AMD may completely dominate CES 2025

AMD might really go all-out during CES 2025 this January. According to a known leaker on the Chiphell forums, AMD is readying a slew of consumer products, ranging from more X3D desktop CPUs to handheld chips and RDNA 4 graphics cards. Here’s what we have to look forward to.

The tantalizing bit of gossip comes from Zhangzhonghao, a leaker who’s been known to discuss new releases ahead of time. Starting with laptops, AMD is reportedly set to release next-gen Kraken (or “Krackan” as referred to by this leaker) Point APUs alongside Ryzen AI Max (or Strix Halo) and, lastly, Fire Range CPUs.

Recommended Videos

That’s a lot of different product ranges, so for a quick refresher, Kraken Point is expected to be the successor to AMD’s current Ryzen 8040 series. Leakers claim that it’ll come with up to four standard Zen 5 cores and four Zen 5c cores, as well as RDNA 3.5 graphics with up to eight compute units (CUs).

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming

ReSpec

Subscribe

Check your inbox!

Privacy Policy

Strix Halo processors are more on the high end of the scale, and AMD may launch three laptop CPUs to start with, all under the Ryzen AI Max umbrella: The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 16 cores, the Ryzen AI Max 390 with 12 cores, and the Ryzen AI Max 385 with eight cores. All of them will offer built-in RDNA 3.5 graphics. Fire Range is the successor to Dragon Range and will essentially be the laptop version of Zen 5 desktop CPUs aimed at high-performance laptops for gamers. Zhangzhonghao also claims that AMD will unveil X3D CPUs for laptops at the same time.

Those on the hunt for some of the best gaming handhelds will be able to look forward to a mix of new chips, including the Ryzen Z2, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, and the Ryzen Z2G. The Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip powered many successful handheld PCs, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of improvements AMD will introduce with its next-gen options.

Zhangzhonghao / Chiphell

The graphics cards part of the announcement is no surprise: AMD is said to be launching RDNA 4 GPUs during CES 2025. For a long time now, it’s been said that AMD will let Nvidia dominate the high-end portion of the market and will stick to mainstream GPUs with this generation. This could mean a flagship RX 8800 XT, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Lastly, there are the Zen 5 X3D CPUs. AMD itself confirmed that it’ll unveil a new Ryzen 9000X3D CPU on November 7, but it didn’t specify which exact model it will be. However, most sources expect it to be the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, and this leak only serves to prove that. AMD will follow it up with the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and the Ryzen 9 9950X3D at CES 2025.

This has been a fairly disappointing year for PC hardware. While we’ve had new desktop CPUs from both Intel and AMD, they mostly failed to deliver much in the way of gen-on-gen improvements. GPU enthusiasts endured the greatest disappointment, as out of the three new lineups we’ve expected to see in 2024, not one was actually released. However, it looks like CES 2025 will make it all better, with AMD’s stack of new products and Nvidia’s RTX 50-series said to be announced at the same time.

Editors’ Recommendations

  • AMD confirms 9000X3D release date — but questions remain

  • AMD Strix Halo might give gaming handhelds a major boost

  • AMD’s historic AM4 legacy may continue on

  • AMD may finally have an answer to Nvidia’s dominance

  • AMD didn’t even need its best CPU to beat Intel




Related posts

Latest posts

I used the first Snapdragon 8 Elite phone, and it’s hot stuff

I've tried out the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor in the Realme GT 7 Pro phone, and it was a much hotter experience than I expected.

AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D may come with a price hike

The possible pricing for AMD's upcoming Ryzen 7 9800X3D was just revealed, and we're looking at a price hike -- but it could've been worse.

AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D is official, and it shakes things up in a big way

After a long string of rumors and speculation, AMD has finally confirmed that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is arriving next week. Here are the details.

Gemini in Google Maps may be the best use of mobile AI yet

Google has started to integrate its Gemini AI into Google Maps, and the interesting new features should prove quickly useful.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup just got a lot more interesting

The Samsung Galaxy S25 is set to release in just a few months, but a recent leak suggest there might be a fourth, slim model added to the lineup.

OnePlus has quietly announced its most powerful phone yet

It's not available in the U.S. quite yet, but OnePlus has just launched the OnePlus 13 in China — and it looks like a big deal.

AI may soon make it easier to find the right Android app

Code discovered in a build of the Google Play Store app suggests a new AI search feature is coming to make it easier to find the right app.

Amazon Kindle (2024) review: freshen up your love of reading

Amazon refreshed the base model Kindle with a literal fresh coat of paint. Is it worth picking up? Here's my review of the Amazon Kindle (2024).

One of the last MIP holdouts released its first AMOLED running watch

The COROS PACE Pro is the brand's first AMOLED watch, and it's packed with upgrades designed to make it a

Absolutely game-changing Google Maps update will cut down on wrong turns

I visited the Google Maps Street View garage to learn more about its new enhanced navigation features, which should cut