Friday, January 31st 2025
TechPowerUp Interviews David McAfee, GM of Client Channel Business, On the State of AMD Ryzen and Radeon
As the 2025 International CES was drawing to a close, we hung around a little longer in Las Vegas to catch some important one-on-one interviews with industry leaders. We were invited by AMD to interview David McAfee Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Client Channel Business. His position in the company gives him a hawk's eye view on everything that matters to you—from Ryzen desktop CPUs to Ryzen AI processors, the disruptive new Ryzen AI MAX chips, and the all important Radeon RX 9000 series powered by RDNA 4. AMD's CES 2025 announcements event had some notable misses, such as the lack of updates on the Radeon RX 9000 series, or even the Ryzen Z2 line of processors for gaming handhelds. We began by asking McAfee how this year's CES event was distinct from previous ones, often led by CEO Lisa Su and covering a wide range of product families.
The interview follows.
David McAfee: Well, this is CES, and Jack Huynh is our leader of the computing and graphics business. I think that all the news we announced at CES this year were part of Jack's product portfolio. So it was the right decision to allow him to lead those introductions this year and introduce the products that are part of his business. Lisa and Jack both decided that he was the right one to be the spokesperson for AMD to introduce all of his new products.
David McAfee: I am really excited about "Strix Halo." I think it's an incredibly innovative product with a ton of potential. Whether that's as a mini desktop box for creators, a super-powerful small form factor desktop, or a compact, cool, and quiet under-the-TV gaming console, I think it has enormous potential. I think we will see a lot of creativity in how "Strix Halo" gets used and what form factors it fits into.
What you're seeing here at CES is just the beginning because there's real innovation around the shared memory footprint between CPU and GPU, the way the chip is constructed, the core count, and the GPU size. I think it will be used in many interesting ways. As a small form factor gaming console, it could be awesome.
TechPowerUp: So you're open to any form factor?
David McAfee: Yeah, it's certainly not notebook-only. One of the systems we have shown off here is an HP mini workstation. You'll see more designs from partners, including barebone desktops, small form factor desktops, and other designs. This will open up creativity around the types of cases and implementations.
The one I want at home is a "Strix Halo" mini desktop. That would be awesome. Or something with a different form factor. Yeah, what I actually want is something with a 120 mm liquid cooler.
TechPowerUp: Do you see a space for "Strix Point" on AM5—is there a need for stronger iGPU with NPU?
David McAfee: That's an interesting question. Strix is in a unique space. Maybe this is a good conversation about "Strix Halo" versus "Strix Point." In my opinion, there are levels of 3D performance that create different experience or capability levels on a desktop PC. What we need to prove to ourselves, or the market, is whether Strix as an AM5 desktop part provides a unique experience compared to a more basic graphics system. The next step is very playable 1080p gaming at 30+ frames per second. "Strix Halo" steps up to a different class of gaming. Just for the record, it does not fit the AM5 socket. It's about delivering a valuable experience to consumers given other market choices for CPU and GPU combinations, considering power, noise, and other factors. "Strix Point" is in a gray zone for me in terms of performance versus desktop user expectations.
David McAfee: We've been blown away by demand for the X3D. We've ramped up production massively for Q4, Q1, and Q2 throughout 2025. Just yesterday, I saw the 9800X3D on Amazon and Newegg again. I don't think they lasted long, but they were there. Every week, we deliver more supply to the market. X3D has a longer manufacturing lead time due to the stacking process. As we look into 2025, we are adding significant manufacturing capacity.
TechPowerUp: Awesome! Given the huge success of 3D V-Cache, isn't it time to make it standard on all higher-end processors?
David McAfee: That's a great question. One thing about the desktop market is there's no one-size-fits-all. The 7950X3D is a great example. For gaming, X3D is awesome because the big block of cache next to the processor lowers memory latency, boosting gaming performance. But for creator applications like Photoshop or 3D rendering, X3D offers negligible benefit. The stacking process is expensive. There are many PC builders with different priorities, applications, and budgets. X3D is a critical part of our strategy, but it won't replace everything else.
TechPowerUp: Right now, the volumes are heavily skewed toward X3D.
David McAfee: Not really. You'd be surprised. On a global scale, the split between AM4 and AM5 is not far off from 50/50. Different markets have different preferences. North America and Western Europe skew toward higher-end AM5 builds.
TechPowerUp: The 7950X3D uses the same cache configuration as the 7900X3D. Why isn't there an offering with 3D cache on both CCDs? The community feedback gathered by us is that they'd be willing to pay for it.
David McAfee: We have looked at that. There hasn't been a lot of observed benefit with dual X3D CCDs. In some cases, it regresses performance due to cache coherency issues. But if there's market demand, we're open to exploring it.
