ASUS today announced BIOS updates that enable support for up to 256 GB of memory on its Intel 700 and 600 series motherboards that use DDR5 modules. Such models with four DIMM slots can now support up to 256 GB of memory, while such models with two DIMM slots can now support up to 128 GB. These enhancements significantly improve multitasking potential, ensuring smooth and seamless computing. AMD AM5 motherboards from ASUS do not require a BIOS update to enable support for up to 256 GB of DDR5 memory modules.

The BIOS updates can be accessed on the ASUS support pages for the models listed below.

GAMDIAS, a leading brand of premium PC gaming hardware and peripherals, has announced the launch of the BOREAS M2-51D Series and BOREAS E2-41D Series CPU air coolers. Every model features advanced copper heat pipes with direct contact technology, a thick base plate and one 120 mm high-performance hydraulic bearing PWM fan, and finished with a crystal-clear digital screen to integrate top cooling performance and display the temperature of your system's in real time.

The CPU cooler is made with upgraded heat pipes and fins as well a thick base plate to provide powerful and efficient cooling performance. Moreover, with the design of an all-black coating (BOREAS M2-51D and BOREAS E2-41D)/ all-white coating (BOREAS M2-51D WH and BOREAS E2-410 WH) and crowned with an LCD display top cover, it is a perfect choice for those who value aesthetics, performance and functionality.

BIOSTAR introduced the A620MH Aurora, a Socket AM5 Micro-ATX motherboard based on the AMD A620A chipset. In case you're wondering, the A620A is a revision of the A620 that's based on the same physical chip as the ASMedia Promontory driving AMD B550 chipset, according to this user on the AnandTech forums. First party documentation from AMD is sparse. The A620 (without the "A" suffix) is based on the newer Promontory 21 silicon, and is essentially a B650 with a few features disabled. The A620A, on the other hand, is practically a B550 on the Socket AM5 platform. Why this matters is that the chipset bus for the A620A (aka B550) is PCI-Express 3.0 x4; whereas the A620 uses PCI-Express 4.0 x4. The A620A appears to have the same downstream connectivity as the A620, and since even the A620 has PCIe Gen 3 for its chipset-attached M.2 NVMe slot(s), for the most part the performance difference will be negligible, unless there are other bandwidth-hungry devices connected to the chipset. On both the A620 and A620A, motherboard designers are allowed to wire out one CPU-attached M.2 NVMe slot capped at PCI-Express 4.0 x4.

The A620MH Aurora from BIOSTAR clearly mentions the A620A chipset on the box, and so you're making an informed buying decision. The board is built in the Micro-ATX form-factor, and draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors. You can only install Ryzen 7000 and 8000G series processors that have a TDP of 65 W. The processor is wired to two DDR5 DIMM slots for a maximum of 96 GB of memory capacity; one M.2 NVMe slot with PCI-Express 4.0 x4 wiring; and a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 slot. There are two PCI-Express 3.0 x1 slots from the A620A FCH. Storage connectivity besides the M.2 Gen 4 slot includes four SATA 6 Gbps ports. USB connectivity includes six USB 3.2 Gen 1 (including two from a header), and a handful of USB 2.0 ports.

By the end of 2023, MSI unveiled its groundbreaking support for memory capacities of up to 256 GB. Now, both MSI Intel and AMD motherboards official support these capacities, with 4 DIMMs enabling 256 GB and 2 DIMMs supporting 128 GB. This advancement enhances multitasking capabilities and ensures seamless computing operations.

Intel Motherboard - 700 & 600 Series Platform, BIOS Rolling Out
The supported platforms for this memory capacity enhancement include Intel 700 and 600 series DDR5 motherboards. Gamers looking to benefit from these enhancements will need to upgrade to the own dedicated BIOS. MSI is currently diligently working on releasing the BIOS, with the first batch already available below. The rest of the models will be released in late February and March.

DeepCool introduced the AK620 Zero Dark Zoria, a themed variant of its popular AK620 dual fin-stack CPU cooler that it originally launched in September 2021. The cooler is themed after the fantasy RPG "Zoria: Age of Shattering" that was released in 2023. It is an official co-branding between DeepCool and Tiny Trinket Games. It features artwork from the game on the two top-plates of the fin-stacks. The rest of the trim includes a two-tone black+yellow color scheme, with yellow taking up the frames of the top-plates, and the impellers of the two included 120 mm fans; while matte black dominates the aluminium fin-stacks, much of the base, and the cooler's six 6 mm-thick nickel-plated copper heatpipes. There are no changes in the specs sheet of the cooler from the 2021 original, besides these aesthetic changes. CPU socket types supported include LGA1700, AM5, AM4, and LGA1200. The company didn't reveal pricing.

