AMD Ryzen Z3 series chips feature a semi-custom version of the company’s Medusa Point architecture, according to a new leak, combining Zen 6 and Zen 5 LP CPU cores with RDNA 4m GPUs. However, despite the latter’s name, this architecture apparently has more in common with RDNA 3.5 than AMD’s current desktop GPUs.
According to information shared by tech leakers Gotou_3rd and CaptainMcShotgun on X, AMD is expected to launch at least two variants, the Ryzen Z3 and Ryzen Z3 Extreme. At least one of them is said to be packing four Zen 6 and two Zen 5 LP (low power) cores, for a total of 12 threads, alongside 12 RDNA 4m CUs (compute units).
Since the leakers didn’t clarify whether both chips carry the same layout, for now, the main difference seems to be in their respective power budgets, where the Z3 Extreme is allowed up to 25W, against just 15W for the standard Z3. The latter may finally give us compact handhelds that offer more playtime.
Note, however, that despite its architecture name, the Z3 series RDNA4m GPU is not truly based on the RDNA 4 found inside desktop Radeon RX 9000 graphics cards. Instead, tech leaker Kepler_L2 describes it as akin to “RDNA 3.5.” On the plus side, it’s at least reported to feature RDNA 4-style ALUs for matrix operations, according to Videocardz. If correct, this means that Z3 chips will be able to officially support FSR 4 AI upscaling in full FP32 mode, which will be very handy to boost handheld devices’ performance.
Compared to the previous Ryzen Z2 Extreme, which packed 16 RDNA 3.5 CUs, the graphics portion of the Z3 may seem downgraded, but it’s quite possible that only the standard Z3 has 12 CUs, with perhaps 16 in the Extreme version.
Plus, if you were planning on waiting for yet another generation in the hope of finally seeing a real architectural jump, I have bad news for you. According to CaptainMcShotgun, RDNA 3.5 refreshes could continue until 2030. Known leaker Golden Pig previously shared a slide going in this direction, where RDNA 3.5 is planned to remain in use beyond 2028.
Architecture aside, these new AMD chips are reportedly designed for the FF6 package, measuring 25 x 25mm. This is smaller than the FP8 package used by the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, which measures 25 x 40mm. In other words, the Z3 series will take up less space inside upcoming handhelds, leaving more room for better cooling or larger batteries.
As usual, take the above with a grain of salt, especially as Gotou_3rd and CaptainMcShotgun are emerging leakers without a track record to confirm the quality of their sources. However, considering that renowned leaker Kepler added some details to the leak tweet without pointing to any mistakes, we are cautiously optimistic about their veracity. And besides, AMD’s plans could change anyway.
