Thursday, October 1st 2026
AMD Ryzen Z3 Reportedly Packs 6 CPU Cores and 12 RDNA 4m GPU CUs
AMD may be preparing a significant update to its Ryzen Z-Series processors designed for handheld devices, with the latest Z3 processor bringing substantial changes over the previous generation. At the core of everything will be the CPU architecture. For the standard Ryzen Z3, AMD plans to use four "Zen 6" cores and two "Zen 5" low-power cores. The Ryzen Z3 Extreme will share the same CPU core configuration, resulting in a total of six cores and twelve threads in the CPU cluster. Alongside this, there will be a cluster with an integrated graphics solution, featuring up to 12 Compute Units of RDNA 4m. This version reportedly derives from RDNA 3.5 but includes RDNA 4-style ALUs for matrix operations that power technologies like FSR 4.
Compared to the previous Ryzen Z2 Extreme's eight-core CPU cluster and 16 CU RDNA 3.5 integrated graphics cluster, the new solution focuses on extracting extra performance from the new "Zen 6" cores and optimizing for RDNA 4m. This ensures the software stack is mostly new, without needing any backporting to older RDNA generations. The difference between the two Z3 variants will be in power limits, with the Z3 catering to the 15-watt segment, while the Z3 Extreme will be optimized for a 25-watt power envelope.
Finally, this processor generation is reportedly designed for AMD's FF6 package, measuring 25 × 25 mm, specifically for handheld gaming consoles. We have yet to see which handheld gaming devices will implement this, so we need to wait a few more months before anything new hits the market. With improved single-threaded CPU performance and the intriguing RDNA 4m graphics, we hope to see a significant generational leap from the previous Ryzen Z2 version.
Source:
via VideoCardz
Compared to the previous Ryzen Z2 Extreme's eight-core CPU cluster and 16 CU RDNA 3.5 integrated graphics cluster, the new solution focuses on extracting extra performance from the new "Zen 6" cores and optimizing for RDNA 4m. This ensures the software stack is mostly new, without needing any backporting to older RDNA generations. The difference between the two Z3 variants will be in power limits, with the Z3 catering to the 15-watt segment, while the Z3 Extreme will be optimized for a 25-watt power envelope.
62 Comments on AMD Ryzen Z3 Reportedly Packs 6 CPU Cores and 12 RDNA 4m GPU CUs
Rumored specs but console leaks have been pretty accurate since consoles went to more traditional hardware vs fully custom.
www.pcgamer.com/hardware/handheld-gaming-pcs/amds-new-gainsborough-apu-rumoured-to-be-the-chip-that-powers-the-long-awaited-steam-deck-2/
@Nordic this is what i will buy if it does indeed land in late 2028
Edit: not worth arguing or discussing, as most likely hoax post without foundations. Just because videocardz shared it, does not imply it is a given fact.
I want a new architecture preferably RDNA5 or at least RDNA4.
Then also more cache. Intel performs much better also thanks to 16MB L2 cache.
No one mixes arch’s
Yes, I know RDNA4 desktop cards are more than 30-50% faster than their RDNA3 counterparts with similar CU counts, but they also use a load more power. Locked at 15 or 25W, a lot of that advantage vanishes.
I'm not even sure it's going to match the Z2 Extreme, which already benefits from TSMC 4nm, and RDNA3.5 takes most of the architectural improvements of RDNA4, but without the raytracing upgrades. Ain't nobody raytracing on a 25W APU! All else being equal, the 16CU on the Z2 Extreme is probably going to be faster at 25W than the 12CU on the Z3 Extreme.
Anyway, everything can be tuned for efficiency. Notice how your CPU overclock gives you 5-10% extra performance for sometimes double the power consumed.
There are regular Zen cores and compact Zen cores which are same as regular but sticked into chiplet with reduced (halved) L3 cache.
I don't think AMD wants to mix different architectures (different IPC), as that would introduce headaches (scheduling problems).
Take that rumor with tons of salt.No chance.
The closest match to the 9070XT from RDNA3 is probably the 7800XT - much close CU count, ROP count, bus width, and memory bandwidth.
9060XT vs 7600 is a big gain but the 7600 is little more than a rebadged RDNA2 chip so many of us (including me) don't class Navi33 as true RDNA3. RDNA3's wider vector registers, wider SIMDs, decoupled clock domains, Infinity Cache latency and clock improvements are all absent on Navi33, plus it's made on cheap and slow N6 which is just a half-node shrink of 2019's N7 node.
Edit: since most handhelds use 720p/800p rendering, a larger L3 cache would be beneficial, both for CPU heavy games and the GPU. Something along 16 or 32MB would be best, instead of the current 4MB of the Steam Deck.