EK, the global leader in premium PC water cooling, is proud to introduce extraordinary EK-Quantum Velocity² Edge Special Edition CPU water blocks for the AM5 socket. After the successful launch of their LGA 1700-based counterpart earlier this year, these Special Edition Edge water blocks confirm EK's commitment to aesthetic excellence. The top cover is at the forefront of this design revolution, featuring a striking assembly of irregular tetrahedrons that transform each water block into a modern artwork. These tetrahedrons create a captivating interplay of light and shadow, adding a dynamic and sophisticated visual appeal to the water block.

Explicitly designed for platforms based on the AMD Socket AM5, they fit Ryzen 7000 series CPUs. The cold plate, precisely machined of the highest-grade 99.99% pure electrolytic copper, ensures unparalleled heat transfer. The top cover of the EK-Quantum Velocity² Edge D-RGB - AM5 Special Edition is available in Black and Silver. These color options allow enthusiasts to choose a style that best complements their PC build, transforming these water blocks from mere components for efficient cooling into central elements of a PC's aesthetic identity. The top cover is CNC-milled out of a 30 mm thick aluminium sheet, separated from the coolant with a layer of acrylic to ensure no mixing of metals.

AMD's small but fledgling Ryzen 8000 line of Socket AM5 desktop APUs is about to grow, with the addition of four new low-power SKUs, under the Ryzen 8000GE line. These chips come with a TDP of 35 W compared to the 65 W of the regular 8000G APUs, and a lowered PPT (package power tracking) value, making them energy-efficient variants. To be clear, these are not AMD's 8000-series APUs meant for the commercial desktop market, for that the company has the Ryzen PRO 8000 series and Ryzen PRO 7000 series.

The Ryzen 8000GE series are meant to square off against Intel's 14th Gen Core T-series SKUs that have processor base power values of 35 W, and significantly lower maximum turbo power values than the regular processor models. To carve out these chips, AMD has lowered the clock speeds and TDP compared to the regular 8000G series. Since the underlying 4 nm "Hawk Point" silicon achieves fairly good clocks in its 35 W HS-segment notebook processors, one can expect reasonably good boost residency with the 8000GE desktop chips.

Thermalright today introduced the Peerless Assassin 120 MINI series of medium-sized dual fin-stack CPU coolers, which come in two trims—all black and all white. As its name suggests, this is a compacted variant of the Peerless Assassin 120 cooler from 2021. Its design involves not just a smaller heatsink, but also a single fan configuration, with a single 120 mm fan located between the two fin-stacks, pulling air from one of the stacks, and pushing it through the next. With its fan in place, the Peerless Assassin 120 MINI measures 125 mm x 110 mm x 145 mm (WxDxH), with 135 mm height without the fan. For comparison, original Peerless Assassin 120 measures 125 mm x 135 mm x 157 mm, and has a dual 120 mm push-pull fan setup. Including the fan, the Peerless Assassin 120 MINI weighs 820 g.

The design of the Peerless Assassin 120 MINI involves a nickel plated C1100 copper base, through which six 6 mm-thick copper heatpipes pass, with the two aluminium fin-stacks along their two ends. The included Thermalright TL-D12B fan features a fluid dynamic bearing, turns at speeds of up to 1,500 RPM, pushing up to 66.87 CFM of airflow, at 1.53 mm H₂O static pressure, and 25.6 dBA maximum noise. Among the CPU socket types supported by the cooler are LGA1700, AM5, AM4, and LGA1200. The company didn't reveal pricing.

AMD's upcoming family of Ryzen 9000 series of processors on the AM5 platform will carry a new silicon SKU under the hood—Zen 5. The latest revision of AMD's x86-64 microarchitecture will feature a few interesting improvements over its current Zen 4 that it is replacing, targeting the rumored 10-15% IPC improvement. Thanks to the latest set of patches for GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), we have the patch set that proposes changes taking place with "znver5" enablement. One of the most interesting additions to the Zen 5 over the previous Zen 4 is the expansion of the AVX instruction set, mainly new AVX and AVX-512 instructions: AVX-VNNI, MOVDIRI, MOVDIR64B, AVX512VP2INTERSECT, and PREFETCHI.

