More PC gaming handhelds based on AMD's Strix Halo silicon are coming, including the first one to flex a powerful Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip. Of course, we knew this already because GamePad Digital (GPD) had
teased its upcoming Win 5 handheld kitted with AMD's flagship Strix Halo system-on-chip (SoC), but now we have a few more details to share.
First, however, let's talk about that SoC. Unveiled at CES earlier this year,
AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is the top Strix Halo option (along with a Pro variant) with 16 cores and 32 threads of Zen 5 muscle clocked at 3GHz (base) to 5.1GHz (max boost).
It also wields 64MB of L3 cache and 16MB of L2 cache for 80MB of total cache, an onboard neural processing unit (NPU) delivering up to 50 TOPS, and Radeon 8060S graphics configured with 40 RDNA 3.5 graphics cores clocked at up to 2.9GHz. As a whole, this slice of silicon is capable of up to 126 TOPS. Rounding out the feature-set is a fat 256-bit memory bus.
The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a serious chip and quite frankly, it makes the
Ryzen Z2 Extreme with its 16 iGPU cores seem rather pedestrian. We'll have to see what kind of battery life it can accommodate, but as far as power ratings go, it has a default 55W TDP that is configurable from 45-120W.
Moving beyond the SoC, we have sparse official information to go on, as GPD has not yet shared a full list of specs and features. However, it did reveal three CPU + RAM + storage configurations that will be available, plus it's mulling a fourth option.
As it stands, interested buyers will be able to select a Ryzen AI Max 385 config with 32GB of RAM and either 1TB or 2TB of storage, or a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 foundation with 64GB of RAM and 4TB of storage. GPD says it's also evaluating if it can make available a model with a whopping 128GB of RAM in time for its Indiegogo campaign. If not, it's possible such a configuration could be an option down the road.
While other specs are not yet official, YouTuber ThePhawx claims the GPD Win 5 will sport a 7-inch display with a 1080p resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 500 nits brightness, VRR support, and FreeSync Premium validation, with Corning Glass 6.
He also claims it will utilize dual fans and quad heatpipes to keep thermals in check. And officially, the detachable backpack battery pack that's visible on the
Win 5 Indiegogo page is rated at 80Whr, which is the same as the
ASUS ROG Ally X we reviewed.