AMD Strix Halo: A Game Changer for Handheld Gaming?

New leaks suggest that upcoming gaming handhelds may see a significant performance boost thanks to AMD’s Strix Halo lineup. Expected to feature up to 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units (CUs) and support for up to 96GB of video memory, these APUs represent a substantial upgrade from the previous Strix Point generation.

Interestingly, while the Strix Halo may initially serve more as a mobile workstation solution, its impressive specs indicate that laptops equipped with these chips could handle gaming quite well, potentially without needing a dedicated graphics card. This opens up exciting possibilities for next-gen handhelds, including updated versions of the Asus ROG Ally X and the Steam Deck. Let’s explore what’s anticipated for 2025, based on the latest Weibo leak.

AMD appears to have revamped its naming convention, with the Strix Halo series being referred to as Ryzen AI Max+ and Ryzen AI Max. This naming strategy is reminiscent of Apple’s M silicon lineup, suggesting a trend among major chipmakers, including Intel with its Core Ultra branding.

The new Ryzen AI Max series is expected to launch with three variants. At the top is the Ryzen AI Max+ 395, boasting 16 cores and 40 RDNA 3.5 CUs, along with four-channel LPDDR5X memory support and a thermal design power (TDP) of 130 watts. Next is the Ryzen AI Max 390, featuring 12 CPU cores and the same 40 CUs. Finally, the Ryzen AI Max 385 offers eight cores paired with a robust GPU featuring 32 CUs.

The increase in CUs is particularly noteworthy—doubling the count found in the last-gen Strix Point APUs. Even the entry-level variant boasts the same number of CUs as the desktop RX 6600 XT, indicating a powerful integrated GPU. This could enable AMD to not only excel in the handheld gaming market but also compete effectively with Apple and Intel’s offerings in the workstation laptop arena.

While it’s still early to pinpoint when these APUs will launch—and the specs may evolve—it’s clear that if priced right, AMD could have a game-changing product on its hands.

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