AVX-VNNI is a 256-bit vector version of the AVX-512 VNNI instruction set that accelerates neural network inferencing workloads. AVX-VNNI delivers the same VNNI instruction set for CPUs that support 256-bit vectors but lack full 512-bit AVX-512 capabilities. AVX-VNNI effectively extends useful VNNI instructions for AI acceleration down to 256-bit vectors, making the technology more efficient. While narrow in scope (no opmasking and extra vector register access compared to AVX-512 VNNI), AVX-VNNI is crucial in spreading VNNI inferencing speedups to real-world CPUs and applications. The new AVX-512 VP2INTERSECT instruction is also making it in Zen 5, as noted above, which has been present only in Intel Tiger Lake processor generation, and is now considered deprecated for Intel SKUs. We don't know the rationale behind this inclusion, but AMD sure had a use case for it.

SilverStone today introduced its premium air based CPU cooler, the Hydrogon D140 ARGB (model: SST-HYD140-ARGB). As its name might suggest, this is a D-type (dual fin-stack) cooler that uses fans as large as 140 mm for ventilation, and hence fits into the large+heavyweight category of air coolers, targeting the segment of the market that really wants to avoid AIO coolers. The cooler uses a mirror-finish nickel-plated copper base, through which six 6 mm-thick heatpipes pass, which skewer the two fin-stacks on either of their ends. The two fin-stacks are capped off by a top-plate.

There are two fans involved in ventilating the heatsink, meant to be installed in a push-pull configuration. The "push" fan is a 120 mm, while the "pull" fan, located between the two fin-stacks, is a larger 140 mm spinner. Both fans come with addressable RGB LED illumination, and feature hydraulic bearings. The 120 mm fan turns at speeds ranging between 500 to 2,200 RPM, pushing up to 83.68 CFM of airflow at up to 4.01 mm H₂O static pressure, and up to 35.5 dBA of noise. The 140 mm fan, on the other hand, turns between 400 to 1,750 RPM, pushing up to 93 CFM of airflow at 2.24 mm H₂O static pressure, and up to 30.8 dBA of noise. With its fans in place, the cooler measures 140 mm x 160 mm x 136 mm (WxHxD), weighing 1.22 kg. Among the CPU socket types supported are LGA1700, AM5, LGA1200, AM4, and LGA2066. The company didn't reveal pricing.

AMD is readying the new 800-series motherboard chipset to launch alongside its next-generation Ryzen 9000 series "Granite Ridge" desktop processors that implement the "Zen 5" microarchitecture. The chipset family will be led by the AMD X870E, a successor to the current X670E. Since AMD isn't changing the CPU socket, and this is very much the same Socket AM5, the 800-series chipset will support not just "Granite Ridge" at launch, but also the Ryzen 7000 series "Raphael," and Ryzen 8000 series "Hawk Point." Moore's Law is Dead goes into the details of what sets the X870E apart from the current X670E, and it all has to do with USB4.

Apparently, motherboard manufacturers will be mandated to include 40 Gbps USB4 connectivity with AMD X870E, which essentially makes the chipset a 3-chip solution—two Promontory 21 bridge chips, and a discrete ASMedia ASM4242 USB4 host controller; although it's possible that AMD's QVL will allow other brands of USB4 controllers as they become available. The Ryzen 9000 series "Granite Ridge" are chiplet based processors just like the Ryzen 7000 "Raphael," and while the 4 nm "Zen 5" CCDs are new, the 6 nm client I/O die (cIOD) is largely carried over from "Raphael," with a few updates to its memory controller. DDR5-6400 will be the new AMD-recommended "sweetspot" speed; although AMD might get its motherboard vendors to support DDR5-8000 EXPO profiles with an FCLK of 2400 MHz, and a divider.

Scythe unveiled the 6th generation of its Mugen line of premium air CPU coolers. These include the Mugen 6, and Mugen 6 Black Edition. The Mugen 6 features chrome finished aluiminium fins and nickel-plated copper heatpipes; while the Mugen 6 Black Edition is a more premium variant, with all-black fins, heatpipes, and two included fans for push-pull ventilation, instead of just one in the Mugen 6.

