AMD FSR 4 sees the introduction of a new AI ML-based upscaler replacing the shader-based one on FSR 3, which greatly improves image quality at every performance tier. The new technology, however, is exclusive to Radeon RX 9000 series GPUs powered by RDNA 4. This is because the AI ML model is designed for the newer high-throughput data formats that the AI accelerators of RDNA 4 GPUs can accelerate, which cuts out the older Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs based on RDNA 3, even the top RX 7900 XTX. The good news is that the modding community is making efforts to get FSR 4 to work on RDNA 3 GPUs. The bad news, however, is that while FSR 4 on RDNA 3 shows a marked improvement in image quality, there is a drop in performance.

Virtual-Cobbler-9930, a game modder, discovered a method to get FSR 4 to work in games such as "Cyberpunk 2077," a title which didn't even see an official implementation of FSR 3.1. For games to support FSR 4 through patches, it's generally expected of them to have FSR 3.1 support. Virtual-Cobbler-9930 found a way to inject FSR using a tool called OptiScaler, so the FSR 3.1 requirement is no longer necessary. By using a command called "WMMA_RDNA3_WORKAROUND," it is possible to activate FSR 4. It's worth noting, though, that the ML-based upscaler of FSR 4 will begin to bear down heavily on an RDNA 3 GPU, which lacks support for many of the high-throughput data sets that RDNA 4 GPUs do. This was confirmed in the "Cyberpunk 2077" test run, where performance was shown dropping from 85 FPS down to 56 FPS using the in-game benchmark tool; while offering image quality improvements. The source link below shows how Virtual-Cobbler-9930 got FSR 4 to work on "Cyberpunk 2077" in depth.

AMD is readying a new mainstream graphics card positioned based on its current RDNA 3 graphics architecture, the Radeon RX 7650 GRE (Golden Rabbit Edition). The company has had great success in selling graphics card SKUs with the "GRE" brand extension in China, with the RX 6750 GRE being a popular SKU there; and it even has an enthusiast-class SKU with the RX 7900 GRE, which saw a global launch earlier this year. The company is hoping for the "GRE" moniker to compete better against the GeForce RTX 4060, at least in specific markets. A new Benchlife.info report says that the RX 7650 GRE will be based on the 6 nm "Navi 33" monolithic silicon, and not the 5 nm "Navi 32" chiplet-based GPU previously reported.

AMD has already maxed out the "Navi 33" for both the RX 7600 and RX 7600 XT, with the latter only seeing its memory size doubled over the former, so it remains to be seen where AMD goes with the RX 7650 GRE. The "7650" numbering suggests a faster SKU, so it's possible that AMD increases the engine clock speeds of the "Navi 33" by as much as it can. The RX 7600 comes with a 2.25 GHz Game clock, which the RX 7600 XT slightly bumps up to 2.47 GHz. If we were to guess, the RX 7650 GRE could focus on increasing the Game clock, not the memory size; and so it could have the power configuration of the RX 7600 XT, and room for Game clocks either on-par or higher than the RX 7600 XT, while retaining the 8 GB memory size of the RX 7600.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, IPC solutions, and storage devices today, proudly introduces the latest BIOSTAR AMD Radeon RX 7600 OC graphics card built to deliver stunning visuals and efficient computing capability.

Strategically engineered to deliver the best bang for buck performance, the BIOSTAR Radeon RX 7600 OC graphics card is perfect for casual gamers seeking smooth, enjoyable gameplay without overspending. Powered by AMD's RDNA3 architecture, the RX 7600 OC offers excellent 1080p performance with features like AMD FreeSync and FidelityFX Super Resolution, ensuring seamless gameplay and sharp visuals. Whether you're diving into simulations, strategy games, or enjoying casual sessions with friends, this card's overclocking capabilities and efficient cooling provide the perfect balance of performance and affordability.

AMD has unveiled its latest processor, the Ryzen 8040H. This new model boasts 8 Zen 4 cores and full RDNA3 graphics with 12 Compute Units. Notably, it lacks the AMD XDNA processor, confirming earlier rumors of a mobile SKU without a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). Contrary to speculation, the 8040H's specifications differ from the Ryzen 8845HS. The new chip has a boost clock of 4.9 GHz, 200 MHz lower than its predecessor. Graphics performance has also been slightly reduced, with the 12 Compute Units clocked at 2.6 GHz, down from 2.7 GHz in the 8845H.

