AMD has a whole lot of goodies in store for us next year. Its new hardware launches expected in 2025 include RDNA 4 graphics cards, more Ryzen 9000 processors – including new 3D V-Cache offerings – and a deluge of APUs that could seriously pep up thin-and-light gaming laptops and PC gaming handhelds in a big way.
Some interesting things are brewing, and the component is that much of this hardware will be showcased through AMD early next year, at CES 2025.
AMD’s expected top release next year, for PC gamers who can’t bear the costs of top-end graphics cards, is probably the new RDNA four desktop GPU.
As has been long-rumored, the RDNA 4 series from AMD is expected to top out at the mid-range. Team Red won’t be challenging Nvidia at the higher end of the market, by all accounts.
The most recent speculation (at the time of writing) has theorized that AMD will launch an RX 9070 XT and vanilla 9070, which, if it happens, looks to be an odd kind of one-upmanship game with Nvidia (as in RX 9070 > RTX 5070 at the mid-range). Previously, the rumor mill believed the RX 8800 XT would be the next-gen flagship, and that could still happen, but we’re in strictly wait-and-see territory here.
If the rumors are good, the RDNA four (Navi four8) graphics card, whatever it’s called, may be matched with Nvidia’s RTX four080 GPU for ray tracing functionality, and the RTX four080 Super when it comes to ray tracing: an exciting prospect. Yes, the theory is that AMD has made wonderful strides in ray tracing functionality in particular.
We should see these RX 9070 models (or indeed 8800 XT and sibling) revealed at CES 2025 if the buzz on the grapevine is right, with the GPUs going on sale in Q1. Of course, there’ll likely be more RDNA 4 products in the pipeline later in the year, too.
If the initial launch is indeed the RX 9070, we can expect it, as AMD’s RX 6600 is a mainstay of a reasonable GPU for a budget PC, but it now clearly looks tired (especially after the successful launch of the Intel Arc B580).
On the software front, AMD told us that it’s (finally) integrating AI into its FSR frame enhancement technology.
FSR four will arrive sometime in 2025 with AI, and AMD has said it will usher in the “next generation of ML-based FSR [machine learning or AI]” for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to kick off (and to follow other PC games). A recent rumor suggested that FSR 4 could launch as early as CES 2025.
We don’t know much yet about how the AI implementation will work, but the FSR symbol generation is worth it, as is the quality of the symbols.
Several hints have been dropped that FSR four will improve the battery life of laptops, which is a key aspect for portable gaming devices. If it shows up at CES, expect to get just a teaser and some early nuggets of information.
Another safe bet for 2025 is the launch of more Ryzen 9000 processors, since there are five models so far.
The newcomer is the V-Cache 3-d gaming champion, the Ryzen 9800X3-d, and is expected to be joined by high-end Zen five X3-d processors at CES 2025. These will be the Ryzen 9950X3-d. and 9900X3-d that will probably go on sale shortly after their presentation.
Further into 2025, at some point, we’d bank on seeing a more wallet-friendly 3D V-Cache chip, such as a Ryzen 9600X3D perhaps (and if this happens, it’ll be interesting to see if it’s a Micro Center exclusive in the US, once again).
AMD will surely flesh out the range of vanilla Ryzen 9000 processors too, and will likely add plain (slightly more affordable) non-X variants of Zen 5 CPUs, as it did with Ryzen 7000 – so we’ll get the Ryzen 9600 (running alongside the 9600X) and so on. In fact, that Ryzen 9600 might turn up in January 2025, based on recent speculation.
More affordable AM5 motherboards are also expected in early 2025, with the B850 and B840 models launching early in the year to accompany more premium X870 offerings.
AMD has made a name for itself with powerful APUs in recent times, all-in-one chips that pack not just a CPU, but integrated GPU and NPU – and we’ll get some new big hitters in terms of laptop APUs in 2025.
The most excitement has been generated around the three hundred Ryzen AI Max mobile chips (known as Strix Halo).
The flagship Strix Halo is rumored to be an absolute beast of an APU with 16 cores (Zen 5) and built-in RDNA 3. 5 graphics (updated RDNA 3) with 40 CUs, which in theory provides a point of functionality to the GPU of the RTX 4070 laptop.
Frankly, that’s for a built-in GPU, if it happens, which may mean it’s a highlight of the year, with an expected reveal at CES 2025 (and a launch afterward). late).
The challenge with Ryzen AI Max 300 is that the high-end APUs are likely aimed at workstations rather than gaming laptops, and the latter can only accommodate the mid-range Strix Halo silicon. That said, even if that happens, they can also be impressively tough chips.
Rumor has it that Ryzen AI Max 300-powered workstations could arrive in the first quarter of 2025, and thin and smooth gaming laptops could also debut in that quarter, with most of the latter potentially staying in the second quarter.
AMD is also rumored to be launching Kraken Point APUs, which will follow current Hawk Point chips, sitting beneath Strix Halo – built on Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5 – but still categorized as a premium offering.
Alongside this, we have Fire Range, AMD’s version of the desktop Ryzen 9000 as a computer APU, following in the footsteps of Dragon Range. Importantly, they will come with X3D models and all of those APUs are expected to be revealed at CES 2025.
This will be the case for new APUs in 2025, as we also expect the continuation of AMD chips designed for laptops.
Ryzen Z2 and Z2 Extreme are the next-gen offerings that will show us at CES 2025, if the rumor is true.
The Ryzen Z2 Extreme is rumored to feature 8 Zen 5 CPU cores and RDNA 3. 5 graphics with 16 CUs, which would make it a complete upgrade over its Z1 predecessor.
In particular, the Z2 can mean higher efficiency and longer battery life for handhelds, which is another key aspect in the area of handheld gaming: longevity gains that can be amplified with FSR fourArray, as we’ve already mentioned.
We’re eagerly awaiting those four RDNA graphics cards, and rumors about the RX 9070
Seeing an RX 9060 model debut early next year would be great for those searching for a more affordable GPU, too.
The other major highlights for us are those Strix Halo APUs, which have sounded immense since the very first leak about the chips, and also those Ryzen Z2 processors for handhelds that could help seriously improve both performance and battery life for these portable devices. Whichever way you dice it, there’s a lot to look forward to from AMD in 2025.
Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel – ‘I Know What You Did Last Supper’ – was published by Hachette UK in 2013).
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: news, rumors, and everything we know
The Nvidia RTX 5080 GPU may die temporarily and I’m afraid things may be even worse for the flagship RTX 5090
NYT Strands today — my hints, answers and spangram for Sunday, January 19 (game #322)
TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.