AMD Preps New 4800S Desktop Kit With More Salvaged Console Chips

VideoCardz has published the first photographs of AMD's upcoming 4800S desktop kit. As you could already guess, the 4800S Desktop Kit is the successor to the 4700S desktop kit we reviewed, which is based on defective PlayStation 5 SoCs.

According to the report, the 4800S is likely a higher-binned version of the 7nm SoC that powers the 4700S. However, the outlet didn't get information on the clock speeds for the 4800S or confirm whether it uses a recycled variant of the Ariel chip in the PlayStation 5 or the custom SoC in the Xbox Series X. In any event, the SoC inside the 4800S desktop kit should use an identical eight-core, 16-thread setup that wields AMD's Zen 2 cores. For reference, the 4700S uses a gimped version of the Ariel SoC with disabled RDNA 2 graphics. The chip sports a 3.6 GHz base clock and a 4.0 GHz boost clock.

The 4700S came with either 8GB or 16GB of GDDR6 memory. Since the 4800S still doesn't have memory slots, we assume it would probably have the same memory options as its predecessor. In terms of form factor, the motherboard for the 4700S respected the mini-ITX spec, while the 4800S appears to conform to the micro-ATX form factor instead. The expanded real estate allows AMD to add more features to the motherboard.   

The purported spec sheet reportedly shows the 4800S desktop kit with a PCIe 4.0 expansion slot for discrete graphics cards. We don't know if it's a full-fledged x16 interface or electrically restricted to x8. Either way, this is a huge upgrade over the prior 4700S desktop kit, which only had a PCIe 2.0 x4 interface that greatly reduced the list of compatible graphics cards. Apparently, the 4800S desktop kit won't arrive alone, as a Radeon RX 6600 is rumored to accompany the motherboard in the bundle.

While the 4700S came with a proprietary cooling solution, the report claims that the 4800S will feature standard mounting holes for AM4 coolers. The kit from the leaked photograph used AMD's Wraith Stealth cooler. It's a welcome change since the 4700S could run a little warm. If the 4800S is a higher-clocked chip, it'll need a more robust aftermarket cooler. Unlike the 4700S that only offers two SATA III ports, the 4800S allegedly has an M.2 slot to take advantage of the best SSDs on the market. Additionally, it'll also have wireless connectivity, although the exact specification is unknown.

If the information is accurate, MSI purportedly manufactures the 4800S desktop kits while the Radeon RX 6600 hails from the TUL (PowerColor) camp. However, for the moment, it's unclear if there will be other combinations of the 4800S desktop kit. We won't have to wait long to find out, as the 4800S desktop kit ostensibly launches in the first quarter of 2022.