TechPowerUp: What makes X3D so expensive? Is it the SRAM die, packaging, or volume?
David McAfee: Good question. When we build a 7700X versus a 7800X3D, it might seem simple from the outside. But there's a lot of complexity under the hood. You need to build the base CCD, the SRAM wafer, and apply special processing for assembly. It's a bleeding-edge technology. Costs will go down over time with economies of scale, but for now, it's leading-edge technology.
David McAfee: Our APU products are used more for office productivity, business users, and power-efficient small form factor builds. They don't have the same demands as true enthusiast gaming PCs. Zen 4c is great for notebooks, where efficiency and cost are priorities. Many of those benefits translate into the desktop space as well.
TechPowerUp: Some people want more PCIe lanes on Ryzen. How do you feel about that?
David McAfee: That's a fair ask. Adding PCIe lanes has implications for the platform. The transition from AM4 to AM5 was very disruptive. Keeping the platform consistent is a big benefit to end users. Next-generation platforms will consider user builds and lane counts to ensure the right balance of computing power and I/O capabilities for different market segments.
TechPowerUp: What steps has AMD taken to improve the limited availability of Ryzen laptop designs?
David McAfee: Are you referring to the number of designs or market availability?
TechPowerUp: Both. Intel has so many designs, but AMD has technically better solutions that are less visible.
David McAfee: I'm not the expert on that side, but we work with OEM partners to ensure a broad portfolio of designs across brands, form factors, and price points.
TechPowerUp: What's your take on Windows on Arm? Has it failed?
David McAfee: I don't think it's a failure. Microsoft invested heavily to broaden their ecosystem. x86 is a mature ecosystem with decades of legacy. Arm-based devices have pushed innovation in power management. Arm brought valuable insights, but it's not seamless. However, it's driving innovation for all silicon makers.
TechPowerUp: How about AI on desktops?
David McAfee: We've advanced AI PCs significantly. There are many applications now running on the NPU, and we've expanded AI coverage across different product ranges. Desktops have more unbounded compute needs to be compared to NPUs. We focus on combining CPUs and GPUs for diverse workloads. I know there's anticipation for RDNA 4. We didn't cover it in-depth at CES to avoid disappointing people. We will do a full deep dive soon.
David McAfee: We haven't talked about that yet.
TechPowerUp: Why are you introducing a new Radeon naming scheme at this time and why?
David McAfee: We've been building momentum with Radeon. Our strategy is similar to Ryzen—focus on value, listening to the community, and providing features they care about. We want to ensure that Radeon graphics deliver excellent capabilities for gamers at reasonable price points.
TechPowerUp: I like it.
David McAfee: It's a good move. Transparency helps consumers understand our products better.
Where was Lisa?
TechPowerUp: Why didn't Lisa lead the keynote this year? How was this year's CES different?David McAfee: Well, this is CES, and Jack Huynh is our leader of the computing and graphics business. I think that all the news we announced at CES this year were part of Jack's product portfolio. So it was the right decision to allow him to lead those introductions this year and introduce the products that are part of his business. Lisa and Jack both decided that he was the right one to be the spokesperson for AMD to introduce all of his new products.
Can "Strix Halo" Do to Xbox and PlayStation what Ryzen Z1-powered Handhelds did to Switch?
TechPowerUp: We've seen fantastic handheld game experiences from Ryzen Z1. Do you think "Strix Halo" could kick off a similar standalone console revolution?David McAfee: I am really excited about "Strix Halo." I think it's an incredibly innovative product with a ton of potential. Whether that's as a mini desktop box for creators, a super-powerful small form factor desktop, or a compact, cool, and quiet under-the-TV gaming console, I think it has enormous potential. I think we will see a lot of creativity in how "Strix Halo" gets used and what form factors it fits into.
What you're seeing here at CES is just the beginning because there's real innovation around the shared memory footprint between CPU and GPU, the way the chip is constructed, the core count, and the GPU size. I think it will be used in many interesting ways. As a small form factor gaming console, it could be awesome.
David McAfee: Yeah, it's certainly not notebook-only. One of the systems we have shown off here is an HP mini workstation. You'll see more designs from partners, including barebone desktops, small form factor desktops, and other designs. This will open up creativity around the types of cases and implementations.
TechPowerUp: Do you see a space for "Strix Point" on AM5—is there a need for stronger iGPU with NPU?