The Lenovo XiaoXin 14 Pro is the first laptop to feature this new APU, priced at 5499 RMB ($768) with 24 GB of memory. For comparison, a similar model with the 8845H and 32 GB of memory is priced at 5599 RMB ($773), suggesting only a marginal price difference between the two configurations.

ZOTAC, best known for its graphics cards and to some extent its Mini-PCs, is going to present a new handheld gaming device - ZOTAC ZONE. Videocardz somehow managed to get their hands on an almost complete spec sheet just to find out that it will be powered by an 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor. From this we can also get to know that it will use Radeon 780M integrated graphics with 12 RDNA3 Compute Units (15 W Default, 28 W Max). ZOTAC ZONE will feature a 7-inch 120 Hz AMOLED, 1080p, 120 Hz display with up to 800 nits maximum brightness.

The device specs include 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory, 512 GB dedicated storage and support for M2.2 2280 SSDs. The 48.5 Wh battery with an estimated 1.25 hours of runtime seems a bit weak, thus the lower 700 g weight, but that could change since the display/demo unit that will be available during Computex next week is a non-final prototype model. As confirmed by ZOTAC, ZONE is expected to be launched in the next quarter, with no details about the price.

GIGABYTE is ready with its first custom design graphics card based on the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (Golden Rabbit Edition). Originally designed for the Chinese domestic market, the RX 7900 GRE is finding its way across other Asian markets, and is also available in Europe. This GIGABYTE graphics card could be among the RX 7900 GRE cards to make it to the old continent. The card's design resembles that of the company's RX 7800 XT Gaming OC, which is slightly smaller than that of the RX 7900 XT Gaming OC. It features a triple-slot WindForce 3X cooling solution with a dual aluminium fin-stack heatsink that uses a copper base-plate, four heatpipes, and a trio of 80 mm fans. The card is about 30 cm long, 13 cm tall, and 5.6 cm thick. It uses a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors.

The Radeon RX 7900 GRE is based on the "Navi 31" XL silicon, which is essentially the "Navi 31" chiplet GPU on a compact package that's about the size of a "Navi 32." AMD designed this smaller package for its mobile RX 7900 series SKUs. The RX 7900 GRE is configured with 80 RDNA3 compute units, which make up 5,120 stream processors, 160 AI accelerators, 80 Ray accelerators, and 320 TMUs. It gets the full 192 ROP count of the silicon. The SKU only has four out of six MCDs (memory cache dies) enabled, which gives it 64 MB of Infinity Cache, and a 256-bit wide memory bus, driving 16 GB of 18 Gbps GDDR6 for 576 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The total board power (TBP) of the RX 7900 GRE is configured at 260 W, which is about the same as that of the RX 7800 XT. The GIGABYTE Gaming OC card is expected to come with a slight factory overclock for the GPU.

Recently, MINISFORUM updated the CPU of V3 to AMD's latest Ryzen7 8840U on its official website. Previously, the preview page for V3 went live on January 3rd. It is understood that MINISFORUM is expected to hold the V3 and Spring New Product Launch Event at the end of March 2024. MINISFORUM V3 is the world's first high-performance AMD AI 3-in-1 tablet, featuring AMD's latest Ryzen7 8840U, built on a 4 nm process, with Zen 4 CPU and RDNA3 GPU architecture, 8 cores 16 threads, a base frequency of 3.30 GHz, and a maximum boost frequency of 5.10 GHz, with a TDP of 15-30 W, and a 16 MB L3 cache. It integrates Radeon 780M graphics. V3 also boasts a dual-fan and four-copper-pipe cooling system, achieving 28 W sustained performance release, providing sustained power for AI model training, graphic rendering, video editing, and gaming entertainment.

The AMD 8840U is also paired with a proprietary XDNA AI processor, with NPU computing power up to 16TOPS and processor computing power up to 38TOPS. Based on this, V3 is equipped with a new AMD Ryzen AI, creating an AI Windows triple-in-one tablet PC with the highest security level from Microsoft, supporting Microsoft Real-time Communication, and hardware design supporting Microsoft Copilot, which can be called upon with a single click, providing real-time intelligent suggestions and assistance, helping users easily complete tasks in various scenarios for efficient office work.

