Leaked WHQL AMD Chipset Driver Update Supports Ryzen 8000 APUs

News
By Aaron Klotz
published

Ryzen 8000 APU release may be coming soon.

Zen 4 CPU
(Image credit: AMD)

According to HKL @9550pro on X (Twitter), a new WHQL-certified AMD chipset driver update was leaked online, featuring support for AMD's upcoming Ryzen 8000 series APU lineup. The new driver update suggests that AMD is already done with chipset driver development supporting its new Ryzen 8000 APUs and is getting ready to release its new APU lineup at any time.

The fact that AMD's new driver already has WHQL support confirms is a big hint that Ryzen 8000 APU development is practically done. WHQL stands for Windows Hardware Quality Labs testing and means that AMD's new driver update has already been put through Microsoft's own testing procedures to make sure that the driver is fully compatible with Windows. As a result, AMD's new Ryzen 8000 driver is likely ready to be released and can be released at any time.

Ryzen 8000 is the name of AMD's upcoming Zen 4 Ryzen APUs that will be targeted at the desktop market. These chips will feature significantly more powerful integrated graphics processors running on AMD's latest RDNA3 GPU architecture. Current rumors report that AMD will be releasing four new SKUs (at least for now) aimed at the mid-range and entry-level desktop markets, including the 8-core Ryzen 7 8700G, 6-core Ryzen 5 8600G, 6-core Ryzen 5 8500G, and 4-core Ryzen 3 8300G.

The last two models will come with a hybrid core layout, featuring a combination of Zen 4 cores and smaller Zen 4c cores. The 8500G will feature two Zen 4 cores, and 4 Zen 4c cores, while the 8300G will feature just a single Zen 4 core and three Zen 4c cores.

Graphics-wise, these new chips will come with AMD's latest generation Radeon 700M series integrated graphics units that are already available in its Ryzen 7000 mobile counterparts. The 8700G will sport the flagship Radeon 780M with 12 CUs, the 8600G will get the Radeon 760M with 8 CUs, and the last two chips will receive the Radeon 740M with 4 CUs.

Previous insider reports revealed that AMD has yet to finalize a release schedule for its Ryzen 8000 series chips, but it's reasonable to assume now that it will be launching these new chips in the next few months (or sooner). If we had to guess, AMD will probably announce its new APU lineup in January during CES, though there's always a dark horse chance it could unveil them in the next few weeks in time for the holiday season.

Aaron Klotz
Aaron Klotz
Freelance News Writer

Aaron Klotz is a freelance writer for Tom’s Hardware US, covering news topics related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

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4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • thisisaname
    If AMD drivers mature and get better then how bad is the driver to start with?
    Reply
  • pclaughton
    thisisaname said:
    If AMD drivers mature and get better then how bad is the driver to start with?
    How is this relevant to a chipset driver adding support for future products?
    Reply
  • thisisaname
    pclaughton said:
    How is this relevant to a chipset driver adding support for future products?
    An APU contains a iGPU, which I'm assuming I driver for would be included in the chipset driver or am I wrong?

    Yes I am taking a cheap dig at AMD but they do create some nice graphics cards then go and shoot themselves in the foot with poor release drivers.
    Look at the article how the 6800 is quicker than the 7800 running under Linux. https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/rx-6800-xt-is-faster-than-rx-7800-xt-in-linux-gaming

    Edit: I want them to do much better, I want all the performance when I buy the thing not a couple of year later!!
    Reply
  • atomicWAR
    pclaughton said:
    How is this relevant to a chipset driver adding support for future products?
    Well I have to agree with thisisaname where they state, though they are unclear to incorrect on how the iGPU works, a detail I will cover in a sec:
    thisisaname said:
    An APU contains a iGPU, which I'm assuming I driver for would be included in the chipset driver or am I wrong?

    Yes I am taking a cheap dig at AMD but they do create some nice graphics cards then go and shoot themselves in the foot with poor release drivers.
    Look at the article how the 6800 is quicker than the 7800 running under Linux. https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/rx-6800-xt-is-faster-than-rx-7800-xt-in-linux-gaming

    Edit: I want them to do much better, I want all the performance when I buy the thing not a couple of year later!!
    You do need a separate graphics driver for the iGPU BUT iGPU is housed on the IOD for 79/78/7600 series and directly on the die of the newer chips mentioned in the article. So I would be surprised if there wasn't something in the chipset driver to help facilitate certain shared functions/resources like ram access to/from the iGPU to shared system memory. So as a whole I don't think your wrong.

    I had a few issues, for example, one of which my iGPU is not working properly with a dedicated card in on a 7950X. But as expected my 4090 covers those short comings for the most part. I'd prefer running my secondary monitor on the iGPU for example but I can't as the screen colors/pixelation and even something remincint of 'scanlines' cause the image to look nearly incomprehensible, unless I take my 4090 out and run it vanilla...

    Amd GPU drivers in particular but also their software stack as a whole has been weaker than companies like Nvidia and Intel but they do seem to be slowly bringing things up to speed. Its an issue AMD has always had IMO (started with a AMD K2 in my GF's computer in the 90s and grew from there, for me) and I think it has a lot to do with market share and resources. This is why I am happy to see Ryzen/Epyc make such good headway in the market. This allows AMD to increase their war chest for things excatly like software support, R&D, and talent recruitment, helping them catch larger players with what is essentially a smaller company. But their approach is not without it's pitfalls and for now just like times in the past, stabiltiy issues are plaguing AMD on more fronts than some of us would like.

    Now for me the question is will they ever reach their (our?) goal in their software stack/drivers and deliver something stronger than their past entries. I could go either way. AMD's history says they'll struggle to get industry support more times than not and that they won't or can't put in the effort needed to get their software as refined as it should be but tech histroy as a whole says everything can turn on a dime with the right product. So my fingers are crossed!
    Reply