More evidence that Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 will ditch Intel for AMD emerges

(Image credit: Future)

Update: A source with knowledge of the situation has been in contact to assure us that Intel has not been ditched by Microsoft when it comes to Surface products. It looks like we could see devices with a range of CPUs from different manufacturers.

It’s looking ever more likely that Microsoft is ditching Intel for AMD when it comes to the processor powering its upcoming Surface Laptop 3, with new benchmarks apparently showing Microsoft’s upcoming laptop running on AMD hardware – potentially a quad-core AMD processor with Radeon Vega integrated graphics.

This follows a number of rumors that have indicated that Microsoft could be going with AMD hardware for the Surface Laptop 3, rather than Intel – which it’s usually used in its Surface devices.

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A recent rumor even suggested that the Surface Laptop 3 could come with an 8-core AMD Ryzen processor.

Leaked benchmarks

While Intel has been Microsoft’s processor manufacturer of choice for its Surface devices, Windows Latest has found yet more evidence that it could be switching to AMD, with leaked benchmark results apparently showing a Microsoft device running on an AMD Ryzen 5 3550U mobile processor.

Another benchmark, spotted on Reddit, shows a device by the same name as the other leak - ‘OEMMO OEMMO Product Name DV’ – which will run an AMD Ryzen 5 Microsoft Surface Edition processor.

So, what can we glean from these recent rumors? Well, it looks increasingly likely that Microsoft is going with AMD over Intel for the Surface Laptop 3, which is a big win for AMD and a big blow for Intel.

It also means we’re likely to see a number of different Surface Laptop 3 configurations, including one with a quad-core AMD processor, and a more expensive one with a hexa-core AMD processor as well.

With Microsoft’s upcoming October event happening on October 2, we shouldn’t have to wait too long to find out if rumors of an AMD-powered Surface Laptop 3 are correct.

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Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.