AMD has a whole lot of goodies in store for us next year. Its new hardware launches expected in 2025 include RDNA 4 graphics cards, more Ryzen 9000 processors – including new 3D V-Cache offerings – and a deluge of APUs that could seriously pep up thin-and-light gaming laptops and PC gaming handhelds in a big way.
There’s some exciting stuff on the boil, and the best bit is a lot of this hardware is rumored to be shown off by AMD right at the start of the coming year, at CES 2025.
Next-gen RDNA 4 GPUs
Probably the most anticipated launch from AMD next year – certainly for PC gamers who can’t stomach the prices of best graphics cards – is new RDNA 4 desktop GPUs.
As has been long-rumored, the RDNA 4 series from AMD is expected to top out at the mid-range. Team Red won’t be challenging Nvidia at the higher end of the market, by all accounts.
The most recent speculation (at the time of writing) has theorized that AMD will launch an RX 9070 XT and vanilla 9070, which, if it happens, looks to be an odd kind of one-upmanship game with Nvidia (as in RX 9070 > RTX 5070 at the mid-range). Previously, the rumor mill believed the RX 8800 XT would be the next-gen flagship, and that could still happen, but we're in strictly wait-and-see territory here.
If the rumors are on the money, the top-end RDNA 4 (Navi 48) graphics card, whatever it's called, could equal Nvidia’s RTX 4080 GPU for non-ray tracing performance, and the RTX 4080 Super when it comes to ray tracing – an exciting prospect. Yes, the theory is that AMD has taken some big strides forward with ray tracing performance in particular.
We should see these RX 9070 models (or indeed 8800 XT and sibling) revealed at CES 2025 if the buzz on the grapevine is right, with the GPUs going on sale in Q1. Of course, there’ll likely be more RDNA 4 products in the pipeline later in the year, too.
If the initial release is indeed the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070, we’d expect to see an RX 9060 variant(s) later in 2025, and maybe a true budget GPU too – an RX 9050 perhaps? We can but hope, as AMD’s RX 6600 is a stalwart of a cheap GPU for a budget PC build, but it’s looking distinctly tired now (especially after the successful launch of the Intel Arc B580).
FSR 4 finally adopts AI
On the software front, AMD has told us that it’s bringing AI into its FSR frame rate boosting tech (finally).
FSR 4 will undoubtedly arrive at some point in 2025 packing AI, and AMD said it will usher in the “next generation of ML-based [machine learning, or AI] FSR” for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to begin with (and other PC games will doubtless follow). A recent rumor suggested FSR 4 could be aired as soon as CES 2025.
We don’t know much about how the implementation of AI will work yet, but it should improve FSR’s frame generation, and also upscaling image quality.
Several hints have been dropped that FSR 4 will help handhelds to achieve better battery life, which is a key aspect for portable gaming devices. If it is shown off at CES, expect to get just a teaser and some initial nuggets of info.
A good deal more Ryzen 9000 CPUs
Another surefire bet for 2025 is the launch of more Ryzen 9000 processors, as there are only five models out there so far.
The latest arrival is the 3D V-Cache gaming champ, the Ryzen 9800X3D, and that’s expected to be joined by higher-end Zen 5 X3D CPUs at CES 2025. Those should be the Ryzen 9950X3D and 9900X3D which will likely go on sale shortly after their unveiling.
Further into 2025, at some point, we’d bank on seeing a more wallet-friendly 3D V-Cache chip, such as a Ryzen 9600X3D perhaps (and if this happens, it’ll be interesting to see if it’s a Micro Center exclusive in the US, once again).
AMD will surely flesh out the range of vanilla Ryzen 9000 processors too, and will likely add plain (slightly more affordable) non-X variants of Zen 5 CPUs, as it did with Ryzen 7000 – so we’ll get the Ryzen 9600 (running alongside the 9600X) and so on. In fact, that Ryzen 9600 might turn up in January 2025, based on recent speculation.
Also expect some more affordable AM5 motherboards to pitch up early in 2025, with B850 and B840 models seeing a release early in the year to go alongside more premium X870 offerings.
A veritable feast of new APUs
AMD has made a name for itself with powerful APUs in recent times, all-in-one chips that pack not just a CPU, but integrated GPU and NPU – and we’ll get some new big hitters in terms of laptop APUs in 2025.
The most excitement has been generated around Ryzen AI Max 300 (known as Strix Halo) mobile chips.
The Strix Halo flagship is rumored to be an absolute beast of an APU with 16 cores (Zen 5) and RDNA 3.5 (refreshed RDNA 3) integrated graphics with 40 CUs – theoretically providing a similar level of performance to the RTX 4070 laptop GPU.
This is incredible for an integrated GPU, frankly, if it pans out, which could mean that this is a highlight of the year, again with an expected CES 2025 reveal (and launch later down the line).
The catch with Ryzen AI Max 300 is that the top-end APUs may be destined for workstations rather than gaming laptops, and the latter may only get the middle-of-the-pack Strix Halo silicon. That said, even if this does happen, those could still be impressively powerful chips.
Rumor has it that workstations with Ryzen AI Max 300 could arrive in Q1 2025, and thin-and-light gaming laptops might debut in that quarter too, though the majority of the latter could follow in Q2.
AMD is also rumored to be launching Kraken Point APUs, which will follow current Hawk Point chips, sitting beneath Strix Halo – built on Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5 – but still categorized as a premium offering.
Along with that, we have Fire Range, AMD’s take on Ryzen 9000 desktop as a laptop APU, following in the footsteps of Dragon Range. Crucially, these will include X3D models, and all of these APUs are expected to be unveiled at CES 2025.
Fresh APUs to supercharge handhelds
That won’t be it for new APUs in 2025, as we’re also expecting the sequel to AMD’s chips designed for handhelds.
The Ryzen Z2 and Z2 Extreme are the next-gen offerings that we anticipate will again be shown off at CES 2025, if the rumor mill is right.
Word is that the Ryzen Z2 Extreme could sport 8 Zen 5 CPU cores plus RDNA 3.5 graphics with 16 CUs, which would make it a peppy upgrade on its Z1 predecessor.
Notably, the Z2 might mean better efficiency, and therefore battery life, for handhelds, which is another key aspect in the portable gaming arena – longevity gains that could be amplified with FSR 4, as we already touched on.
Concluding thoughts
We’re most looking forward to those RDNA 4 graphics cards, with the rumors around the RX 9070 XT making the board sound like it could become the mid-range champ of desktop GPUs – if AMD pins the right price tag on the product.
Seeing an RX 9060 model debut early next year would be great for those searching for a more affordable GPU, too.
The other major highlights for us are those Strix Halo APUs, which have sounded immense since the very first leak about the chips, and also those Ryzen Z2 processors for handhelds that could help seriously improve both performance and battery life for these portable devices. Whichever way you dice it, there’s a lot to look forward to from AMD in 2025.