PowerColor, a leader in innovative graphics card solutions, is proud to announce the launch of its latest marvel in the gaming world: the PowerColor RX 7900 XT Hellhound - Spectral White Edition. Following the overwhelming success of the 7800 XT Spectral White model, this new release brings the same unique design elements to the powerful Radeon 7900 XT series.

Spectral White Edition: A Symphony in White
The RX 7900 XT Hellhound Spectral White Edition is a testament to PowerColor's commitment to exceptional design and engineering. It features an all-white PCB, heatsink, and cooling solution, setting a new benchmark in graphics card aesthetics. This card is not just a performance powerhouse; it's a statement piece for any gaming setup, offering a pristine, unified look that white PC build enthusiasts will adore.

ASRock, the leading global motherboard, graphics card and mini PC manufacturer, today launched the new Steel Legend and Challenger Series graphics cards based on the new AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT GPUs. The new ASRock AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT Steel Legend and Challenger Series graphics cards are built on the advanced AMD RDNA 3 architecture, featuring up to 32 redesigned compute units and second-generation AMD Infinity Cache technology. They also offer the latest features and capabilities including AMD Radiance Display Engine, full AV1 encoding and more to power high-performance 1080p gaming, streaming and content creation applications. Meanwhile, with support for AMD HYPR-RX with AMD Fluid Motion Frames users can crank up their game settings for fully immersive and highly responsive gaming.

The new ASRock AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT Steel Legend and Challenger Series graphics cards are equipped with high-speed 16 GB GDDR6 memory at 18 Gbps and are pre-overclocked to deliver higher levels of performance. The AMD Radiance Display Engine provides 12-bit-per-channel color for up to 68 billion colors for incredible color accuracy. In addition, ASRock AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT Steel Legend and Challenger Series graphics cards also support various ASRock exclusive features such as the Striped Axial Fan, the Ultra-fit Heatpipe, a stylish metal backplate, and Polychrome SYNC technology to provide excellent cooling efficiency, solid construction, and fancy ARGB lighting effects. Powered with these exclusive features, ASRock AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT Steel Legend and Challenger Series graphics cards are ideal choices for 1080p gamers and content creators.

AMD has lowered the official MSRP of the Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics card to $749, down from its launch price of $899. Its street price, as TweakTown found out, is lower still, with certain custom-design RX 7900 XT cards selling for as low as $710 on Newegg. At this price, the RX 7900 XT is set up for a major clash with certain overclocked NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER graphics cards, leftover inventories of the recently retired GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, and probably even looks to soak up some sales before the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER hits the scene on January 24. The cheapest RX 7900 XT is actually one of the better-appointed custom designs out there, the ASRock RX 7900 XT Phantom Gaming and XFX RX 7900 XT Merc 319, which had originally launched at prices comparable to the PowerColor Hellhound. These are followed by the PowerColor RX 7900 XT Hellhound and Sapphire RX 7900 XT Pulse OC at $720.

The Radeon RX 7900 XT is a very capable high-end GPU that AMD categorizes as capable of 4K Ultra HD gaming with settings maxed out. It's carved out from the "Navi 31" chiplet GPU, and configured with 84 RDNA3 compute units, worth 5,376 stream processors, 168 AI accelerators, 84 Ray accelerators, 336 TMUs, and 192 ROPs. The best part about this card is its memory sub-system, with 80 MB of Infinity Cache, and 20 GB of 20 Gbps GDDR6 memory across a 320-bit wide memory bus with 800 GB/s of bandwidth on tap, which should come in handy at 4K, or when using creator or AI applications.

AMD announced the new Radeon RX 7600 XT graphics card, bolstering its mid-range of 1080p class GPUs. The RX 7600 XT is designed for maxed out AAA gaming at 1080p, although it is very much possibly to play many of the titles at 1440p with fairly high settings. You can also take advantage of technologies such as FSR 3 frame generation in games that support it, AMD Fluid Motion Frames on nearly all DirectX 12 and DirectX 11 games; as well as the new expanded AMD HyperRX performance enhancement that engages a host of AMD innovations such as Radeon Super Resolution, Anti-Lag, and Radeon Boost, to achieve a target frame rate.