David McAfee: That's an interesting question. Strix is in a unique space. Maybe this is a good conversation about "Strix Halo" versus "Strix Point." In my opinion, there are levels of 3D performance that create different experience or capability levels on a desktop PC. What we need to prove to ourselves, or the market, is whether Strix as an AM5 desktop part provides a unique experience compared to a more basic graphics system. The next step is very playable 1080p gaming at 30+ frames per second. "Strix Halo" steps up to a different class of gaming. Just for the record, it does not fit the AM5 socket. It's about delivering a valuable experience to consumers given other market choices for CPU and GPU combinations, considering power, noise, and other factors. "Strix Point" is in a gray zone for me in terms of performance versus desktop user expectations.
3D V-Cache Tech, Why Not Just Standardize it?
TechPowerUp: What would you like to tell gamers who want to buy a 9800X3D but can't find it in stock anywhere?David McAfee: We've been blown away by demand for the X3D. We've ramped up production massively for Q4, Q1, and Q2 throughout 2025. Just yesterday, I saw the 9800X3D on Amazon and Newegg again. I don't think they lasted long, but they were there. Every week, we deliver more supply to the market. X3D has a longer manufacturing lead time due to the stacking process. As we look into 2025, we are adding significant manufacturing capacity.
TechPowerUp: Awesome! Given the huge success of 3D V-Cache, isn't it time to make it standard on all higher-end processors?
David McAfee: That's a great question. One thing about the desktop market is there's no one-size-fits-all. The 7950X3D is a great example. For gaming, X3D is awesome because the big block of cache next to the processor lowers memory latency, boosting gaming performance. But for creator applications like Photoshop or 3D rendering, X3D offers negligible benefit. The stacking process is expensive. There are many PC builders with different priorities, applications, and budgets. X3D is a critical part of our strategy, but it won't replace everything else.
TechPowerUp: Right now, the volumes are heavily skewed toward X3D.
David McAfee: Not really. You'd be surprised. On a global scale, the split between AM4 and AM5 is not far off from 50/50. Different markets have different preferences. North America and Western Europe skew toward higher-end AM5 builds.
David McAfee: We have looked at that. There hasn't been a lot of observed benefit with dual X3D CCDs. In some cases, it regresses performance due to cache coherency issues. But if there's market demand, we're open to exploring it.
TechPowerUp: What makes X3D so expensive? Is it the SRAM die, packaging, or volume?
David McAfee: Good question. When we build a 7700X versus a 7800X3D, it might seem simple from the outside. But there's a lot of complexity under the hood. You need to build the base CCD, the SRAM wafer, and apply special processing for assembly. It's a bleeding-edge technology. Costs will go down over time with economies of scale, but for now, it's leading-edge technology.
On Ryzen Mobile Processors, Compact Cores, and Windows-on-Arm
TechPowerUp: In the desktop space Zen 4c has been out for a year or so (Ryzen 8500G). How do you feel about it?David McAfee: Our APU products are used more for office productivity, business users, and power-efficient small form factor builds. They don't have the same demands as true enthusiast gaming PCs. Zen 4c is great for notebooks, where efficiency and cost are priorities. Many of those benefits translate into the desktop space as well.
David McAfee: That's a fair ask. Adding PCIe lanes has implications for the platform. The transition from AM4 to AM5 was very disruptive. Keeping the platform consistent is a big benefit to end users. Next-generation platforms will consider user builds and lane counts to ensure the right balance of computing power and I/O capabilities for different market segments.
TechPowerUp: What steps has AMD taken to improve the limited availability of Ryzen laptop designs?
David McAfee: Are you referring to the number of designs or market availability?
TechPowerUp: Both. Intel has so many designs, but AMD has technically better solutions that are less visible.
David McAfee: I'm not the expert on that side, but we work with OEM partners to ensure a broad portfolio of designs across brands, form factors, and price points.
David McAfee: I don't think it's a failure. Microsoft invested heavily to broaden their ecosystem. x86 is a mature ecosystem with decades of legacy. Arm-based devices have pushed innovation in power management. Arm brought valuable insights, but it's not seamless. However, it's driving innovation for all silicon makers.
TechPowerUp: How about AI on desktops?
David McAfee: We've advanced AI PCs significantly. There are many applications now running on the NPU, and we've expanded AI coverage across different product ranges. Desktops have more unbounded compute needs to be compared to NPUs. We focus on combining CPUs and GPUs for diverse workloads. I know there's anticipation for RDNA 4. We didn't cover it in-depth at CES to avoid disappointing people. We will do a full deep dive soon.
Radeon RX 9000 series and RDNA 4
TechPowerUp: Is RDNA 4 a monolithic design?David McAfee: We haven't talked about that yet.
David McAfee: We've been building momentum with Radeon. Our strategy is similar to Ryzen—focus on value, listening to the community, and providing features they care about. We want to ensure that Radeon graphics deliver excellent capabilities for gamers at reasonable price points.