Both coolers feature a large aluminium fin-stack, to which heat drawn from a nickel-plated copper base is conveyed by six 6 mm-thick heatpipes. This is ventilated by a 120 mm Scythe Wonder Tornado 120 PWM fan that features a fluid-dynamic bearings, turns at speeds of up to 2,000 RPM, pushing up to 60.29 CFM of airflow, with up to 2.45 mm H₂O static pressure, and up to 26.88 dBA noise output. The Black Edition includes two of these. With the fan(s) in place, the Mugen 6 measures 132 mm x 106 mm x 154.5 mm (WxDxH), weighing 1.01 kg; while the Mugen 6 Black Edition measures 132 mm x 132 mm x 154.5 mm, weighing 1.2 kg. Among the CPU socket types supported are LGA1700, AM5, LGA1200, and AM4. The company didn't release pricing information.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking, and storage solution innovator, today introduced the TS-h3077AFU, a highly reliable 30-bay SATA 6 Gb/s all-flash SSD NAS with a ZFS-based operating system, cutting-edge AMD Ryzen Embedded 7000 Series processors and integrated AMD Radeon Graphics. With up to 1.6M/1.2M iSCSI 4K random read/write IOPS, DDR5 RAM, built-in dual-port 10/2.5 GbE, upgradability to 100 GbE, PCIe Gen 4 expandability, and scalability to petabyte-scale storage, the TS-h3077AFU meets uncompromising performance demands in 4K/8K video workflows, storage centers, and virtualization. The QuTS hero operating system also features ZFS data reduction and SSD optimization, ensuring the utmost performance, lifespan, and efficiency from all-flash investments.

"The TS-h3077AFU redefines the landscape of storage solutions, offering not just capacity but also efficiency and performance for the most demanding business environments. Its capabilities in graphics processing, connectivity, and reliability, provided by the powerful AMD Ryzen Embedded 7000 Series Processor, position it as a game-changer in the industry," said Meiji Chang, General Manager of QNAP.

AMD is looking to debut its Ryzen 9000 series "Granite Ridge" desktop processors based on the "Zen 5" microarchitecture some time around May-June 2024, according to High Yield YT, a reliable source with AMD leaks. These processors will be built in the existing Socket AM5 package, and be compatible with all existing AMD 600 series chipset motherboards. It remains to be seen if AMD debuts a new line of motherboard chipsets. Almost all Socket AM5 motherboards come with the USB BIOS flashback feature, which means motherboards from even the earliest production batches that are in the retail channel, should be able to easily support the new processors.

AMD is giving its next-gen desktop processors the Ryzen 9000 series processor model numbering, as it used the Ryzen 8000 series for its recently announced Socket AM5 desktop APUs based on the "Hawk Point" monolithic silicon. "Granite Ridge" will be a chiplet-based processor, much like the Ryzen 7000 series "Raphael." In fact, it will even retain the same 6 nm client I/O die (cIOD) as "Raphael," with some possible revisions made to increase its native DDR5 memory frequency (up from the current DDR5-5200), and improve its memory overclocking capabilities. It's being reported that DDR5-6400 could be the new "sweetspot" memory speed for these processors, up from the current DDR5-6000.

CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance gear and systems for gamers, content creators, and PC enthusiasts, today announced the launch of the A115 High-Performance Tower CPU Air Cooler, the latest addition to its CPU cooling lineup. Meticulously engineered to tame the high temperatures generated by the latest Intel and AMD processors, the A115 is the most powerful and efficient air cooler that CORSAIR has ever produced - with innovative features that make installation and adjustment incredibly easy.

At the heart of the A115 are six 6 mm heat pipes and a high-efficiency copper cold plate, capable of handling CPUs with up to 270 W TDP. The slightly convex shape of the cold plate optimizes contact with the CPU, ensuring maximum thermal transfer and stability. After absorbing heat, 90 nickel-plated cooling fins provide a substantial 1.69 m² surface area for rapid heat dissipation.