The Radeon RX 7600 XT is based on the same 6 nm "Navi 33" silicon, and the latest RDNA 3 graphics architecture, as the Radeon RX 7600. If you recall, the RX 7600 had maxed out all 32 CU on the silicon. To design the RX 7600 XT, AMD retained the "Navi 33," but doubled the memory size to 16 GB, and increased the clock speeds. The 16 GB of memory is deployed across the same 128-bit wide memory bus as the 8 GB is on the RX 7600. The memory speed is unchanged, too, at 18 Gbps GDDR6-effective; as is the resulting memory bandwidth, of 288 GB/s. There are two key changes—the GPU clock speeds and power limits.

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.

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.

Intel on Wednesday held a pre-launch round-table with HotHardware, in which it made several performance disclosures of its upcoming Core "Meteor Lake" mobile processor, comparing it with the current U-segment chips based on the 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake," and competing AMD Ryzen 7040 "Phoenix." In these, the company is claiming that its next-generation iGPU based on the Xe-LPG graphics architecture, armed with 128 EU, is significantly outperforming the Radeon 780M RDNA3 iGPU of the Ryzen 7040, while its CPU is ahead in multi-threaded performance.

In its comparison, the company picked the Core Ultra 7 165H, a middle-of-the-market performance segment part in the 28 W class. This is compared to the Core i7-1370P "Raptor Lake," and the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U. The company also dropped in the fastest Windows-ready Arm chip in the market, the Qualcomm 8cx Gen 3. In the 33 games that the 165H was compared to the 7840U, the Intel iGPU is shown posting performance leads ranging between 3% to 70% over the Radeon 780M, in 23 out of 33 games. In one of the games, the two perform on par with each other. In 9 out of 33 games, the Radeon 780M beats the Intel Xe-LPG by 2% to 18%. The iGPU of the 165H packs 8 Xe cores, or 128 EU (1,024 unified shaders). The Radeon 780M is powered by 12 RDNA3 compute units (768 stream processors).

Sony is developing the PlayStation 5 Pro console that targets higher refresh-rate gaming at 4K Ultra HD, or higher in-game eye-candy, given its faster hardware. Details about the console are few and far between, given its late-2024 tentative release, but by now the company would have co-developed its semi-custom SoC, so it could spend the next year extensively testing and optimizing it, before mass production in the 2-3 quarters leading up to the launch. Kepler_L2 and Tom Henderson on Twitter are fairly reliable sources for PlayStation hardware leaks, and piecing their recent posts together, VideoCardz compiled the most probable specs of the SoC at the heart of the PlayStation 5 Pro.

The semi-custom SoC powering the PlayStation 5 Pro is co-developed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and AMD; and is codenamed "Viola." The monolithic chip is built on the TSMC N4P foundry node (4 nm EUV), which is a big upgrade from the 7 nm DUV node on which the "Oberon" SoC powering the original PlayStation 5, and 6 nm DUV node powering the "Oberon Plus" SoC of the refreshed PS5, are based on. Sony is leaving the CPU component largely untouched, it is an 8-core/16-thread unit based on the "Zen 2" microarchitecture, spread across two 4-core CCXs. The CPU has a maximum boost frequency of 4.40 GHz, dialed up from the 3.50 GHz maximum boost of "Oberon." The iGPU is where all the magic happens.

AMD is giving final touches to its first APUs for the Socket AM5 desktop platform. A report by Sakhtafzar Magazine suggests that the company could give processor models in the series Ryzen 8000G numbering, instead of the previously thought 7000G series. The company is preparing as many as 14 processor models spanning the 4 nm "Phoenix" and "Phoenix 2" monolithic dies. Both chips combine "Zen 4" CPU cores with an iGPU based on the RDNA 3 graphics architecture. While the current Ryzen 7000 series "Raphael" desktop processors feature integrated graphics, AMD doesn't consider them APUs, as their iGPU are just about enough for non-gaming desktop use cases. APUs are designed for entry-level gaming.

