AMD'amp;s Strix Halo notebook APU - better than Apple'amp;s M3 Pro chip?

[14:05 Mon,22.April 2024 by Rudi Schmidts]

Three months ago, we were still complaining that CPU development in the PC sector was progressing more slowly than necessary. But now the specifications of the upcoming AMD APU Strix Halo, which incorporates many design elements of the Apple M3 Pro processors - and in some cases even surpasses them - are finally becoming clearer:

For example, this chip will also feature a shared (unified memory) LPDDR5X memory, which the CPU and GPU can access together without copying. What is really new, however, is the 256-bit memory connection, which could enable a memory throughput of over 270 GB/s at 8533 MT/s.

For comparison: Apple has used somewhat slower memory to date and currently achieves approx. 150 GB/s with its M3 Pro with a bus width of only 192 bits - the M2 Pro still had a 256-bit memory interface with 200 GB/s.

The integrated RDNA 3.5 GPU with 40 CUs could also land at the level of an AMD Radeon RX 7600 in terms of computing power (which in turn calculates at around the level of a desktop Nvidia RTX 4060). AMD could therefore make the use of a dedicated GPU superfluous in many mid-range laptops for gamers and/or creators.

And that&s not all: thanks to the unified memory, such solutions could also have significantly more memory available for AI models than dedicated GPUs under 1000 euros. This is because more than 16 GB of GPU memory usually costs a disproportionate amount extra. 64 GB of "unified" laptop memory, on the other hand, is generally much less of a burden on the budget for PC-based laptops.

However, it is not yet clear when we can expect to see AMD&s first Halo laptops. Originally, the timetable envisaged the beginning of next year, but this would only be after Apple&s M4 launch. As the memory also has to be soldered here, this could also have an impact on the pricing of such a flagship product. Another big question mark is how Microsoft&s upcoming AI Windows version will affect PC sales.

Some leakers have recently started talking about AMD revealing more information not only about the small, monolithic APU model "Strix" but also about "Strix Halo" at COMPUTEX 2024 in early June. Which is not that long away...

more infos at bei www.heise.de

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