Gigabyte just told us that AMD’s next-gen APUs for the desktop will be out later in January.
A press release from the motherboard maker was published over the weekend for its new beta BIOS release for AM5 (the chipset for current-gen Ryzen 7000 processors).
That release mentions the incoming desktop APUs specifically, saying: “The forthcoming AM5 next gen APU will be launched at the end of January 2024.”
If true, with CES 2024 happening at the start of January, we’d expect AMD to hold an initial reveal at this event.
These processors are purportedly Ryzen 8000G models, as previous chatter from the grapevine has indicated. Note the ‘G’ which means they are APUs with relatively powerful graphics (for an on-board solution) intended to be used in desktops so a discrete GPU isn’t needed (saving money).
In theory – as reported by HKEPC previously – the top-end Ryzen 8000G model will extend to eight cores (16-threads) and will offer integrated RDNA 3 graphics with 12 compute units.
Purportedly there’ll be four chips in the line-up, all based on Zen 4 architecture (but also incorporating more compact Zen 4c cores in a hybrid design).
Speaking of saving money on GPUs, another option, of course, is to keep an eye out on the bargains incoming for Black Friday.
Analysis: Pepping up the graphics
While Ryzen 8000 has been previously mentioned a lot in the context of Zen 5 processors – the next generation to succeed Ryzen 7000 – as noted, these ‘G’ suffixed APUs are rather different in their focus on providing an all-in-one desktop solution (dispensing with the need for a separate GPU).
The Ryzen 8000G models have been given considerably more pep (in theory) thanks to more powerful integrated graphics, with the shift to RDNA 3 being a big step up.
Now, while we say that, don’t think that these chips will work for serious gaming needs – but they’ll be fine for more casual gamers, delivering palatable enough 1080p performance in general. Demanding gaming will still require one of the models at the top of the tree in our best processors roundup.
The successor to the current-gen Ryzen 7000 processors, based on Zen 5, are going to turn up a bit later next year – we’re not sure when, but probably mid-year, most likely – and they may be called Ryzen 9000 models to differentiate them. That’s the latest rumor anyway.
Via PC Gamer