AMD Strix Halo APU variant discovered
![AMD Strix Halo APU variant discovered](../themes/icons/grey.gif)
128GB of RAM on board
Tom’s Hardware has found a shipping document with a new variant of the speculated AMD Strix Halo APU, which boasts an unprecedented 128GB of RAM.
This mobile processor is shaping up to be AMD's most formidable APU, surpassing its predecessors in both mobile and desktop categories.
The shipment, containing Maple Rev.B printed circuit boards (PCBs), was dispatched on 27 May 27. These "Maple" PCBs have been linked to Strix Halo prototypes, with earlier versions, Maple Rev.A, featuring 32GB and 64GB of RAM. The thermal design power (TDP) remains consistent at 120W in this latest iteration.
The prospect of an APU equipped with 128GB of RAM has heightened anticipation for Strix Halo. Despite AMD's silence, the steady stream of leaks has led many to accept its existence as a given.
Strix Halo shares its moniker with Strix Point, the codename for AMD's upcoming Ryzen AI 300 series processors, set to debut in laptops this July. The leaked specifications suggest that Strix Halo could outperform the current generation of AMD APUs found in gaming consoles.
The Strix Halo APU is anticipated to feature a multi-chip design, using AMD's Infinity Fabric for die-to-die connections. It is expected to house two CPU dies alongside a GPU die, with the CPU segment comprising 16 Zen 5 cores capable of reaching 5.8 GHz, backed by a 64MB L3 cache.
The graphics component will likely include up to 40 RDNA 3.5 cores, operating at 16x PCIe 4.0 speeds and sharing a 32MB L4 "Infinity" cache. Additionally, Strix Halo is rumoured to incorporate a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with a capacity of 70 TOPS, surpassing the standard for today's AI-enabled PCs.
The idea of having 64GB RAM on a laptop was once deemed excessive, and 128GB RAM and 120W TDP specifications appear particularly lavish for gaming purposes.
These extreme figures are likely part of AMD's exploratory testing to gauge the APU's performance under maximal power and memory conditions. Yet, it remains possible that these specifications could represent the upper echelon of what AMD intends to market.
Strix Halo has garnered attention from power users and professional consumers, who may leverage the chip for intensive tasks such as content creation, AI processing, and 3D rendering.
Its specifications and compact design suggest that Strix Halo could be accommodated within slimmer devices than traditional CPU and mobile GPU combinations. There is speculation that Strix Halo might be featured on portable gaming PCs.
There is no confirmed release date for Strix Halo, nor has AMD officially acknowledged the chip. The tech community eagerly awaits the introduction of the Zen 5 architecture with the release of Strix Point in July, and hopes that Strix Halo will follow.