CES 2025 is fast approaching, and AMD is clearly preparing to strike hard. On 6 January, the reds will be holding a press conference at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, promising some major announcements. We already have a few ideas about the content of these announcements, but should we be expecting any surprises?
Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D: confirmation
It’s no secret that AMD will be adding these (at least) two new models to its X3D range. These processors, aimed at gamers and content creators, could push back the limits of current performance and remove the limitations of the previous generation (heating, difficult OC, cache management balancing, etc.).
New AM5 motherboards: accessible at last?
To accompany these new additions to the Ryzen range, AMD is expected to present more affordable AM5 motherboards, such as the B850 and B840. This should make the latest technologies more accessible to a wider range of users. Inflation on the X870 versions has been rather badly received, given the lack of innovation.
Radeon RX 8000: will AMD ‘the modest’ surprise us?
For months now, AMD has been proclaiming that it will not be taking part in the battle of the very high-end and the race for power imposed by Nvidia on the graphics card market. It’s a surprising statement, but one that’s proving hard to take. Can we hope for a big bluff with a few good surprises? The Radeon RX 8000 series, based on RDNA 4 architecture, is said to feature significant improvements in ray tracing and AI functionality. Leaks and rumours point to products that are competitive with the current top-of-the-range (RTX 4080) from the Greens, but with a very favourable performance/watt ratio.
Mobile APUs and SoCs for portable consoles: a surprise?
Rumours also point to the presentation of new mobile APUs, called Kraken Point, muscular versions of Strix Halo and Z2 series SoCs for portable consoles. In short, if all these elements are presented at CES, it should be a very busy time for AMD at the start of 2025.