Which GPU is in the Xbox Series S, and how to buy an equivalent gaming laptop in 2025

The Xbox Series S is the cheapest current-gen console. With a custom AMD chip, the device runs modern releases at 1080p to 1440p resolutions. However, the machine has obvious caveats: ray tracing performance is limited, and modern features like mesh shading tank FPS. Developers have often reduced texture resolutions to 900p or lower to maintain performance, with some titles even suffering delays due to optimization issues.

Many gamers want an alternative, and gaming laptops offer some strategic advantages. However, how much gaming power does the Series S bundle and how do you match that with a laptop? Let's find.

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Which GPU is in the Xbox Series S, and similar laptop GPUs

The Xbox Series S is a capable $349 gaming console (Image via Xbox)

The Xbox Series S is based on a custom AMD "Lockhart" GPU built on a 7nm process with 1,280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GPU operates at 1,565 MHz and delivers 4 TFLOPs of compute performance with 20 compute units. This is an all-AMD setup, with the APU roughly pushing 1080p to 1440p gaming with upscaling.

• 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU @ 3.8GHz (3.6GHz with SMT)
• 10GB GDDR6 memory (8GB @ 224GB/s, 2GB @ 56GB/s)
• Designed for 1440p gaming at 60fps with 4K upscaling support
• Current pricing: $379.99 for 512GB model, $429.99 for 1TB model (up from $299.99 originally)

The Series S GPU performance is roughly equivalent to an AMD Radeon RX 6600 or RTX 3060 8 GB discrete GPU. In terms of their laptop alternatives, that roughly maps to the RTX 4050 or 4060. The RX 7700S is the closest AMD option that's currently being stocked.

While an equivalent gaming laptop won't be as cheap as the Series S, you also need to factor in the cost of a 120Hz 1080p/1440p monitor with the console. The total price of the Series S package sits roughly around $700, for which a decent entry-level laptop is available these days.

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How to buy a gaming laptop to match the Xbox Series S

Modern gaming laptops can easily match and outperform the Series S (Image via ASUS ROG)

Gaming laptops offer portability, something the Series S lacks. However, the Xbox Series S can sometimes just play a game better because of console optimization. Keeping this in mind, we need to slightly relax our choices for gaming laptops, as the upfront cost is generally higher than a console. A laptop will also have a slightly lower shelf life (3-5 years typically), unlike consoles that last a full generation (7-10 years).

The 2025 gaming laptop market is largely dominated by RTX 50 series laptops. However, these machines are generally much faster than the Series S. We are primarily looking for RTX 4050/4060 machines in the $800-1200 range with ample cooling. Ultra-thin notebooks typically come at a premium. Most modern laptops ship with 120Hz+ displays out of the box for high refresh rate gaming.

With these constraints in mind, these are the kind of laptops to target:

• Laptops with RTX 4060 or RTX 4050
• AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 processors
• 16GB RAM minimum
• 512GB-1TB SSD storage
• Price: $800-1,200

These machines are frequently on sale and have been discounted lately, matching their prices with a Series S. The Asus TUF and Lenovo LOQ machines are the best choices to match the Xbox Series S.

The final decision is dependent on whether you prioritize affordability and simplicity (Xbox Series S) or flexibility and portability (gaming laptop). Of course, there's no beating the Series S in terms of performance per dollar. However, laptops come with the added benefit of being a workstation, besides gaming.