Ever since AMD introduced Strix Point, enthusiasts like ourselves have been eagerly awaiting details regarding the high-end Strix Halo APUs with integrated graphics that are rumored to be powerful enough for the system to not require discrete graphics at all. Leaks regarding the upcoming performance mobile APU lineup have been trickling out steadily, and a fresh new Geekbench leak reveals the CPU performance of the Ryzen AI+ Max 395 APU, which boasts a 16-core configuration consisting entirely of Zen 5 cores, unlike Strix Point which features a mix of Zen 5 and the smaller Zen 5c cores. And oh dear, are the numbers ever so lucrative.The APU managed to rake in 2,849 points in the single-core department, and a whopping 20,708 points in multicore. As Videocardz correctly notes, this result is far ahead of AMD's current top-end mobile offering, the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D, which manages around 16,900 points in the multicore test. In single-core, however, the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D does edge ahead, with around 2,900 points. That said, the ROG Flow Z13 laptop that the APU was housed in is most likely still in the testing phase, so it is entirely possible that the final product will sport even better performance. That being said, the Apple M4 Max SoC, however, remains in a league of its own with 3,800 points in single-core and a shocking 25,000 points in multicore. With CES 2025 just around the corner, it's only a matter of weeks before the Ryzen AI Max+ lineup finally sees the light of day and reaches our hands.

During its "Xiamen HighFun" event in China, Minisforum announced the latest addition to its compact series of gaming PCs, this time with no official name. The 6-liter system, code-named "Project RPFXI" for Intel and "Project DRFXI" for AMD, will support up to 100 W TDP and utilize the most powerful Ryzen CPU, the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D. This hybrid mobile/desktop processor combines the desktop-level performance of 16 Zen 4 cores with 144 MB of 3D V-cache, all within a 55 W power limit. Minisforum confirmed the 7945HX3D would be available in the AMD platform version, positioned as a premium model compared to the existing 7945HX system.

Interestingly, the GPU support is literally external, as the potential GPU needs to be attached to the outside part of the case, which is then secured using screws. The case could accommodate the fastest GPUs like NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 with a powerful enough power supply. The 6-liter mini PC is expected to launch in late 2023, either in 24-core Intel (HX line) configuration, of 16-core AMD configuration.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the new ROG Strix SCAR 17 X3D, the perfect fusion of cutting-edge silicon and ROG engineering. Featuring the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D mobile processor equipped with AMD 3D V-Cache technology for the very first time, the Strix SCAR 17 X3D takes performance to a whole new level. By doubling the L3 cache of the mighty Ryzen 9 7945HX processor, the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D gives users a boost in games that are hungry for this onboard ultrafast memory. Paired with a 240 Hz QHD display, Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal on the GPU, and a vapor chamber, the Strix SCAR 17 X3D is ready to dominate the leaderboards.

Making great processors even better
While the original 2023 ROG Strix SCAR 17 came equipped with AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors, the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D is truly in a league of its own. It leverages the power of AMD 3D V-Cache technology, a stacking of extra ultra-high-speed L3 cache vertically on top of one of the two core compute dies (CCD). This extra cache enables the eight cores to perform certain calculations quickly and efficiently, notably in gaming. For situations where increasing CPU frequency simply doesn't show significant performance gains, 3D V-Cache technology holds the potential to unlock extra compute power.