AMD Ryzen Z2: three models in preparation for the portable console chip

The end of the year is slowly approaching and speculation about the next generation of AMD Ryzen Z2 APUs is increasing. This chip will power future portable consoles from the IT giants, succeeding the Ryzen Z1 generation based on the Zen4 architecture and RDNA3 computing units. Where the latter included two different models (Z1 and Z1 Extreme), the new approaching wave would include 3 variations with variable graphics power.

This is what theinsider Golden Pig on the Chinese Bilibili network, as reported by the site Videocardz. The previous leak, dating from ago a few weeks already, would have detailed the high-end Z2 Extreme model: the technical sheet would remain identical, with 16 RDNA 3.5 graphics computing units for the GPU part; but the 8 CPU cores would be divided into 3 Zen5 power cores and 5 Zen5c compact cores. A 3+5 division optimized for energy efficiency, perfect for the autonomy needs of portable consoles.

As for the other two APU models, AMD would rely on a power compromise, without neglecting the graphics part. Thus, the Ryzen Z2 and Z2G versions could keep up to 8 CPU cores, but on the older Zen4 and Zen3+ architectures, respectively. As for the graphics computing units, they would be based on the RDNA3 and RDNA2 architectures – thus aligning with the 780M and 680M iGPUs of the Radeon family. A multiple offer which could lead to the release of several console models with different powers, as was the case for the ROG Ally. See you next year for the final verdict.