MediaTek and AMD Team Up on Wi-Fi 6E Chips for Next-Gen Ryzen PCs

MediaTek Filogic chip on pink background
(Image credit: MediaTek)

MediaTek will be powering AMD's Wi-Fi 6E modules for upcoming Ryzen-based laptops and desktops, the companies announced today. The first to come will be the AMD RZ600 series Wi-Fi 6E modules, which will be based on MediaTek's Filogic 330P chipset.

In a press release, the companies claim that they have "developed and certified PCIe and USB interfaces for modern sleep states and power management," and that the company's own optimization and testing process will help laptop and desktop manufacturers save time in product development.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell - Column 0 Wi-Fi SpecsM.2 Slot
AMD RZ616 Wi-Fi 6E moduleWi-Fi 6E 2x2M.2 2230 and 1216
Row 1 - Cell 0 160 MHz Wi-Fi ChannelsRow 1 - Cell 2
Row 2 - Cell 0 PHY rate up to 2.4 GbpsRow 2 - Cell 2
AMD RZ608 Wi-Fi 6E moduleWi-Fi 6E 2x2M.2 2230
Row 4 - Cell 0 80 MHz Wi-Fi ChannelsRow 4 - Cell 2
Row 5 - Cell 0 PHY rate up to 1.2 GbpsRow 5 - Cell 2

There are two models in the series, the RX616, which is faster (with a phy rate up to 2.6 Gbps) and works with 160 MHz WiFi, which should support 6GHz spectrum; and the RZ608, which goes up to 1.2 Gbps and relies on 80MHz bandwidth. The Fliogic 330P chipset supports Wi-Fi 6 and 6E as well as Bluetooth 5.2. The RZ616 will fit in M.2 2230 and very short M.2 1216 slots, while the RZ608 is meant solely for M.2 2230. MediaTek claims its power and low noise amplification technology helps manage power and allows for a small chip for "laptops of all sizes," though I've never seen a laptop too small for a Wi-Fi card.

Teaming up with MediaTek reduces AMD's reliance on Intel, which makes its own Wi-Fi modules (and also acquired Rivet Networks, which owns the Killer brand aimed at gaming laptops' wireless needs). Reports of the pairing started way back in September 2020.

In May, the CEO of Ayaneo, which is making a handheld gaming device based on the AMD Ryzen 5 4500U APU, blew the RZ608's cover. CEO Arthur Zhang stated "[t]he RZ608 announced today has never been revealed on the Internet, so many of you don't believe it." He also included details including the correct versions of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 6E and the M.2 22330 module size.

AnandTech later reported that the RZ608 is actually a rebranded MediaTek MT7921K module with an AMD logo on it. It's unclear if the RZ616 had more input from AMD.

The new chips should debut in Ryzen laptops and desktops in 2022.

Andrew E. Freedman

Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Threads @FreedmanAE and Mastodon @FreedmanAE.mastodon.social.

  • watzupken
    This is inevitable. I don't think AMD is happy to feed their competitor with every system they sell, at least most mid range motherboard should come with an Intel Wifi.
    Reply
  • korekan
    its kinda good wifi speed increasing fast.
    while its so sad internet speed not as fast as wifi speed upgrade.
    also the router still kinda expensive.
    for th AC router the most cheapest wifi still at $20
    and you are not going to upgrade every year as long as it working and your internet speed is not getting bigger every year
    Reply
  • gggplaya
    korekan said:
    its kinda good wifi speed increasing fast.
    while its so sad internet speed not as fast as wifi speed upgrade.
    also the router still kinda expensive.
    for th AC router the most cheapest wifi still at $20
    and you are not going to upgrade every year as long as it working and your internet speed is not getting bigger every year

    I get 1200mbps internet at my house and I'm fairly rural. How much more do you need? Most devices and computers are still on gigabit ethernet. I had to spend alot of money upgrading my pc, network switch, modem and router to make them 2.5gbe. It wasn't cheap. So even if they increased speed around here, most households couldn't use the speed anyways.

    $20 for a wireless AC router is cheap, how much cheaper do you need it to be?
    Reply
  • Mr.Vegas
    watzupken said:
    This is inevitable. I don't think AMD is happy to feed their competitor with every system they sell, at least most mid range motherboard should come with an Intel Wifi.

    Its not up to them, but up to the board manufacturers and public.
    And public wants Intel LAN and Intel WiFi, because its the best bar none in the mainstream segment, has best drivers, support and it just works.
    Reply
  • Mr.Vegas
    korekan said:
    its kinda good wifi speed increasing fast.
    while its so sad internet speed not as fast as wifi speed upgrade.
    also the router still kinda expensive.
    for th AC router the most cheapest wifi still at $20
    and you are not going to upgrade every year as long as it working and your internet speed is not getting bigger every year

    20$ is expensive? Maybe you forgot a second zero?
    Reply