ZALMAN today introduced the CNPS14X Duo Black, its new high-end air-type CPU cooler, designed for thermal loads of up to 270 W, or comparable to typical 240 mm AIO liquid coolers. It does so in an imposing size of 126 mm x 135 mm x 159 mm (DxWxH), weighing 1.16 kg. It features a traditional dual fin-stack (D-type) heatsink, with a ZALMAN patented reverse direct-touch heatpipe base. Rather than have a the heatpipes make direct contact with the CPU, or even indirect contact through a base-plate, were only portions of the heatpipes make contact with the base; the reverse direct-touch mechanism has them enclosed and surrounded by the base-plate, so it makes contact with the entire surface area of the heatpipes. The heatsink features six 6 mm-thick copper heatpipes, with their ends passing through the two aluminium fin-stacks. The two stacks are capped by ABS top-plates.

The cooler includes two ZALMAN AF120 fans, you can use both of them in a push-pull configuration, where the cooler yields 44 mm of clearance for the memory; or single fan mode, clearing out 52 mm for the memory. Each of the two fans turns at speeds between 600 to 2,000 RPM, pushing up to 69.12 CFM of airflow, at a maximum static pressure of 2.01 mm H₂O, and 29.7 dBA maximum noise output. Their hydro dynamic bearings are rated for 40,000 hours. Among the CPU socket types supported by the ZALMAN CNPS14X Duo Black are Intel LGA1700, LGA1200; AMD AM5, and AM4. A sachet of ZALMAN ZM-STC8 thermal compound comes included with the cooler, which is rated for thermal conductivity of 8.3 W/mK. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Bitspower brought a large bag of new toys at the 2024 International CES. The first thing that caught our attention was a familiar-looking case with infinity reflection lighting. On a closer look, it turned out to be a Lian Li PC-O11D Evo XL that's been given a neat aesthetic uplift thanks to the new Enigma Light Panel kit by Bitspower. You arrange these along the edges of your side- and front panels, and the provide an impressive, infinity reflection effect. It works with standard 3-pin ARGB, so you can mix it with your regular lighting setup. Next up, are a slew of CR Slim series reservoirs that are designed in the distribution plate format, which they line up with one of your glass panels, providing a better view of your coolant. There are various sizes, ranging from 120 mm x 120 mm, going all the way up to 803 mm. x 140 mm, with fitting ports at strategic locations to align with your CPU and VGA blocks, and radiators. The reservoirs come with preparation for a standard D5 pump, and feature a side cover that has the ARGB LED lighting, the diodes aren't studded into the acrylic as such. Bitspower released a mounting brackets of various sizes to help you correctly mount the reservoirs and accessories in place.

CORSAIR at the 2024 International CES unveiled three new air cooling products; the A115 air CPU cooler, the AF120 MAX fans, and the RX Series Fans. We begin our tour with the AF120 MAX. These 120 mm fans come with a thickness of 30 mm, above the 25 mm industry standard. This 5 mm increase allows for a significantly bigger impeller, which results in a static pressure of 4.14 mm H₂O at its top speed of 2,000 RPM. The company hasn't disclosed its airflow and noise numbers, yet. It is also planning such thick fans in the 140 mm size. The fan is recommended for applications such as liquid cooling radiators, where the high static pressure comes handy. Next up, is the RX Series, a set of mid-range fans that come in RGB and non-RGB variants, and in sizes of 120 mm and 140 mm. The RGB ones support iCUE Link.

The star attraction is the new A115 air CPU cooler. This is a high-end D-type (dual fin-stack) CPU cooler, which uses six 6 mm-thick copper heatpipes that make indirect contact with the CPU through a copper base; 90 nickel-plated fins, a pair of included AF140 Elite PWM 140 mm fans; and an innovative new fan-installation mechanism that puts the two fans on rails, and has them slide into place from the top, with the heatsink installed, so you don't wrestle with clips and get cut. This sliding mechanism also ensures clearance for memory near the first "push" fan. The company's "Hold Fast" retention module is designed for easy installation of the heatsink; among the CPU socket types supported are LGA1700 (and by extension the upcoming LGA1851), AM5, and AM4.

ASRock proudly announce its AM5 motherboards now support the latest AMD Ryzen 8000 series processors with a BIOS update. AMD Ryzen 8000 series processors are built on Zen 4 and AMD RDNA 3 architecture, offering improved performance and computing efficiency per watt, thus providing enhanced gaming experience for consumers.

Additionally, the newest AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and 5700 processors as well as AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT/5500GT processors now can also be supported on ASRock AMD 500/400 series AM4 motherboards with a BIOS update. The latest BIOS is already available to download on ASRock website, be sure to update to the latest BIOS to enjoy the ultimate gaming experience.

