AMD has confirmed that mid-range Zen 5 APUs are set to launch in early 2025, with reports indicating their debut will occur at the CES 2025 event. Although AMD hasn’t provided much information about these new APUs, ECS has revealed details about one of the two Krackan processors.
New Processor Insights
ECS made a somewhat early announcement regarding a new laptop, stating that it is powered by an APU featuring an 8-core CPU equipped with Zen 5c cores. This processor is likely one of the two speculated Ryzen AI models, either the AI 350 or AI 340. Unfortunately, the company did not disclose the number of Compute Units (CUs) present in the RDNA 3.5 integrated GPU (iGPU) of this APU.
Positioning in the Market
Previous reports suggest that the Krackan APUs will be positioned below the Strix Point options. To clarify, the entry-level Ryzen AI 9 365 from that series comes with a 10-core CPU and includes the RDNA 3.5 Radeon 880M iGPU featuring 12 CUs. While ECS hasn’t provided specifics on the iGPU of the Krackan APU in its new laptop, it did mention an XDNA 2 Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capable of delivering 40 TOPs of performance. This indicates that the NPU is also experiencing a reduction in capability.
Laptop Features and Specifications
Regarding the laptop, known as the UP42KP, ECS has revealed that it will come with a 14-inch display, USB4 ports, and support for fast WiFi 6 connectivity. The Thermal Design Power (TDP) range is set between 15W and 54W, aligning with typical specifications for mid-range laptops. Additionally, ECS states that the UP42KP boasts a slim profile, measuring a mere 16.9 mm in thickness. More details, including pricing, will be disclosed at the CES 2025 launch event.
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