AMD Unveils Multiple New Chips at CES 2025

At CES 2025 in Las Vegas, AMD unveiled a new lineup of chips designed for various devices ranging from desktops to gaming handhelds.

According to market data, AMD had already achieved significant milestones before entering this year's CES. In Q3 2024, AMD captured 28.7% of the desktop CPU market, up 9.6 percentage points from the previous year. In the mobile sector, AMD's market share reached 22.3% by Q3 last year, an increase of 2.8 percentage points over the preceding quarter.

Despite these achievements, AMD continued to innovate. Their 2025 strategy is aggressive and multifaceted, starting with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D processor aimed at gamers and content creators. Built on AMD's Zen 5 architecture, it features 16 cores and can reach clock speeds up to 5.7 GHz. AMD's benchmark tests show that the 9950X3D outperforms the 7950X3D by an average of 8% in popular games like Hogwarts Legacy and Starfield.

AMD announced that both the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and its lower-tier counterpart, the 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X3D with a maximum clock speed of 5.5 GHz, will be available in Q1 2025.

To complement these high-end processors, AMD introduced the "Fire Range" series for mid-range laptops and ultrabooks. Scheduled for release in the first half of 2025, the series includes models such as the Ryzen 9 9850HX, 9955HX, and 9955HX3D, with core counts between 12 and 16 and clock speeds ranging from 5.2 GHz to 5.4 GHz. Notably, Fire Range chips have a power consumption of around 54 watts, less than half of the 170-watt consumption of the 9950X3D.

For the latest generation of Copilot+ PCs equipped with AI acceleration capabilities under Windows 11 (including laptops and small desktops), AMD launched the Ryzen AI 300 series and Ryzen AI Max series processors. Both feature dedicated Neural Processing Units (NPUs) to accelerate specific AI tasks like running text summarization language models or using Windows 11's AI image editor.

The Ryzen AI 300 series comprises 6 to 8 cores with a maximum clock speed of 5 GHz and is expected to launch in Q1 or Q2 2025. This series includes four models: Ryzen AI 7 350, Ryzen AI 5 340, Ryzen AI 7 Pro 350, and Ryzen AI 5 Pro 340. The Ryzen AI Max series serves as the flagship choice for Copilot+ PCs, offering 6 to 16 cores, a top clock speed of 5.1 GHz, integrated graphics, and advanced memory interfaces. AMD claims superior performance in 3D rendering and AI applications with this series.

The Ryzen AI Max lineup includes Ryzen AI Max+ 395, Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 395, Ryzen AI Max 390, Ryzen AI Max Pro 390, Ryzen AI Max 385, Ryzen AI Max Pro 385, and Ryzen AI Max Pro 380, all set for release in Q1 or Q2 2025.

For more budget-friendly mainstream devices, AMD introduced the Ryzen 200 series. Most models come with NPUs, featuring 6 to 8 cores and a maximum clock speed of 5.2 GHz, planned for launch in Q2 2025.

In the realm of gaming handhelds, AMD debuted new processors under the Ryzen Z2 series tailored for lightweight, gaming-focused devices. This series comprises Ryzen Z2 Go with 4 cores and 12 graphics cores at up to 4.3 GHz, Ryzen Z2 Extreme with 8 cores and 16 graphics cores at up to 5 GHz, and Ryzen Z2 with 8 cores and 12 graphics cores at up to 5.1 GHz. All three Ryzen Z2 models are scheduled for release in Q1 2025.

Additionally, AMD showcased its next-generation standalone desktop GPUs: the Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070. Based on AMD's RDNA 4 architecture and fabricated using 4nm technology, these GPUs offer improved ray tracing performance, media encoding quality, and AI acceleration. The RX 9070