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- Legion Go 2 (Z2 Extreme, 32GB RAM) vs the original Legion Go (Z1 Extreme, 16GB RAM), with the same settings on both.
- The game runs really well on both, but the Go 2 wins every benchmark here, in a lot of cases by around 10 FPS.
- 1200p, handheld low, RTGI off, 25W: 67 FPS average on the Go 2 vs 56 on the Go 1.
- 800p, handheld medium, RTGI off, 17W, frame gen on: 98 FPS average on the Go 2 vs 80 on the Go 1.
- Not VRAM bound: I don't think I ever saw it use over 4 or 5GB.
It's the Legion Go 2 with the Z2 Extreme up against the original Legion Go with the Z1 Extreme again, 32GB of RAM vs 16GB. We're not VRAM bound in this game anyway. I don't think I ever saw it running over 4 or 5GB, and typically it sat around 4. Black Flag Resynced runs great on both devices, but this time the Go 2 does a good job of beating the Go 1, and in a lot of cases it's around 10 FPS. That's very apparent once you get into it.
Test setup
You can certainly run this game at higher settings than what I'm showing here. These are settings for consistent comparisons, not recommended settings. If you want to see higher settings, I did a separate Legion Go 2 custom settings test at 25W and 35W.
- Legion Go 2: Z2 Extreme (Radeon 890M), 32GB RAM, 10GB VRAM (as labeled in the video)
- Legion Go (original): Z1 Extreme (Radeon 780M), 16GB RAM, 6GB VRAM (as labeled in the video)
- The game's three handheld presets: Handheld Low, Medium and High
- Ray traced global illumination (RTGI) on and off. You can run it either way.
- Upscaling: the game has FSR and XeSS options, and I focused on AMD FSR (Performance at 1200p, Balanced at 800p and with frame gen)
- 1200p is my focus, plus 800p. 1000p, or even native 800p, is fine too depending on the upscaling you want, especially on the Go 2.
- 25W and 17W, plus FSR frame gen tested at both
- Built-in benchmark (138-second runs), then gameplay side by side
Benchmark results
All results are the game's built-in benchmark, read from the results screens in the video.
1200p, FSR Performance, 25W
| Preset | RTGI | Legion Go 2 (Z2E) | Legion Go (Z1E) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handheld Low | On | 61 avg (1% low 43) | 51 avg (1% low 33) |
| Handheld Low | Off | 67 avg (1% low 52) | 56 avg (1% low 39) |
| Handheld Medium | On | 57 avg (1% low 40) | 46 avg (1% low 30) |
| Handheld Medium | Off | 60 avg (1% low 46) | 50 avg (1% low 36) |
| Handheld High | On | 51 avg (1% low 36) | 41 avg (1% low 29) |
| Handheld High | Off | 54 avg (1% low 41) | 44 avg (1% low 32) |
800p, Handheld Medium, FSR Balanced
| TDP | RTGI | Legion Go 2 (Z2E) | Legion Go (Z1E) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25W | On | 60 avg (1% low 43) | 47 avg (1% low 30) |
| 25W | Off | 65 avg (1% low 50) | 52 avg (1% low 36) |
| 17W | On | 49 avg (1% low 33) | 41 avg (1% low 28) |
| 17W | Off | 54 avg (1% low 41) | 45 avg (1% low 33) |
Frame gen (Handheld Medium, RTGI off, FSR Balanced)
| Setup | Legion Go 2 (Z2E) | Legion Go (Z1E) |
|---|---|---|
| 1200p, 25W, frame gen on | 83 avg | 67 avg |
| 800p, 17W, frame gen on | 98 avg | 80 avg |
Gameplay compared
After the benchmarks, the video has plenty of gameplay on both devices at 1200p, Handheld Medium, RTGI off and 25W, with and without frame gen. A few overlay readings:
Verdict
Black Flag Resynced is running really well on both Legion Go models, but I'm seeing more of a difference between the Z2 Extreme and the Z1 Extreme in this game than usual. The Go 2 led every benchmark I ran, often by around 10 FPS, and it's very apparent once you're playing. Neither one is held back by VRAM here, and both have room to raise settings above these comparison presets if you want a better-looking game.
FAQ
How much faster is the Legion Go 2 than the Legion Go in Black Flag Resynced?
In my benchmarks, usually around 10 FPS. At 1200p Handheld Low with RTGI off at 25W, the Go 2 averaged 67 FPS vs 56 on the original Legion Go.
Does Black Flag Resynced need a lot of VRAM on the Legion Go?
No. I don't think I ever saw it running over 4 or 5GB, and it typically sat around 4GB.
How does Black Flag Resynced run at 17W?
At 800p Handheld Medium with FSR Balanced and RTGI off, the Go 2 averaged 54 FPS and the Go 1 averaged 45. With frame gen on, that went to 98 and 80.
Want more handheld tests?
New Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Legion Go and Steam Machine performance videos every week.