AMD Ryzen 8000 “Strix Point” will have 12 cores: 4 Zen 5 cores + 8 Zen 5c cores
Previous reports suggest that AMD plans to debut a revolutionary Zen 5 architecture by 2024, introducing the Ryzen 8000 series, possibly featuring a heterogeneous core architecture. The Strix Point APU is rumored to adopt a big.LITTLE design, has already had its ES chips appear in benchmark test databases, showing a 12-core configuration, but the precise core arrangement remains unknown.
According to VideoCardz, Strix Point’s hybrid architecture incorporates four large cores based on Zen 5 architecture and eight small cores based on Zen 5c architecture. As per earlier conjecture, Strix Point is expected to possess 32MB of shared L3 cache, a 128-bit LPDDR5X memory controller, and the GPU section’s CU count is predicted to rise to 16, based on RDNA 3.5/3+ architecture. It also integrates an XDNA architecture AI engine with a computational power of 20TOPS and is projected for release in the second or third quarter of 2024.
In addition to the conventional monolithic chip design, AMD may also feature another variant referred to as “Strix Point Halo” or alternatively, “Sarlak”, a high-end APU that employs a chiplet design. It is rumored to be divided into two types of small chips, similar to the existing desktop processor design, differentiated by the IOD section and boasting a more potent GPU.
Allegedly, the AMD Strix Point Halo’s CPU section could possess up to 16 cores, while the GPU section, based on the RDNA 3.5/3+ architecture, could provide up to 40 CUs. In terms of graphical performance, it might compete with certain discrete mobile GPUs from NVIDIA, with a speculated release in the latter half of 2024.
In addition, the Ryzen 8000 series includes two APUs, codenamed Hawk Point and Fire Range, respectively. The former represents an optimized version of the existing Phoenix chip, geared towards low-power APUs, while the latter is anticipated to replace the current Dragon Range, i.e., the Ryzen 7045 series. The Ryzen 8000 series also includes Granite Ridge, a potential successor to the current Zen 4 architecture Raphael.
