AMD’s Ryzen AI Max APUs may soon appear in desktop PCs, according to CEO Lisa Su. The big appeal of the mobile processor is its ability to deliver graphical performance that rivals some modern GPUs, but without needing a separate graphics card. In fact, the integrated GPU in the top Halo Strix chip has more stream processors and a newer architecture than the chip residing in the PS5.
Strix Halo is a mobile CPU architecture with so much power in its integrated GPU that it can even outperform the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 desktop GPU in some tests. Now more commonly known as the AMD Ryzen AI Max, this series of APUs for laptops now looks set to invade the desktop market, but it’s not as straightforward as just releasing the chip into retailers and expecting it to challenge the best gaming CPUs.
This reported interest in releasing Strix Halo into the desktop market comes via an interview with AMD CEO Dr Lisa Su, conducted by Asus China general manager Tony. When Tony states his hope that Strix Halo can make the leap to desktop, Dr Su replies, “yes, yes of course.”
While it’s far from an official confirmation, Dr Su spoke highly of the AI technology within Strix Halo and stated it’s a product that AMD has wanted to build “for a long time.”
The issue is that AMD’s latest motherboards use the AM5 socket, while the Ryzen AI Max chips use an FP11 socket. The processor itself is also much larger than a traditional desktop CPU, meaning it would take a fair bit of work to transition these chips to standard desktop PCs.
Instead, it’s more likely that the Ryzen AI Max chips will target some of the best mini gaming PCs as opposed to full-size desktop builds. In fact, Framework has already revealed a set of mini PCs using the Ryzen AI Max 385 and Max+ 395 APUs set for release in Q3 2025. Sixunited also revealed plans for a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 small form factor PC, and this is expected to be available from May 2025.
If you want to check in on the latest AMD graphics cards, you can read our Radeon RX 9070 XT review and find out why it’s now among the best graphics cards you can buy.
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