An AMD Strix Halo “Ryzen AI Max” APU has been spotted in an Ultra Mobile Workstation PC on Geekbench. The APU is part of the upcoming Zen 5-based series and features up to 12 cores running at 3.2 GHz base clocks. The Ryzen AI Max 390 SKU has a 12-core/24-thread configuration and a 40 CU integrated GPU based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture.
In the Geekbench AI benchmark, the Ultra 14-inch G1a Mobile Workstation PC scored 4733 points in Single Precision, 4944 in Half Precision, and 13944 in Quantized tests. This puts the Strix Halo slightly ahead of the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with its 50 TOPS NPU and 80 platform TOPS. Key features of the AMD Ryzen AI HX Strix Halo APUs include a Zen 5 chiplet design, up to 16 cores, 64 MB shared L3 cache, 40 RDNA 3+ compute units, 32 MB MALL cache for the iGPU, a 256-bit LPDDR5X-8000 memory controller, and an integrated XDNA 2 engine with up to 60 AI TOPS.
The lineup is expected to launch in the second half of 2024 on the FP11 platform (55W-130W). The Ryzen AI Max 390 runs at a base frequency of 3.20 GHz, faster than the 2.00 GHz of the Strix Point Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. Both have 12 cores and 24 threads, but the HX 370 only has 12 compute units versus the Strix Halo’s 40.
The top-end Ryzen AI Max+ 395 will offer an even more powerful 16-core/32-thread configuration with the same 40 compute units. The Strix Halo series aims to provide a robust solution for demanding workloads and gaming without discrete GPUs.
AMD’s Strix Halo Geekbench performance
It will likely appear in enthusiast PCs, workstations, and gaming laptops in early 2025. Despite the promising specs, initial CPU-only Geekbench AI tests showed the Ryzen AI Max 390 sample lagging behind some Intel offerings. However, it did outperform AMD’s previous-gen Ryzen 7 7840HS.
Full evaluations, including the GPU and NPU, are still needed to assess the Strix Halo’s AI capabilities. The Strix Halo lineup leaks also detail three main SKUs:
1. Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (16 Zen5 cores, 40 RDNA 3.5 CUs)
2. Ryzen AI Max 390 (12 Zen5 cores, 40 RDNA 3.5 CUs)
3. Ryzen AI Max 385 (8 Zen5 cores, 32 RDNA 3.5 CUs)
The APUs reportedly use two 8-core chiplets, with single chiplet variants for gaming. All configs have at least 32 CUs, double the previous gen.
They may also support up to 96GB VRAM to compete with Apple’s M-series in mobile workstations. Pricing and exact launch timing are still unknown, but the Strix Halo is shaping up to be a significant release for AMD in the mobile and gaming APU space. More testing will reveal its full potential as an alternative to Intel and Apple silicon.