The "Phoenix" silicon has up to 8 "Zen 4" CPU cores, and an iGPU with up to 12 RDNA3 compute units. This chip is powering the Ryzen 5 8600G, Ryzen 7 8700G, their PRO variants, and their respective "GE" (energy efficient) sub-variants. The "Phoenix 2" silicon barely qualifies as an APU, as its iGPU only has 4 RDNA3 compute units (compared to the 2 RDNA2 CUs on the "Raphael" iGPU. It also has a maximum CPU core count of 6, from which two are "Zen 4" cores that can sustain higher boost frequency bins, and four are "Zen 4c" cores which run at lower clock speeds (albeit with an identical IPC and ISA). AMD is using "Phoenix 2" on the desktop platform to carve out several sub-$150 class processor models across the Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3 brands; a package with a monolithic "Phoenix 2" die probably has a lower bill of materials (BOM) than a "Raphael" multi-chip module.

Uptake on AMD's latest generation mobile offerings has been slow and steady to put it mildly, but today TUXEDO Computers, a specialist in Linux notebooks at a range of performance and pricing tiers, has announced pre-orders for their new Sirius 16 gaming laptop. This machine combines AMD's latest generation Ryzen 7 7840HS "Phoenix" APU with a Radeon RX 7600M XT RDNA3 GPU inside a sleek all aluminium chassis design that strives to remain understated while still providing a "sleek gamer look" via programmable RGB keys. The Sirius 16 is TUXEDO's first go at an all-AMD configuration and they've held very little back, choosing to allow the full TDP rating of the Phoenix APU at 54 W sustained (or 80 W CPU-only turbo) as well as keeping the RDNA3 GPU at its rated 120 W TGP under full CPU+GPU loads. The Sirius 16 features venting out of both sides as well as the rear of the chassis, and roughly half of the bottom panel is open intake for the dual-fan cooling system.

Powering everything is a 230 W power brick and an 80 Wh replaceable battery bolted inside the chassis. TUXEDO claims up to 10 hours of battery life at minimum display brightness with wireless disabled and without any programmable lighting enabled, or a more realistic 6 hours at medium brightness with wireless enabled and under minimal "office work" load.

AMD is working hard on delivering next-generation products, and today, its Linux team has submitted a few interesting patches that made a subtle appearance through recent GitHub patches for GFX12 targets, as reported by Phoronix. These patches have introduced two new discrete GPUs into the LLVM compiler for Linux, fueling speculation that these will be the first iterations of the RDNA4 graphics architecture, potentially being a part of the Radeon RX 8000 series of desktop graphics cards. The naming scheme for these new targets, GFX1200 and GFX1201, suggests a continuation of AMD's logical progression through graphics architectures, considering the company's history of associating RDNA1 with GFX10 and following suit with subsequent generations, like RDNA2 was GFX10.2 and RDNA3 was GFX11.

The development of these new GPUs is still in the early stages, indicated by the lack of detailed information about the upcoming graphics ISA or its features within the patches. Currently, the new GFX12 targets are set to be treated akin to GFX11 as the patch notes that "For now they behave identically to GFX11," implying that AMD is keeping the specifics under wraps until closer to release. The patch that defines target names and ELF numbers for new GFX12 targets GFX1200 and GFX1201 is needed in order to enable timely support for AMD ROCm compute stack, the AMDVLK Vulkan driver, and the RadeonSI Gallium3D driver.

AMD's "Phoenix" monolithic processor silicon drives the company's Ryzen 7040 series mobile processor lineup, and possible some of its upcoming Ryzen 7000G desktop processor models. It is the first chip from the AMD camp to feature an AI accelerator, besides up to 8 "Zen 4" CPU cores, and a large iGPU based on the latest RDNA3 graphics architecture, with up to 12 compute units, the latest display I/O and media acceleration capabilities. Over the course of its lifecycle, AMD realized that it can't use the nearly 200 mm² silicon built on the expensive 4 nm node to power lower-end processor SKUs, and so developed the smaller 137 mm² "Phoenix 2" silicon that lacks the AI accelerator, has a smaller iGPU with just 4 compute units, and a unique hybrid CPU with 2 "Zen 4" and 4 "Zen 4c" cores. We're now hearing that the company is designing even more derivatives.

