Discussion All Custom APUs Discussion Threads

[Tigerick]

Qualcomm's ARM SoC Lineup

ARM/x86 SoC	Date	Node	Die Size (mm2)	Default TDP	CPU	GPU	FP32 (FLOPS)		Model	RAM + SSD	LCD	Battery	Weight	SRP
G3x Gen 2	Q4 2023	N4		15 W	X3 3.36GHz 8-core	A32 1GHz	3072		AYANEO Pocket S	12 + 128	1440p 6" IPS LCD	6000mAh	350 g	$589
8 Gen 2	Q4 2022	N4	118.4	8.5 W	X3 3.2GHz 8-core	A740 680MHz	2089		Retroid Pocket 6	12 + 256	1080p@120Hz 5.5" AMOLED	6000mAh	320 g	$259
G2 Gen 2	Q1 2025	N4P			X4 2.8GHz 8-core	A22			Retroid Pocket G2	8 + 128	1080p@60Hz 5.5" AMOLED	5000mAh	280 g	$219
7+ Gen 3	Q1 2024	N4P	89.54	5.5 W	X4 2.8GHz 8-core	A732 950MHz	1459
G3 Gen 3	Q1 2025	N4P			X4 3.3GHz 8-core	A33 1.05GHz	3226 ?		KONKR Pocket Fit	12 + 256	1080p@144Hz 6" LCD	8400mAh	386 g	$329
8 Gen 3	Q4 2023	N4P	137.3	8 W	X4 3.3GHz 8-core	A750 903MHz	2774		AYANEO Pocket S2	12 + 256	1440p 6.3" IPS	8000mAh	428 g	$499
									Steam Frame	16 + 256	Dual 2160 x 2160 LCD	21.6WHr	440 g	?
8 Elite Gen 4	Q4 2024	N3E	124.1	8 W	Oryon 4.32GHz 8-core	A830 1.1GHz	3379		KONKR Pocket Fit Elite	12 + 256	1080p@144Hz 6" LCD	8400mAh	386 g
									AYN Odin 3 Pro	12 + 256	1080p@120Hz 6" AMOLED	8000mAh	390 g	$399
									AYN Odin 3 Max	16 + 512	1080p@120Hz 6" AMOLED	8000mAh	390 g	$449
8 Elite Gen 5	Q3 2025	N3P	126.2		Oryon 4.61GHz 8-core	A840 1.2GHz	3686
8 Elite Gen 6 Pro?	Q4 2026	N2P					~5000		Steam Deck 2 ?
AMD Aerith+	Q4 2023	N6	131	~15 W	Zen 2 3.5GHz 4-core	RDNA2 8CU 1.6GHz	1600		Steam Deck OLED	16 + 512	720p@90Hz 7.4" OLED	6470mAh	640 g	$549
										128-bit LPDDR5
AMD Z2 A	Q1 2025	N6	131	15 W	Zen 2 3.5GHz 4-core	RDNA2 8CU 1.8GHz	1800		ROG Xbox Ally	16 + 512	1080p@120Hz 7" LCD	60WHr	670 g	$599
AMD Z2 Extreme AI	Q1 2025	N4P	233	28 W	Zen 5 5GHz 8-core	RDNA3.5 16CU 2.9GHz	5900 SI		ROG Xbox Ally X	24 + 1024	1080p@120Hz 7" LCD	80WHr	715 g	$999

Next Gen XBox Consoles and Handheld Preliminary Specs

	ROG Xbox Ally / SteamDeck OLED	PS6 Handheld ?	ROG Xbox Ally X		PS5	Steam Machine	Xbox Series S		Xbox Series X	X2 ?		PS5 Pro	PS6 ?
Date	2025	Fall 2027 ?	2025		2020		2020		2020			2024	Fall 2027?
Codename	Aerith Plus	Canis	Strix Point							Magnus		Custom	Orion
Model	Z2A		Z2 Extreme AI
	N6	3 nm	N4P		N6	N4 + N6	N7		N7P	N3P + N3P ?		N4P	3nm Single Die
		135 mm2 ?	233 mm2		260 mm2		197 mm2		360.45 mm2	144 + 264 = 408 mm2		279 mm2	280 mm2
CPU	4 x Zen 2	4 x Zen 6c + 2 x Zen 6 LP	4 x Zen 5 + 4 x Zen 5c		8 x Zen 2	6 x Zen 4	8 x Zen 2		8 x Zen 2	3 x Zen 6 + 8 Zen 6c 12MB L3		8 x Zen 2	7 x Zen 6c + 2 x Zen 6 LP 8-12 MB L3?
						16GB DDR5
GPU	RDNA2 8CU	RDNA5 16 CU	RDNA3.5 16CU		RDNA2 36CU	RDNA3 28CU SI?	RDNA2 20CU		RDNA2 52CU	RDNA5 68CU 12MB L2 ?		RDNA2 60CU	RDNA5 52CU 10MB L2
Memory	16GB 128-bit LPDDR5-6400	18GB 192-bit LPDDR5x-8533	24GB 128-bit LPDDR5x-8000		16GB 256-bit GDDR6	8GB GDDR6	8GB 128-bit+ 2GB 32-bit GDDR6		10GB 320-bit GDDR6 + 6GB 192-bit GDDR6	30GB 192-bit 36Gbps GDDR7 ?		16GB 256-bit GDDR6	20GB 160-bit 32Gbps GDDR7 ?
Memory Bandwidth	102 GB/s	204 GB/s	120 GB/s		448 GB/s		224 GB/s		560 GB/s	864 GB/s		576 GB/s	640 GB/s

 

[DZero]

Why would Microsoft "order" 50 million chips when they sold only 30 million of their last console?

