What was reported
Notebookcheck's news item says ETA Prime tested the machine's gaming performance, adding to Notebookcheck's own earlier review. The AX9 Max is a compact aluminum box. It pairs 12 Zen 5 cores with a Radeon 890M iGPU. These are ETA Prime's results as relayed by Notebookcheck, not figures Notebookcheck measured for this news item.
| Game | Settings | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Forza Horizon 6 | 1080p, High, no upscaling | More than 60 FPS |
| Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart | 1080p, High, FSR 4 Frame Generation | More than 70 FPS average |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 1080p, High, FSR 4 Quality | About 55 FPS average |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 1080p, High, FSR Frame Generation | Above 90 FPS |
The settings matter here. Only the Forza number is native rendering. The other numbers depend on upscaling or frame generation.
Notebookcheck adds a comparison. Its own benchmarks show that an RTX 4060 laptop GPU could barely hold 60 FPS in Ratchet & Clank at 1080p/high without upscaling. That makes the iGPU result look better. It also shows how much frame generation is doing, because the iGPU number is not a like-for-like native comparison.
The "12GB of VRAM" claim
Geeky Gadgets (Julian Horsey, citing ETA Prime's video) says the BIOS offers fan-speed control and lets users allocate up to 12GB of GPU VRAM. The article gives no menu path and no setting name. It also gives no before-and-after performance data. Its headline calls the GPU "Radeon 890MIG". AMD's product name is Radeon 890M, which is what Notebookcheck uses.
What the setting does
An integrated GPU has no dedicated video memory. Geekom's support documentation puts it plainly: the iGPU does not have dedicated VRAM; it dynamically or fixedly allocates a portion from system RAM. On AMD systems the BIOS option is usually called UMA Frame Buffer Size. A guide from Spheron says raising it does not create VRAM, because the reserved block is still system DDR memory.
So 12GB on this machine means 12GB of the installed 32GB is set aside for graphics. Windows and your apps get the rest. A fixed reservation also removes that memory from general use, as Spheron notes. That is a budget tradeoff, not a free upgrade.
Will it make games faster?
Probably not by itself. Several general guides say the default Auto setting is fine for most people. Geekom notes that modern AMD APUs default to dynamic sharing, adjusting memory to graphics load. VGTimes calls it a misconception that more reserved memory automatically improves iGPU performance. It says the setting mainly helps when a game refuses to launch because it detects too little video memory. If a game isn't running short, the change may make virtually no difference.
Neither report shows that 12GB is needed for the games above. Don't credit the 12GB setting for those frame rates. Nothing in the evidence links them.
What to do on your own unit
The sources don't document the AX9 Max's exact BIOS labels, so treat these as general steps. Check your machine's BIOS and firmware, because labels and available values vary by device.
- Boot into the BIOS and look for UMA Frame Buffer Size or a similar graphics-memory entry. VGTimes notes that the name and availability depend on the manufacturer and model.
- Write down the current value, probably Auto, before changing anything.
- If you change it, pick the smallest value that solves a specific problem, such as a game that won't launch. Geekom's guide says to restart afterward and check the GPU video memory figure in Task Manager.
- Re-test your games, and keep the old value if nothing improves.
Hardware context that matters more
Notebookcheck's full review explains why this box does well. Its review unit has 32GB of DDR5-5600 in dual-channel configuration, which it credits with avoiding the memory bottleneck of rivals like the Geekom A9 Max and Minisforum AI X1 Pro. Those rivals ship with single-channel memory unless the buyer installs a second module. Geekom's documentation agrees that shared-memory bandwidth directly affects iGPU performance, and dual-channel doubles it.
The review also tempers the "65W" marketing. The chip peaks briefly at 65W and then settles at 54W under sustained load, though performance stays stable. Notebookcheck also says it can't judge noise yet. The fan in its review unit vibrated audibly, and it is waiting for a replacement. Geeky Gadgets' claim that the PC runs quietly even in performance mode is therefore unverified.
Notebookcheck also found no measurable CPU leap over the older Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. Its verdict is still strongly positive, at 85%.
Buying notes
Notebookcheck lists the 32GB/1TB configuration at $1,499 on Amazon and Vzmore's store. It also reports a discount code that Notebookcheck says is valid until November 30. Treat that as Notebookcheck's reported offer, not a verified current price. Notebookcheck's review unit had a 2TB Lexar SSD, so storage differs between the tested unit and the retail configuration.
Bottom line
- Gaming: the reported results point to playable 1080p High in demanding games. Only Forza was reported without upscaling.
- The 12GB setting: it reassigns system RAM and doesn't add graphics memory. Leave it on Auto unless a specific game needs more.
- Why it performs: dual-channel DDR5 and a decent power budget are the likely reasons. Independent testing of acoustics and of the BIOS option would settle the open questions.