neo Next console. The information was shared by YouTube channel ETA PRIME, which tested both gadgets in four games: God of War, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Elden Ring and Forza Horizon 5. The results were mixed.
Image Source: YouTube / ETA PRIME
Keep in mind that both of the above devices are based on AMD hybrid processors. As part of the Steam deck, a quad-core and eight-threaded Suit Aerith processor from the Van Gogh series works on the Zen 2 architecture with a frequency range of 2.4-3.5 GHz. The chip features an integrated graphics core based on the fresh RDNA 2 architecture and operates at a frequency of up to 1.6 GHz. The processor’s TDP is dynamic and varies from 4 to 15 watts.
Aya Neo uses an 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 5800U (Cezanne) based on the Zen 3 architecture, operating in the frequency range of 1.9 to 4.4 GHz. The chip is equipped with a more mature graphics core Radeon Vega 8 with a frequency of up to 2 GHz. The nominal TDP of the processor is 15 W. However, it is possible to switch the power consumption mode up to 28 watts. The Valve console has 16 GB of LPDDR5-5500 RAM on board, while Aya Neo Next received 16 GB of LPDDR4-4667 RAM.
All console games were tested at 1280×800 pixels with graphics settings set to minimum and AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) scaling enabled in some games. The Steam Deck console used the SteamOS operating system. However, for testing Forza Horizon 5, Windows 10 was installed on the console, which is the “native” operating system in the case of Aya Neo Next.
Steam Deck was faster than Aya Neo Next in God of War. Even taking into account the fact that the Aya Neo Next processor worked in TDP 28W mode. Both devices failed to deliver 60 frames per second gaming speed, but the Aya Neo Next was almost twice as fast in performance as its competitor.
In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the Steam deck overtook the 16W Aya Neo Next. However, in the 28W performance mode, the Chinese console was a few frames per second faster than Valve’s solution on average.
Both consoles were able to achieve just over 30 frames per second in the game Elden Ring. In 28W mode, Aya Neo Next performs slightly better than its competitor.
In the game Forza Horizon 5, both consoles were able to show more than 60 frames per second. The Steam Deck was faster than the Aya Neo Next at 16W. The first had an average frame rate of 83 FPS, the second had 71 FPS. The situation changed with the transition from Aya Neo Next to TDP 28W mode. In this case, the average frame rate per second was 92 FPS.
Tests show that Steam Deck is faster in games that rely on graphics subsystem performance. Aya Neo Next, in turn, performs well in gaming titles that prefer CPU performance, where the presence of an increased TDP threshold is only a plus. According to ETA PRIME, the Aya Neo Next can even be operated with a 35W TDP. But in this case, the battery of the set-top box will drain much faster and it will be much more difficult for the cooling system to cope with the heating of the Ryzen 7 5800U.
Image source: Tom’s Hardware
It is worth remembering that this year Aya Neo plans to update the Neo Next console and replace the Ryzen 7 5800U with a slightly more powerful Ryzen 7 5825U (Barcelo), which is an updated version of the previous chip. The only difference between the two is the base and maximum operating frequency increased by 100MHz for the new chip. The graphics core remains the same Radeon Vega 8 with a frequency of up to 2 GHz.
The main problem with Aya Neo Next is the cost. The base console starts at $1,385, more than triple the Steam Deck’s starting price of $399. The bad news is that new Steam Deck buyers won’t see the console until the end of Q3 of this year. Resellers who have already received the first batches of the set-top box are offering the new product on various retail floors at prices over $2,000, making Aya Neo Next more attractive.
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