The PCI ID Repository discovered two new IDs believed to reference the iGPU models of "Phoenix 3" and "Phoenix 4" chips. At this point we have no clue what the two chips could be, and what the mixture of their CPU, iGPU, and AI accelerator components could be, especially given that AMD is able to carve out Ryzen 3 SKUs from "Phoenix 2." We speculate that "Phoenix 3" and "Phoenix 4" could reference rebranding such as "Escher," although it could even be entirely new chips with different combinations of "Zen 4" and "Zen 4c" cores.

AMD today launched its first client processors that feature the compact "Zen 4c" CPU cores, with the Ryzen 5 7545U and Ryzen 3 7440U mobile processors for thin-and-light notebooks. The "Zen 4c" CPU core is a compacted version of the "Zen 4" core without the subtraction of any hardware components, but rather a high density arrangement of them on the 4 nm silicon. A "Zen 4c" core is around 35% smaller in area on the die than a regular "Zen 4" core. Since none of its components is removed, the core features an identical IPC (single thread performance) to "Zen 4," as well as an identical ISA (instruction set). "Zen 4c" also supports SMT or 2 threads per core. The trade-off here is that "Zen 4c" cores are generally clocked lower than "Zen 4" cores, as they can operate at lower core voltages. This doesn't, however, make the "Zen 4c" comparable to an E-core by Intel's definition, these cores are still part of the same CPU clock speed band as the "Zen 4" cores, at least in the processors that's being launched today.

The Ryzen 5 7545U and Ryzen 3 7440U mobile processors formally debut the new 4 nm "Phoenix 2" monolithic silicon. This chip is AMD's first hybrid processor, in that it has a mixture of two regular "Zen 4" cores, and four compact "Zen 4c" cores. The six cores share an impressive 16 MB of L3 cache. All six cores feature 1 MB of dedicated L2 cache. There is no complex hardware-based scheduler involved, but a software based solution that's deployed by AMD's Chipset Software, which tells the Windows scheduler to see the "Zen 4" cores as UEFI CPPC "preferred cores," and prioritize traffic to them, as they can hold on to higher boost frequency bins. The "Phoenix 2" silicon inherits much of the on-die power-management feature-set from the "Phoenix" and "Rembrandt" chips, and so are capable of a high degree of power savings with underutilized CPU cores and iGPU compute units.

AMD is giving final touches to its Ryzen 7000G series desktop APUs that bring the 4 nm "Phoenix" monolithic processor silicon to the Socket AM5 desktop package. The star attraction with these processors is their large iGPU based on the latest RDNA3 graphics architecture, featuring up to 12 compute units worth 768 stream processors, and full DirectX 12 Ultimate feature-set support. These processors should be able to provide 720p to 1080p gaming with entry-medium settings, where you take take advantage of FSR for even better performance. At this point we don't know whether the Ryzen AI feature-set will make its way to the desktop platform. "Phoenix" features an 8-core/16-thread CPU based on the latest "Zen 4" microarchitecture.

An interesting development here is that not only is AMD bring the "Phoenix" silicon to the desktop platform, but the processor models highlighted in this leak reference the smaller "Phoenix 2" silicon. This chip is physically smaller, features a CPU with two "Zen 4" and four "Zen 4c" cores; and an iGPU that has no more than 4 compute units worth 256 stream processors. The OPN codes of at least three processor models surfaced on the web. These include the Ryzen 5 PRO 7500G (100-000001183-00), the Ryzen 5 7500G (100-00000931-00), and the Ryzen 3 7300G (100-000001187-00). No specs about these chips are known at this point. The PRO 7500G and regular 7500G are expected to feature the full 2+4 core configuration, while the 7300G could probably feature a 2+2 core configuration. If the company does plan a 7600G and 7700G, those would likely be based on "Phoenix" with 6 or 8 regular "Zen 4" cores.

