Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 leak tips 6-core AMD Ryzen CPU

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Surface Laptop 4 looking to take full advantage of Ryzen

Surface Pro 4 leaks
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

A new leak suggests that the upcoming Surface Pro 4 will see a sizable power upgrade. 

According to benchmarks for the Surface Pro 4 that have reportedly surfaced on Geekbench, Microsoft is currently testing a new 6-core CPU that's expected to utilize the latest processing tech from AMD.

Per Geekbench, as uncovered by Notebookcheck, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 is expected to sport Renoire-based AMD Ryzen APUs. Microsoft tried to sneak scores passed lurkers by listing the previous generation Ryzen 5 3850U Surface Edition processor in its benchmarks. But that processor is a 4-core chip, while the ones tested were 6-core. It's therefore likely that the Surface Laptop 4 will instead use the Ryzen 5 4600U.

Unlike standard Ryzen 5 4600U chips, it seems that Microsoft might be getting something custom from AMD. Geekbench shows that the APUs found in the Surface Laptop 4 have a 100 MHz higher boost clock and seven compute units (CUs) versus the expected six. 

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 Benchmarks

(Image credit: Geekbench via Notebook Check)

If not the Ryzen 5 4600U, it's possible that Microsoft may have sourced the Ryzen 5 5500U instead. It's also a 6-core APU that supports multithreading and has a GPU on chip with seven CUs. Both chips are relatively similar, but the Lucienne-based Ryzen 5 5500U has some newer optimizations. 

Much like past Surface Laptop models, users can expect a sleek design in either a 13 or 15-inch package. This year's model should see a Thunderbolt 3 port and hopefully an upgraded display.

The Surface Laptop 4 was expected to drop last fall, but never arrived. It's likely that things got pushed around due to manufacturing hurdles caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to our sister-site Laptop Mag, the Surface Laptop 4 is expected to drop in April. While it's speculative, every new leak points to it coming sooner rather than later.

Imad Khan
Imad Khan

Imad is currently Senior Google and Internet Culture reporter for CNET, but until recently was News Editor at Tom's Guide. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with the New York Times, the Washington Post, ESPN, Wired and Men's Health Magazine, among others. Outside of work, you can find him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying desperately to write the first pages of a new book.