AMD Ryzen Z2 specs leak, flagship may bring 12 RDNA 3.5 CUs to future handheld PCs

Rumor mill: AMD is group to merchandise nan successor to nan Asus ROG Ally's Z1 Extreme SoC adjacent year, heralding a caller procreation of handheld gaming PCs. Although nan chipmaker hasn't revealed nan hardware specs, a caller study from a known tipster indicates that AMD is preparing 3 variants. Only 1 uses nan company's caller Zen 5-based mobile architecture, codenamed Strix Point.

In a now-deleted Bilibili post, salient leaker Golden Pig Upgrade precocious shared specifications connected an upcoming lineup of mobile AMD processors for handheld gaming PCs. The 3 SoCs will characteristic integrated GPUs pinch 12 compute units, each employing a different Radeon graphics architecture.

At IFA 2024 successful September, AMD confirmed plans to merchandise nan Ryzen Z2 Extreme successful 2025, a follow-up to nan Z1 recovered successful nan Asus ROG Ally handheld gaming PC. While nan institution hasn't revealed specifics, it is collaborating pinch Microsoft and aggregate hardware vendors. Asus, Zotac, GPD, Dell, Lenovo, and different companies precocious revealed portable devices based connected Ryzen SoCs.

Z2E 12CU RDNA3.5 (Strix Point)
Z2 12CU RDNA3 (Hawk Point)
Z2G 12CU RDNA2 (Rembrandt)https://t.co/4DCn5PTeTY

According to Golden Pig, nan Z2 Extreme is nan flagship of a bid of Z2 chips and nan only version based connected Strix Point, AMD's latest mobile architecture, which incorporates Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5. The Z2 Extreme features 12 RDNA 3.5 CUs and is frankincense apt based connected nan Radeon 880M.

Team Red initially planned to nutrient a Z2 Extreme X pinch 16 RDNA 3.5 CUs, astir apt utilizing nan 890M, but canceled it. Benchmarks person shown that nan 890M would substantially outclass presently disposable Windows handhelds, pinch capacity akin to a desktop GeForce GTX 1070 aliases Radeon RX 580. GPD released a pouch PC featuring nan spot earlier this year, proving it tin fresh into a handheld shape factor.

Meanwhile, nan modular Ryzen Z2 includes 12 RDNA 3 CUs connected a Hawk Point SoC. It mightiness beryllium a rebranded Z1 Extreme, but nan upgrade from Phoenix to Hawk Point suggests nan summation of an NPU. AMD plans to usage NPUs for instrumentality learning-based solution upscaling, which tin amended capacity and artillery life. The weakest Z2 member, nan Z2G, features 12 RDNA 2 CUs connected an SoC from nan older Rembrandt architecture.

Handheld PC vendors will soon person plentifulness of options for SoCs. Aside from nan 3 rumored Z2 variants, they could still opt for nan much powerful 890M, and Intel is trying to participate nan increasing marketplace pinch its Lunar Lake chips.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V's iGPU trounced nan 890M successful a low-wattage benchmark from Geekerwan earlier this month. An upgraded type of nan MSI Claw handheld pinch Lunar Lake is group for a Q4 2024 launch.