In recent developments, Linux's open-source graphics ecosystem is making significant strides to accommodate AMD's upcoming RDNA3.5 architecture, also known as RDNA3+ or GFX11.5. Mesa 23.3, a library in the Linux graphics software stack, is now being updated for RDNA3.5, marking a substantial milestone. This upcoming update is particularly tailored for the impending Ryzen 8000 "Strix Point" APU series, which will incorporate the Navi 3.5 architecture. While AMD has maintained secrecy regarding specific enhancements accompanying this refresh, we expect decent performance improvements. This includes the anticipation that the Ryzen 8000 APUs will feature an increased number of Compute Units (CUs), where the current highest number is 12 CUs, and the increase could bump that figure to 16 CUs. The official announcement of the Ryzen 8000 series is expected in early 2024 when we will learn more about its GPU configuration and performance.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices today, is excited to introduce the best AMD motherboard/GPU combination for professional content creators. BIOSTAR's B650MS2 motherboard, paired with its AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT GPU, is the perfect solution for graphics designers and content creators who desire flawless performance at an attractive price.

The B650MS2 motherboard from BIOSTAR brings features and functionality with globally renowned product quality and durability. Built based on AMD B650 single chip architecture, the B650MS2 is designed to run the latest and greatest AMD Ryzen 7000 series Processors with superior performance. With support for 2-DIMM DDR5 memory up to 96 GB and additional features like PCIe 4.0 M.2 and 2.5 Gigabit LAN, the B650MS2 is an excellent platform for digital creators who prefer a compact system with unparalleled user experience that enhances work efficiency.

AMD is preparing to launch its first APUs on the Socket AM5 desktop platform, with the Ryzen 7000G series. While the company has standardized integrated graphics with the Ryzen 7000 series, it does not consider the regular Ryzen 7000 series "Raphael" processors as APUs. AMD considers APUs to be processors with overpowered iGPUs that are fit for entry-mainstream PC gaming. As was expected for a while now, for the Ryzen 7000G series, AMD is tapping into its 4 nm "Phoenix" monolithic silicon, the same chip that powers the Ryzen 7040 series mobile processors. Proof of "Phoenix" making its way to desktop surfaced with CPU support lists for the latest AGESA SMUs (system management units) compiled by Reous, with the AGESA ComboAM5PI 1.0.8.0 listing support for "Raphael," as well as "Phoenix." Another piece of evidence was an ASUS B650 motherboard support page that listed a UEFI firmware update encapsulating 1.0.8.0, which references an "upcoming CPU."

Unlike "Raphael" and "Dragon Range," "Phoenix" is a monolithic processor die built on the TSMC 4 nm foundry node. Its CPU is based on the latest "Zen 4" microarchitecture, and features an 8-core/16-thread configuration, with 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The star attraction here is the iGPU, which is based on the RDNA3 graphics architecture, meets the DirectX 12 Ultimate feature requirements, and is powered by 12 compute units worth 768 stream processors. Unlike "Raphael," the "Phoenix" silicon is known to feature an older PCI-Express Gen 4 root complex, with 24 lanes, so you get a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 PEG slot, one CPU-attached M.2 NVMe slot limited to Gen 4 x4, and a 4-lane chipset bus. "Phoenix" features a dual-channel (4 sub-channel) DDR5 memory controller, with native support for DDR5-5600. A big unknown with the Ryzen 7000G desktop APUs is whether they retain the Ryzen AI feature-set from the Ryzen 7040 series mobile processors.

"Strix Point" is the codename for AMD's next-generation mobile processor succeeding the current Ryzen 7040 series "Phoenix." More details of the processor emerged thanks to "All The Watts!!" on Twitter. The CPU of "Strix Point" will be heterogenous, in that it will feature two different kinds of CPU cores, but with essentially the same ISA and IPC. It is rumored that the processor will feature 4 "Zen 5" CPU cores, and 8 "Zen 5c" cores.

Both core types feature an identical IPC, but the "Zen 5" cores can hold onto higher boost frequencies, and have a wider frequency band, than the "Zen 5c" cores. From what we can deduce from the current "Zen 4c" cores, "Zen 5c" cores aren't strictly "efficiency" cores, as they still offer the full breadth of core ISA as "Zen 5," including SMT. In its maximum configuration, "Strix Point" will hence be a 12-core/24-thread processor. The two CPU core types sit in two different CCX (CPU core complexes), the "Zen 5" CCX has 4 cores sharing a 16 MB L3 cache, while the "Zen 5c" CCX shares a 16 MB L3 cache among 8 cores. AMD will probably use a software-based solution to ensure the right kind of workload from the OS is processed by the right kind of CPU core.