Tech YouTuber ETA Prime noticed surprisingly significant performance gains on both the original ROG Ally and the new ROG Ally X devices after a series of new software updates from Asus and Microsoft. In many games, frame rates (FPS) increased by approximately 15-20% without increasing power consumption.

Key Improvements from Asus

This performance boost is primarily due to Asus Command Center SE version 2.1.15.0, released earlier this month. A key change in this update, available for all Ally models, including the Xbox-branded Ally series, is AMD Radeon Chill, now integrated into Asus’s FPS limiter. This integration helps extend battery life by reducing power consumption during lighter gameplay.

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But the real star of the update is the new “core parking” option for the Ally X. This feature disables several CPU cores, increasing thermal headroom for the integrated Radeon 890M GPU to utilize more power. In ETA Prime’s tests, Forza Horizon 5 ran approximately 18% faster at the same 18W TDP (Thermal Design Power). This is a significant jump for a simple settings change.

Microsoft is also contributing. New Default Game Profiles automatically apply adjusted performance settings to dozens of games, reducing the need for manual tuning often required on handheld consoles. The company says more profiles are coming soon.

While some critics still argue that the original Ryzen Z1 Extreme-powered Ally or rivals like Lenovo’s Legion Go might be a better buy overall, these updates are a clear sign that Asus doesn’t view its Z2 A-powered Ally models as “second-class citizens.” Owners who installed the latest software are reporting smoother gameplay and slightly better battery life simply by pressing the “Update” button.

With ETA Prime’s full performance test results quickly trickling out, the conclusion is simple: the ROG Ally series has received a free and pretty good performance upgrade.