Key Takeaways
1. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 in the Strix Halo APU features 16 Zen 5 cores and the powerful Radeon 8060S iGPU, making it the fastest x86 iGPU available today.
2. AMD plans to release the Zen 6-based Medusa Halo APU next year, which is expected to offer significant CPU and GPU performance improvements.
3. Medusa Halo may include up to 24 Zen 6 cores and a 50% increase in CPU performance compared to Strix Halo.
4. The iGPU in Medusa Halo is expected to have 48 Compute Units (CUs) and a 384-bit wide bus, potentially improving performance by 30% to 50%.
5. While exciting, the information about Zen 6 products is still speculative and should be treated with caution until more details are confirmed.
After a lot of waiting, the first reviews of AMD’s Strix Halo came out last month. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395, which is the quickest Strix Halo APU, really impressed us with its excellent CPU abilities, featuring 16 Zen 5 cores, and the super-fast iGPU performance powered by a 40 CU Radeon 8060S. In fact, the Radeon 8060S is the fastest x86 iGPU available today and can compete with an RTX 4070 laptop GPU that has a TDP of 65-75 W.
Performance Highlights
So, Strix Halo is a clear victory when it comes to pure performance. Nonetheless, AMD looks to be preparing to surpass Strix Halo next year with their Zen 6-based Medusa Halo, an APU that promises to deliver extraordinary boosts in both CPU and GPU performance.
According to Moore’s Law Is Dead, AMD is set to release the Medusa Halo APU next year featuring up to 24 Zen 6 cores thanks to two 12-core CCDs. We previously mentioned that AMD plans to use this 12-core CCD in both desktop and mobile processors. This means that the desktop Zen 6 Medusa Ridge, mobile Medusa Point, and workstation Medusa Halo will utilize either a single or multiple 12-core CCDs.
Upcoming Enhancements
With a 24-core Zen 6 CPU, MLID anticipates that Medusa Halo will achieve up to 50% better CPU performance compared to Strix Halo.
What’s even more exciting is the news about Medusa Halo’s UDNA iGPU. MLID has reported that AMD will be increasing the Compute Units (CUs) from 40 to 48, which is a 20% increase. Some Medusa Halo SKUs might also feature a 384-bit wide bus, making it 50% wider than the 256-bit bus on Strix Halo. This increase in CU count and additional bandwidth should lead to a significant improvement in iGPU performance; MLID predicts the uplift could be between 30% to 50%.
Performance Comparisons
To give some context to this iGPU performance, a 30% increase on top of the Radeon 8060S would mean the Medusa Halo’s iGPU could match the desktop RTX 4060 Ti. If it reaches a 50% increase, Medusa Halo would easily surpass the desktop RTX 3070 Ti, based on our 3DMark Time Spy Graphics results.
That being said, it’s still too early to make any definite claims about the specs and performance of the Zen 6 products. So, while the information from MLID is thrilling, it’s wise to take this leak with a grain of salt.
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