AMD Ryzen Z2 lineup leaked — Z2 Extreme rumored to have 12 RDNA 3.5 CUs, Z2 and Z2G using older architectures also in the works | Tom's Hardware

The full 16 CU configuration remains a Ryzen AI 300 series exclusive.

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Details of AMD's next-generation Ryzen Z2 series of APUs for handhelds have apparently leaked. Shared by reliable hardware leaker and enthusiast Golden Pig Upgrade Pack at Bilibili, the Ryzen Z2 lineup will be segmented into three different products: Ryzen Z2 Extreme, Ryzen Z2, and Ryzen Z2G. Moreover, if the leak is correct, AMD will significantly beef up the iGPU in these APUs, each with 12 Compute Units (CUs) — though the GPU and CPU architectures vary.The leaker also claims AMD was allegedly planning a 16 CU equipped Ryzen Z2 Extreme X, but that design has been canned. There's a reasonable chance that power constraints prevented anything more than a 12 CU configuration from showing much in the way of performance gains. As it stands, AMD is hard at work developing its Ryzen Z2 family, with the new chips set to arrive next year.According to the leak, the flagship Ryzen Z2 Extreme will be based on Strix Point silicon, featuring a 12 CU graphics solution (Radeon 880M) with the RDNA 3.5 architecture. This configuration would resemble the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 with eight CPU cores: three Zen 5 and five Zen 5c. It would also come with 16MB of L3 cache alongside 8MB of L2 cache, 1MB per core.

The base Ryzen Z2 could be a major step up from the last generation, featuring three times as many CUs as its Ryzen Z1 predecessor. Using Hawk Point silicon, the Ryzen Z2 will offer 12 CUs based on the RDNA 3 architecture. That puts it roughly on par with the current Ryzen Z1 Extreme. As such, we expect the Ryzen Z2 to feature eight cores like the Ryzen 9 8945HS based on Zen 4, though a hybrid configuration is also possible.Finally, AMD will supposedly create even more budget options for handhelds by refreshing the Ryzen 6000 "Rembrandt" series in the form of the Ryzen Z2G — it's not clear what the "G" stands for, as all of these chips have integrated graphics. With a 12 CU layout based on RDNA 2, the iGPU would match the current Z1 Extreme, but with an older GPU architecture. This could be AMD rebadging or tweaking existing designs the Ryzen 7 6800U / Ryzen 7 7735U, and the Z2G would come with eight Zen 3+ cores.Given the potential focus on handheld gaming devices, the Ryzen Z2 series seems much more balanced than the Z1 generation. That's assuming the leak is correct and that all the various models do indeed include 12 CUs, which should result in graphics performance all landing within about 15–20 percent of each other. But nothing official has been said, so it will be interesting to see how AMD prices and configures these products next year.

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Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.

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