Yesterday at Computex 2024 held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre, AMD presented their next line-up of PC technology. Over the next 90 minutes or so, Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD, showed (with great enthusiasm) the packed theatre crowd the company’s newest creations. In particular, their new range of CPUs. All of these come with more power, more adaptability, and most importantly, more innovation. This means utilising AI technology. Su invited several of AMD’s collaborators to the stage to show what these innovations have allowed them to create. Spokespeople from companies such as Asus, Lenovo, and HP unveiled just how adaptable AMD’s new technology can take the next step forward in the PC experience. But it begs the question, what does this mean for gamers going forward? Well, it means a great deal. Not only can DIY builders improve their PC builds, but the pre-built market is going to see some serious power coming later in the year. Asus was the true star of the show when it came to showing gamers just how far they want to go to improve. It’s important to note that none of this exciting news would have been possible without AI.
THE STARS OF THE SHOW:
AMD has put its foot down and confessed its strong commitment to AI in all PC technology going forward. Being No. 1 on the market for gaming PCs, the event certainly showed that AMD have no intention of stopping. The same can be said for Asus, who unveiled their next generation of laptops, all built with AMD’s new AI GPUs.
To preface, AMD unveiled two new lines of GPUs. One of which will be implemented into desktop PCs, the other finding its way into laptops. The former is the Ryzen 9000 Series. AMD provided evidence that these 9000 series will have unrivalled performance for AAA gaming than any other currently on the market. Whether you use your PC primarily for gaming, content creation, animation, or for everyday work use, the 9000 series promises to provide the best possible calibre for your needs.
The Ryzen 9000 Series comes in four different processors forms, and is expected to ship in July 2024:
Model | Cores / Threads | Boost/ Frequency | Total Cache | PCIe | TDP |
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X | 16 / 32 | Up to 5.7 GHz / 4.3 GHz | 80MB | Gen 5 | 170W |
AMD Ryzen 9 9900X | 12 / 24 | Up to 5.6 GHz / 4.4 GHz | 76MB | Gen 5 | 120W |
AMD Ryzen 7 9700X | 8 / 16 | Up to 5.5 GHz / 3.8 GHz | 40MB | Gen 5 | 65W |
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X | 6 /12 | Up to 5.4 GHz / 3.9 GHz | 38MB | Gen 5 | 65W |
However, it is the Ryzen 300 Series that has more to dissect. The Ryzen 300 Series is Copilot+ ready and will bring AI technology to the next line of laptops coming from the world’s biggest companies. Featuring the most powerful NPU in the world, the 300 Series is built on AMD’s new XDNA 2 architecture, offering 50 TOPS of power, and is three times more powerful than AMD’s previous generation AI processors. Because the 300 Series is also smaller but more powerful than any of its competition, it allows for more practicality whilst still packing the biggest punch it can.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE GAMING MARKET:
For DIY builders, the Ryzen 9000 Series will provide the best quality performance and accuracy from any processor on the market. AMD has said that PCs tested at 1080p across a span of popular games gave out the best possible performance of any processor they have created. They announced that future PCs will feature the 9000 Series, expected to be shipped in July of this year, with a commitment up to 2027.
This is good news for people who build desktop PCs for gaming, but what is more exciting is the options for the pre-built market. In this frame, Asus truly shone, showing their next line of products, all of which are built with AMD’s Ryzen 300 Series processor, with built-in AI technology.
Jonney Shih, Chairman of Asus, brought us new insight into the company’s new laptops and notebooks. These included their new ProArt line of portable, studio notebooks, which give creators and artists the best possible tools to create their visions. Thanks to Asus’s StoryCube and MuseTree AI applications, it is now both easier and better to create on the go, anywhere. Also shown were their new Zenbook and Vivobook lines, designed for everyday use at work or home. The Vivobook S 15 in particular will have Copilot+ built in, acting as an AI assistant to make everyday productivity more convenient for the regular consumer.
For gamers, Asus gave us an insight into their new TUF Gaming Laptops. Two new models include the 14” TUF Gaming A14 and the 16” TUF Gaming A16. Featuring the Ryzen 300 Series processor and a much slimmer design than previous models, this new line of laptops uses AI to compensate for background blur and eye-gaze correction during sessions, all of which reduce the battery only very slightly. With help from a GeForce RTX 4070 laptop graphics card, you have one of the most promising and exciting gaming laptops ever to hit the market.
ONE LAST SURPRISE:
Asus did not go into too much detail about this final tease at Computex 2024, but it has certainly got me as excited as the other products we have discussed so far. An image of the ROG Ally X, the upcoming update to the original ROG Ally.
Ever since the Nintendo Switch hit the market back in 2017, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of handheld gaming. It was not until Valve released the Steam Deck in February 2022 that handheld gaming bridged a much more serious market. Asus followed suit in June of 2022 with the ROG Ally, a Windows system which, unlike the Steam Deck, could play games using not only Steam but also Xbox Game Pass, Epic, and even emulators. I own the original ROG Ally and I love it. Despite some small problems with Windows 11 and the battery life, it is my ultimate on-the-go gaming device.
With news that Asus is bringing an ROG Ally X to the market on July 22nd of this year, shows that the company is truly committed to giving gamers a myriad of devices for gaming consumption. On top of that, the ROG Ally X promises to have a more powerful battery and twice the amount of storage, making it a worthy contender to go against Valve’s Steam Deck OLED.
VERDICT:
AMD’s appearance at Computex 2024 proved to be an exciting look at the possibilities available to PC gamers in the coming years. Not only will we be treated to more powerful units, laptops, and PCs, but we were told that AI is very much here to stay, and as far as I can see, it is all for the better. AI has the potential to become a powerful tool to help creatives and gamers achieve the best possible experience both portably and from the comfort of their own home. All of this makes me very excited to see these advances when they come to us in July of this year.
