AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 'Strix Halo' SoC Shows Surprising Performance Gains on Ubuntu 25.04 vs Windows 11

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ "Strix Halo" SoC, featuring the Radeon 8060S integrated GPU, has recently been subjected to comprehensive performance evaluations comparing Microsoft Windows 11 Pro and Ubuntu 25.04. These tests, conducted on the HP ZBook Ultra 14 G1a laptop, reveal that Ubuntu 25.04 not only matches but, in several instances, surpasses Windows 11 in both general computing and gaming performance.
Test Environment and Methodology
The HP ZBook Ultra 14 G1a utilized in these benchmarks is equipped with:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395 SoC (16 cores, 32 threads)
• Graphics: Radeon 8060S integrated GPU
• Memory: 128GB LPDDR5-8000
• Storage: 2TB Western Digital SN810 NVMe SSD
• Display: 2.8K 120Hz screen

The laptop was tested with its pre-installed Windows 11 Pro configuration, followed by a clean installation of Ubuntu 25.04. Both operating systems were evaluated using their default settings, including balanced power profiles. Notably, HP Wolf Security was uninstalled on the Windows setup to prevent performance interference.
Benchmark Results
A series of benchmarks were conducted to assess CPU and GPU performance across both operating systems. The results indicate a consistent advantage for Ubuntu 25.04:

• Gaming Performance: In Vulkan-based gaming benchmarks, Ubuntu 25.04 demonstrated superior performance. For instance, in the Furmark Vulkan demo, Ubuntu outperformed Windows 11 by approximately 59%, achieving 24.19 FPS compared to Windows' 15.13 FPS. Similarly, in the Unvanquished game, Ubuntu led by margins ranging from 8% to 36% across various quality presets. (forbes.com)
• Rendering Tasks: CPU-intensive rendering applications like Blender showed a performance increase of nearly 25% on Ubuntu compared to Windows 11. This suggests that Ubuntu's resource management and scheduling may be more efficient for such workloads. (hothardware.com)
• Compression and Encoding: While Ubuntu excelled in many areas, Windows 11 had a notable lead in LZ4 compression tasks, outperforming Ubuntu by nearly 50%. Additionally, Windows showed about a 10% advantage in certain image encoding tasks. (windowsforum.com)

Analysis of Performance Disparities
The observed performance differences can be attributed to several factors:

• Driver Optimization: Ubuntu 25.04 utilizes the open-source Mesa driver stack, which, in combination with the Linux 6.10 kernel, appears to be highly optimized for AMD hardware. This synergy likely contributes to the enhanced performance observed in graphics-intensive tasks. (forbes.com)
• System Resource Management: Linux's kernel is renowned for its efficient resource scheduling and management, which can lead to better utilization of hardware capabilities, especially in multi-threaded applications.
• Background Processes: Windows 11's numerous background services and processes may consume system resources, potentially impacting performance in certain scenarios.

Implications for Users
These findings are particularly significant for users who prioritize performance in gaming and professional applications:

• Gamers: The substantial performance gains in Vulkan-based games on Ubuntu suggest that Linux is becoming a more viable platform for gaming, especially for titles that support cross-platform play.
• Professionals: For tasks involving rendering, data analysis, and other CPU-intensive applications, Ubuntu's superior performance could translate to increased productivity and reduced processing times.

Conclusion
The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ "Strix Halo" SoC's performance on Ubuntu 25.04 not only matches but often exceeds that on Windows 11 Pro. This trend underscores the growing maturity and optimization of Linux distributions for modern hardware, making them a compelling choice for users seeking maximum performance from their systems.

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Source: Phoronix AMD Ryzen AI Max+ "Strix Halo" Delivers Best Performance On Linux Over Windows 11 - Even With Gaming - Phoronix