That made me think... seeing the console and the portable and how the portable works, what happens if Microsoft uses those chips OUTSIDE the console market (with some tweaks) like the Surface and other stuff?

That's only if the info is at least reliable.

 

[marees]

That made me think... seeing the console and the portable and how the portable works, what happens if Microsoft uses those chips OUTSIDE the console market (with some tweaks) like the Surface and other stuff?

That's only if the info is at least reliable.

50 million is over the lifetime

Do-able if you assume $600 for underclocked Microsoft first party console (24gb 5070 ti) AND an overclocked $1200 3rd party console (36gb? 5070 ti super)

 

[jpiniero]

I could see MS releasing a cheaper box that's either a straight up Series X rebrand or maybe even a XBoxPC using a standard processor.

 

[marees]

I could see MS releasing a cheaper box that's either a straight up Series X rebrand or maybe even a XBoxPC using a standard processor.

There is no "standard processor" which is cheaper than magnus

A framework PC with strix halo costs more than all future versions of Xbox

This $50 million lifetime commitment could be fake, but if it is true then maybe the first party MS might be subsidized (& no 'standard PC' has a snowflakes chance in hell of beating it)

 

[hemedans]

There is no "standard processor" which is cheaper than magnus

A framework PC with strix halo costs more than all future versions of Xbox

This $50 million lifetime commitment could be fake, but if it is true then maybe the first party MS might be subsidized (& no 'standard PC' has a snowflakes chance in hell of beating it)

Steam box like specs? There is market for HTPC-Console hybrid, something to replace Series S and compete with likes of Google Chrome, firestick etc.

 

[jpiniero]

There is no "standard processor" which is cheaper than magnus

A framework PC with strix halo costs more than all future versions of Xbox

Oh I'm not talking about Strix Halo. I'm talking about like Phoenix or something.

... Yeah, Series X rebrand doesn't sound so bad.

 

[marees]

Steam box like specs? There is market for HTPC-Console hybrid, something to replace Series S and compete with likes of Google Chrome, firestick etc.

What will be the minimum specs of an NUC you can get for $800 in 2027 ?

Only 2 SoC options, I see

1. Magnus — xbox series X
2. Or medusa premium handheld — with built-in display & controller
3. Or medusa premium NUC — this can be cheaper but I seriously doubt many people will buy this. I struggle to see an use case for this

 

[marees]

Steam box like specs? There is market for HTPC-Console hybrid, something to replace Series S and compete with likes of Google Chrome, firestick etc.

Oh I'm not talking about Strix Halo. I'm talking about like Phoenix or something.

... Yeah, Series X rebrand doesn't sound so bad.

What will be the minimum specs of an NUC you can get for $800 in 2027 ?

Only 2 SoC options, I see

1. Magnus — xbox series X
2. Or medusa premium handheld — with built-in display & controller
3. Or medusa premium NUC — this can be cheaper but I seriously doubt many people will buy this. I struggle to see an use case for this

After thinking about this, maybe there is another option

A medusa halo NUC but without the extra 12 CPU CCD

Basically medusa premium cpu + io die attached to AT3 of medusa halo

If this is overclocked (by 3rd party board partners) then it should match the PS6. That will be very interesting. Not sure of the economic feasibility of such a stuff

 

[Tigerick]

It's here....in early 2026

 

[Tigerick]

Steam Frame looks tiny with controllers similar to Meta Quest 3. That's mean Steam Frame will be in direct competition of upcoming Meta Quest 4. Currently, Meta Quest 3 with XR2 Gen2 @ 8+512 selling for $500 give me hope of aggressive pricing of Steam Frame....

 

[gdansk]

Steam Frame looks tiny with controllers similar to Meta Quest 3. With Qualcomm XR2 Gen3, it should be. That's mean Steam Frame will be in direct competition of upcoming Meta Quest 4. Currently, Meta Quest 3 with XR2 Gen2 @ 8+512 selling for $500 give me hope of aggressive pricing of Steam Frame....

Doesn't Valve say it's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3? I guess I have no idea. What is the difference from XR? Clock rates?

 

[Tigerick]

I am renaming the thread title from AMD's custom APU to All custom APUs in lieu of Qualcomm's breaking into future Steam hardware, namely Frame and SD2. Adroc said SD2 will be using Qualcomm ARM SoC, I believe him because I know upcoming G-series from Qualcomm are much more power efficient than upcoming Medusa (Z3 series) APUs. Furthermore, SD2 most likely increase the resolution from 720P to 1080P which increases few watts in power TDP. Combining with LPDDR6 support, Valve has every reason switching from x86 to ARM. Don't worry, AMD is not sitting idle. As public listed company, AMD is obligated to compete knowing threats of ARMies. SWV is just the beginning in which you will see Z3 Extreme ARM Edition next year...

