AMD made a splash at CES 2025, announcing a deluge of new laptop CPUs set to power over 150 laptops throughout the year. The new lineup boasts exciting additions, including a refreshed 3D V-Cache chip for gaming laptops and the impressive graphics capabilities of the Ryzen AI Max+ halo chips.
AMD’s announcements cover a wide range of performance tiers and use cases, from high-end gaming to AI-powered workflows and everyday computing. Let’s dive into the details of each new series.
Fire Range: 3D V-Cache and High-End Gaming
Leading the charge for gaming enthusiasts is the Fire Range series, successors to the Dragon Range. The highlight is undoubtedly the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, the next generation of AMD’s 3D V-Cache mobile technology. This follows the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D, which, despite its technical prowess, saw limited availability in 2023. AMD hopes for broader adoption of this technology, known for its vertically stacked L3 cache that significantly boosts gaming performance.
AMD
Alongside the 9955HX3D, AMD introduced the Ryzen 9 9955HX and Ryzen 9 9850HX. While sharing similar specifications to the Dragon Range, the upgrade to Zen 5 architecture promises gaming enhancements. The 9955HX3D boasts 16 cores, 32 threads, a massive 144MB of combined cache, and a 5.4GHz boost clock. The 9955HX mirrors these specs but with a smaller 80MB cache. The 9850HX offers 12 cores, 24 threads, 76MB cache, and a 5.2GHz boost. All three processors have a 54-watt TDP and are expected in the first half of 2025.
Ryzen AI 300 Series: Mid-Range AI Powerhouse
AMD expanded its Ryzen AI 300 series with new mid-range processors, promising substantial performance gains over competitors. The Ryzen AI 7 350, Ryzen AI 5 340, Ryzen AI 7 Pro 350, and Ryzen AI 5 Pro 340 offer six to eight cores with frequencies ranging from 4.8GHz to 5GHz. Designed for workstations, these chips prioritize battery life and AI workloads. Each features a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) capable of up to 50 Tera Operations per Second (TOPS), making them Copilot+ ready. AMD claims its NPU outperforms both Qualcomm’s X Plus and Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V in Procyon AI benchmarks.
Benchmarks of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350.
Ryzen AI Max+: Flagship Performance
At the top of the stack are AMD’s halo chips: the Ryzen AI Max+ Pro and Ryzen AI Max+. These combine up to 16 Zen 5 cores, an XDNA 2 NPU with up to 50 TOPS, and RDNA 3.5 graphics with up to 40 compute units (CUs). AMD showcased the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 against Apple’s M4 Pro, demonstrating significant advantages in 3D rendering, boasting a 69% performance lead in Vray over the 14-core M4 Pro.
3D rendering performance of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 versus the Apple M4 Pro.
AMD also claims up to 14x faster graphics performance compared to Intel’s Core Ultra 9 288V. The Ryzen AI Max+ Pro and non-Pro series have a flexible TDP ranging from 45 watts to 120 watts. These chips are expected to launch in the first two quarters of 2025.
Ryzen 200 Series Expansion
AMD continues to expand its older Ryzen 200 series, a Zen 4-based platform focused on “AI for everyday experiences.” Several new CPUs, ranging from the eight-core Ryzen 9 270 to the budget-friendly quad-core Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 3 Pro 210, will arrive in the second quarter of 2025. Most of these processors have TDPs between 15 and 30 watts, emphasizing battery efficiency.
AMD
Looking Ahead
AMD’s extensive new lineup of mobile processors offers something for everyone. The key to success lies in widespread availability. While previous generations faced limited adoption, AMD’s growing presence in the laptop market could pave the way for these new chips to thrive.