The AMD Ryzen 8000 and 5000 series desktop processors have been released, broadening system build options. Notably, they are respectively compatible with MSI AM5 and AM4 motherboards, offering enthusiasts expanded possibilities for powerful and customizable setups. The latest AMD Ryzen 8000 series desktop lineup includes the powerful Ryzen 7 8700G, Ryzen 5 8600G, and Ryzen 5 8500G processors. These processors come equipped with built-in AMD Radeon graphics solution, ensuring an exceptional gaming experience for all gamers. Compatible with MSI AM5 platform, including X670E, X670, B650, and A620 series motherboards.

MSI is diligently working to release the official BIOS version for gamers. The first wave of supported beta BIOS is already available on the MSI official website. More choices for system builds on the AM4 platform as AMD introduces the Ryzen 7 5700X3D, Ryzen 7 5700, Ryzen 5 5600GT, and Ryzen 5 5500GT processors, extending the portfolio for system builds. The MSI AM4 motherboards are fully compatible with the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors. With the current AGESA ComboAm4v2PI 1.2.0.B official BIOS, users can seamlessly upgrade their processors hassle-free.

AMD today announced the Ryzen 8000G line of desktop APUs. These come in the Socket AM5 package, and are supported by all motherboards based on the AMD X670/E, B650/E, and A620 chipsets, with some requiring UEFI firmware updates. Since USB BIOS Flashback is standard issue on AMD motherboards, this should be no problem. With Ryzen 7000 series "Raphael" desktop processors that debut the "Zen 4" microarchitecture, AMD had standardized integrated graphics, however, the iGPU for these are just enough for desktop/productivity workloads, offering comparable performance to the iGPUs of Intel 13th Gen Core desktop processors. AMD doesn't consider Ryzen 7000 chips as APUs for this reason. An APU has to be a processor with powerful integrated graphics that can offer entry-level gaming, high-res content consumption, or multi-monitor productivity, and "Raphael" isn't it. Enter the Ryzen 8000G series.

The AMD Ryzen 8000G series debuts four APU models, the Ryzen 7 8700G, the Ryzen 5 8600G, the Ryzen 5 8500G, and the Ryzen 3 8300G. The 8700G and 8600G are based on the 4 nm "Hawk Point" silicon, feature Ryzen AI, and are the first desktop processors to feature an NPU (neural processing unit). The 8500G and 8300G are based on the 4 nm "Phoenix 2" silicon. The Ryzen 7 8700G leads the pack, and is a maxed out implementation of "Hawk Point," featuring an 8-core/16-thread CPU based on the "Zen 4" microarchitecture, the full Radeon 780M integrated graphics implementation with 12 RDNA3 compute units; and the Ryzen AI XDNA NPU. The processor has a combined AI throughput of 39 TOPS, with 16 TOPS from the NPU. For reference, an Intel Core Ultra 7 165H "Meteor Lake" mobile processor with its AI Boost NPU, has a combined AI throughput of 34 TOPS.

Hot on the heels of yesterday's leak revealing that the Ryzen 5 8600G Socket AM5 desktop APU features a Radeon 760M iGPU with 8 CU, we're getting to know that the top of the line Ryzen 7 8700G comes with the maxed out Radeon 780M. The 8700G is a Socket AM5 APU based on the 4 nm "Hawk Point" or "Phoenix" silicon (unclear at this point).

The Ryzen 7 8700G features an 8-core/16-thread CPU based on the "Zen 4" microarchitecture, with a base frequency of 4.20 GHz, and a maximum boost frequency of 5.10 GHz. Each of the 8 CPU cores features a 1 MB L2 cache, and they share a 16 MB L3 cache. The Radeon 780M iGPU features 12 compute units (CU), amounting to 768 stream processors. The iGPU engine clock boosts up to 2.90 GHz. While all Ryzen 7000 desktop processors come with integrated graphics, AMD does not consider them to be APUs—processors with overpowered iGPUs that can be used for entry-level gaming besides high-resolution entertainment.

AMD's upcoming Ryzen 5 8600G Socket AM5 desktop APU will feature the truncated Radeon 760M integrated graphics, and not the previously believed Radeon 780M, or the full iGPU configuration present on the silicon. At this point, there are still conflicting reports on which exact silicon the Ryzen 8000G desktop APUs are even based on, with some of the older reports and Geekbench detecting 8600G engineering samples to be based on "Phoenix," and some of the newer reports suggesting that it's based on "Hawk Point." Both "Phoenix" and "Hawk Point" are nearly identical, except for the latter to feature a faster NPU.

