AMD Will Bring Its 'Ryzen AI' Processors To Standard Desktop PCs For First Time (arstechnica.com)
- Reference: 0180913978
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/03/05/2035216/amd-will-bring-its-ryzen-ai-processors-to-standard-desktop-pcs-for-first-time
- Source link: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/amd-ryzen-ai-400-cpus-will-bring-upgraded-graphics-to-socket-am5-desktops/
> AMD has been selling "Ryzen AI"-branded laptop processors for around a year and a half at this point. In addition to including modern CPU and GPU architectures, these are attempting to capitalize on the generative AI craze by offering chips with neural processing units (NPUs) suitable for running language and image-generation models locally, rather than on some company's server. But so far, AMD's desktop chips have lacked both these higher-performance NPUs and the Ryzen AI label. That changes today, at least a little: AMD is announcing its [1]first three Ryzen AI chips for desktops using its AM5 CPU socket . These Ryzen AI 400-series CPUs are direct replacements for the Ryzen 8000G processors, rather than the [2]Ryzen 9000-series , and they combine Zen 5-based CPU cores, RDNA 3.5 GPU cores, and an NPU capable of 50 trillion operations per second (TOPS). This makes them AMD's first desktop chips to qualify for Microsoft's Copilot+ PC label, which enables a handful of unique Windows 11 features like Recall and Click to Do.
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> The six chips AMD is [3]announcing today -- the 65 W Ryzen AI 7 Pro 450G, Ryzen AI 5 Pro 440G, and Ryzen AI 5 Pro 435G, along with low-power 35 W "GE" variants -- all bear AMD's "Ryzen Pro" branding as well, which means they support a handful of device management capabilities that are important for business PCs managed by IT departments. At this point, it doesn't seem as though AMD will be offering boxed versions to regular consumers; the Ryzen AI desktop chips will appear mainly in business PCs that don't need a dedicated graphics card but still benefit from more robust graphics than AMD offers in regular Ryzen desktop CPUs. Like past G-series Ryzen chips, these are essentially laptop silicon repackaged for desktop systems. They share most of their specs in common with Ryzen AI 300 laptop processors, despite their Ryzen AI 400-series branding. The two chip generations are extremely similar overall, but the Ryzen AI 400-series laptop CPUs include slightly faster 55 TOPS NPUs.
[1] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/amd-ryzen-ai-400-cpus-will-bring-upgraded-graphics-to-socket-am5-desktops/
[2] https://slashdot.org/story/24/06/03/0410218/amd-unveils-ryzen-ai-and-9000-series-processors-plus-radeon-pro-w7900-dual-slot
[3] https://www.amd.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-3-2-amd-gives-consumers-and-businesses-more-ai-pc-opti.html
cheap (Score:1)
Turns out its cheap to add a bunch of low precision multiplication to a processor. But you can call it AI and charge more.
Re: (Score:2)
For 4 and 8 bit values (regardless whether integer or "floating point") the operations may even just be in-CPU table look-ups. (Or maybe in-FGPA table look-ups, as AMD's "NPUs" seem to be just renamed FPGAs.)
Re: (Score:1)
Just as long as my keyboard continues to have a non-changeable Copilot button on it, which I use all the time!
What's the point? (Score:2)
who's going to buy some fancy new desktop when you can't afford enough RAM to run Windows acceptably?
Re: (Score:1)
Sucks to be poor. System RAM isn't that expensive - you can get 128GB of DDR6 for $1500.
But, I don't think you understand the market for this. It isn't gamers.
That's a small price to pay for 50 TOPS local inference when you can load the full GLM or qwen 3.5 models - more than enough to be useful.
Compare that to the $2300 for a used 5090 which, while it has far greater TOPS, only gets you 32GB of memory.
Re: (Score:2)
> who's going to buy some fancy new desktop when you can't afford enough RAM to run Windows acceptably?
There's always Linux which doesn't chug RAM like a drunk frat boy at his friends house.
Those new CPUs appear to be slower... (Score:2)
... than the existing 8700G model, with less CPU cores. The somewhat higher theoretical NPU rate is not something I have seen used for important purposes so far.
Re: (Score:2)
My problem with the 8700G is that i went all the way with ECC DDR5 (16 SR +16 SR +32 DR GB 5200) and the non pro G series CPUs actually don't support it, after AMD said way back when that from AM5 sockets onwards, all CPUs would. Ended up getting a regular CPU not a G series, and found the office desktop graphics fine for that machine.
Can I drop it (Score:2)
in a AM3 slot?
full of sound nd fury, sgnfyng nothng (Score:4, Funny)
Thinking of installing a browser extension to remove the letters "A" and "I" from all web pages. You may say that will make the fetched pages harder to understand, but I think at this point the alternative is even worse.