David McAfee: It's a good move. Transparency helps consumers understand our products better.
36 Comments on TechPowerUp Interviews David McAfee, GM of Client Channel Business, On the State of AMD Ryzen and Radeon
Amd/comments/1ieq50f
There will be a new IOD on TSMC's N4 for Zen6 CPUs. This means they will introduce new hardware and connectivity options before transitioning to AM6 platform. This will allow them to trial and troubleshoot any new features on the mature platform before rolling out this IOD back again on future 'Zen7' and AM6.
As you can see below, IOD on Zen2/Zen3 had 32 Gen4 PCIe lanes (SerDes PHY), but only 24 were enabled on AM4 platform. On AM5, they could not pack all 28 Gen5 lanes into the top row and there is one x4 PHY below. This should change on the new IOD due to logic shrink, and we might see both more and all PCIe lanes back into the same row.
New IOD will increase in transistor density due to shrink from N6 to N4, so that more functional blocks can be etched on it. Zen6 IOD will most likely have standard upgrades:
1. new, faster Infinity Fabric PHY. It will be either classic upgrade to 'GMI4' or a new solution used on Strix Halo die
2. more PCIe lanes, hopefully one extra x4, in total 32 lanes, just like IOD on Zen2/3 had
3. new and faster IMC, possibly ~6800 MT/s
4. new iGPU with either 2CUs or 4CUs; RDNA4?
5. new VCN media engine with better encoders and codec support
6. new DCN display engine; native UHBR20 support for DP80 Gbps
7. integrated USB4 PHY (like in Strix Point) to free up x4 link for another SSD (Intel integrated two TB4 ports into Arrow Lake silicon)
That's about it. The above would be the best case scenario.What are you looking for with such comment? I am confused.
Many have started to argue that I have "hatred" and that I'm running a "crusade" while denying that there is a problem. A problem that is very much real. But every time I address it, flinging starts. Maybe I should just stop talking about it and let the whole thing crumble under its own weight.
On the topic, not much of an interview besides some CPU discussion, I can understand people want to know about GPU's but it's been obvious AMD doesn't want to give Nvidia any upper hand with any details.
Really, I want to hear your justification for this... thing. Like, does he even believe the things he said? More importantly, do you believe the things he said? Not that I'm expecting an answer to this, of course. If you run even the slightest risk of sounding that you agree with any point that doesn't back AMD, you will ignore the post or attempt to discredit it.
We are not going to play here by your imposed rules because you do not sound as if you came here to actually hear various opinions. Pass. Moving on.
Also, no I don't really care what he said, it's just a PR post on upcoming products.
Here, I have a proposition for you. Engage with my post above#28and say how you imagine the new IOD would look like. It's your opportunity to be productive and engage meaningfully.
Just do a search on “bash AMD“. It’s amazing.
A redesigned IOD needs to address the question of the UCLK limitations existing in Zen 4 and 5 first and foremost, having to lower the ratio to 1:2 and in some cases, even 1:3 has robbed Zen 5 of the capability of achieving same level of bandwidth and latencies that the Intel processors can. They can easily exceed 6800 MT/s, I see 10000 MT/s easily being doable on next-gen ROG Apex level boards with CUDIMMs once that is implemented, perhaps the X970E Apex will be the board to see that when paired with a Zen 6 CPU.
An updated display engine featuring RDNA 4 or maybe even UDNA 1 IP would certainly be welcome, although only if they actually implement more than one workgroup. I realize that their objective was just to make every PC usable without discrete graphics (instead of just the G models), but for all its faults the quad-core Xe²-based graphics engine in Arrow Lake is quite powerful in its own right, and it's something where AMD can and should improve. Implementing 2 WGPs (for a total of 4 CUs) would help the processor drive high-resolution displays effortlessly.
Regarding outputs, I believe that even within this generation the primary limitation happens to be the motherboards themselves, many don't implement HDMI 2.1 or DP 2.0+ bandwidths due to the cost of driver ICs and the generally accepted mentality that iGPUs are weak. It's something that has to change and I believe that it is within both AMD and Intel's reach and interests to demand this for a next-generation chipset specification.
Finally, adding more PCIe lanes and a native USB 4 solution to free the lanes that were used up by the ASMedia controller is something that I honestly expect out of the X970E, especially if this chipset turns out to be built different (like the X570 was) from the two previous generations. Third wave AM5 or, if they opt for AM6, has great potential and I'm actually more than open to upgrading to it, especially if AMD figures out the 12 or 16-core CCD's. Last but not least, I'm a firm believer of OpenSIL and I hope they actually manage to ship it in time. Open source low-level firmware code will be the single biggest improvement in CPU architecture since AMD64, in my opinion.