The Ryzen 5 8600G is configured with a 6-core/12-thread CPU based on the "Zen 4" microarchitecture, with 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU base frequency is set to a healthy 4.35 GHz, and maximum CPU boost frequency of 5.00 GHz. These CPU clocks are very similar to those of the mobile Ryzen 5 7640H (which has a base frequency of 4.30 GHz, but the same 5.00 GHz boost), but in case of the 8600G, the 65 W TDP and possible 90 W PPT should help with boost frequency residency. The Radeon 760M gets 8 out of 12 RDNA3 compute units physically present on the silicon, giving it 512 stream processors. Geekbench detects an engine clock (GPU clock) of 2.80 GHz, compared to the 2.60 GHz of the Radeon 760M on the Ryzen 5 7640H. The 8600G ES was running on an MSI MEG X670E Ace motherboard, with 32 GB of dual-channel DDR5-6000 memory.

GIGABYTE released UEFI firmware (BIOS) updates for its Socket AM5 motherboards encapsulating the AMD AGESA ComboAM5 PI 1.1.0.1a microcode. This latest version of AGESA has sparked speculation that some of AMD's upcoming Ryzen 8000G desktop APUs are in fact based on the newer "Hawk Point" silicon, and not "Phoenix." AMD released its Ryzen 8040 series "Hawk Point" mobile processors earlier this month, with a faster NPU that results in an up to 40% increase in AI interference performance over that of "Phoenix." "Hawk Point" is essentially identical to "Phoenix," including its first generation XDNA architecture based NPU, however the NPU's clock speed has been dialed up. If AMD is building some of its Ryzen 8000G desktop APU models on "Hawk Point" instead of "Phoenix," then we have our first solid hint that AMD is bringing Ryzen AI to the desktop platform, and that the Ryzen 8000G will end up being the first desktop processors with an NPU.

AMD is expected to be building at least two APU models based on the "Hawk Point" silicon, the Ryzen 7 8700G, and the Ryzen 5 8600G. The lower models, namely the 8500G and Ryzen 3 8300G, are expected to be based on the smaller "Phoenix 2" silicon, with a hybrid CPU that combines two "Zen 4" cores with up to four "Zen 4c" cores. The "Zen 4c" cores may feature an identical instruction set architecture (ISA) and IPC to the regular "Zen 4" cores, but have tighter Vcore limits, and operate at lower clock speeds. This makes the two available "Zen 4" cores the de facto "performance" cores, and AMD flags them as UEFI CPPC "preferred cores," ensuring the OS guides a bulk of its processing traffic to them. Both "Phoenix" and "Hawk Point" feature an identical CPU setup, with up to eight "Zen 4" cores.

MSI is planning to expand its small lineup of motherboards with ATX12VO power connectivity—the new desktop motherboard power standard that does away with the 5 V and 3.3 V power domains, and relies entirely on 12 V, with the aim of simplifying PSU designs and desktop PC power cabling. ATX12VO is still an emerging standard that hasn't gained traction in the DIY channel, but PC OEMs and systems integrators are beginning to catch on, for the cost savings to be had. MSI has been targeting this class of customers—OEMs and small SI, with motherboards under its mainstream PRO series. For the Socket LGA1700, the company has the PRO H610M 12VO, and now the company has its first ATX12VO motherboard for AMD Socket AM5—the PRO B650M 12VO/WiFi.

The company hasn't finalized the board design, but we know from its silhouette to be a Micro-ATX (240 mm x 240 mm) board, with the Socket AM5 wired to two DDR5 DIMM slots, a PCI-Express 4.0 x16, a handful M.2 NVMe Gen 4 slots, and some basic connectivity, including onboard Wi-Fi. As with all ATX12VO motherboards we've seen to date, onboard VRM is used to switch 12 V to lower voltage domains, including 5 V and 3.3 V needed for SATA drives, and the likes. MSI also revealed that it is working on a branded ATX12VO power supply series, so both the retail and OEM/SI channel customers can buy the motherboard+PSU as combos from a single source. Not much else is known about these PSUs at this point.