 

[Tigerick]

Doesn't Valve say it's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3? I guess I have no idea. What is the difference from XR? Clock rates?

Speculation from mine and tidbits from Brad...

 

[Hesperax]

Doesn't Valve say it's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3? I guess I have no idea. What is the difference from XR? Clock rates?

XR2 Gen 2 is similar to 8 Gen 2 but:

• Samsung 4nm instead of TSMC 4nm
• 6xA78 rather than 1xX3/2xA715/2xA710/3xA510
• Support for 10 Concurrent Cameras

Speculation from mine and tidbits from Brad...

XR2 Gen 3 should be Matrix (SXR2330P). XR2 Gen 2 was SXR2230P. 8 Gen 3 is SM8650.

 

[Tigerick]

Doesn't Valve say it's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3? I guess I have no idea. What is the difference from XR? Clock rates?

Sorry, you might be correct

 

[Tigerick]

Steam Machine

Your games on the big screen

store.steampowered.com

Steam Machine specs:

Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T

• up to 4.8 GHz, 30W TDP
• 16 GB DDR5 (Wow)

Semi-Custom AMD RDNA3 28CUs

• 2.45GHz max sustained clock, 110W TDP
• 8GB GDDR6

Two models: 512GB and 2TB
SteamOS 3 + KDE Plasma

 

[marees]

It's here....in early 2026

This is not a

Steam Machine

Your games on the big screen

store.steampowered.com

Steam Machine specs:

Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T

• up to 4.8 GHz, 30W TDP
• 16 GB DDR5 (Wow)

Semi-Custom AMD RDNA3 28CUs

• 2.45GHz max sustained clock, 110W TDP
• 8GB GDDR6

Two models: 512GB and 2TB
SteamOS 3 + KDE Plasma

I don't think of it as semi-custom

Standard hawkpoint & standard mobile radeon 7600m

But the box/case is custom design

 

[Tigerick]

https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamframe

Steam Frame specs:

• 4 nm Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3
• 16GB Unified LPDDR5X RAM
• Two models: 256GB and 1TB
• SteamOS 3 + KDE Plasma

 

[Tigerick]

This is not a

I don't think of it as semi-custom

Standard hawkpoint & standard mobile radeon 7600m

But the box/case is custom design

It is specs from Valve. It should be correct:

• One member said the APU is having different floorplan to remove iGPU and NPU, thus considered semi-custom.
• Valve claims 6 times performance of SD which is having 1.6TF FP32. RDNA3 28CU @ 2.45GHz with DI should have 17.6TF; 11 times faster. My suspect is Valve/AMD is removing DI support, thus RDNA3 GPU @ 2.45GHz with SI should have 8.8TF: 5.5 times faster. Then it might considered semi-custom as well.

 

[marees]

Valve claims 6 times performance of SD which is having 1.6TF FP32. RDNA3 28CU @ 2.45GHz with DI should have 17.6TF; 11 times faster. My suspect is Valve/AMD is removing DI support, thus RDNA3 GPU @ 2.45GHz with SI should have 8.8TF: 5.5 times faster.

**subject to 8gb vram limitation (ex: forza horizon 5)

 

[Tigerick]

**subject to 8gb vram limitation (ex: forza horizon 5)

Yep, I would rather Valve is choosing 16GB VRAM + 8GB DDR5 than 8+16.

 

[Tigerick]

It is specs from Valve. It should be correct:

• One member said the APU is having different floorplan to remove iGPU and NPU, thus considered semi-custom.
• Valve claims 6 times performance of SD which is having 1.6TF FP32. RDNA3 28CU @ 2.45GHz with DI should have 17.6TF; 11 times faster. My suspect is Valve/AMD is removing DI support, thus RDNA3 GPU @ 2.45GHz with SI should have 8.8TF: 5.5 times faster. Then it might considered semi-custom as well.

"4K gaming at 60 FPS with FSR"

Hmm, no words about hardware ray tracing. Could Steam machine's GPU come without RT?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

"4K gaming at 60 FPS with FSR"

Hmm, no words about hardware ray tracing. Could Steam machine's GPU come without RT?

Valve said they are working to ensure the cube has full RT performance. As we are talking about a GPU a bit slower than a RX 7600, that isn't exactly going to be impressive. But hey, at least games like new Doom and Indy Jones will run on it.

 

[NTMBK]

It's here....in early 2026

I'm not seeing anything semi custom in there? It's just cut down bins of existing old chips.

 

[inquiss]

AMD not winning steak deck 2 is a real mistake imo, no where near as big as intel turning down Apple but it's of the same kind. Steam deck 2 having Qualcomm will encourage valve to spend more time making games run on ARM and supporting Qualcomm with their GPU drivers. which weakens the x86 hegemony in gaming and brings more capability to future laptop Qualcomm hardware. Serious strategic faux pas imo.