As reported on the Asus ROG and HardwareLuxx forums, Asus has officially launched a series of new beta BIOS updates supporting AMD's latest AGESA ComboAM5 microcode update 1.1.0.1. While nothing has been formally confirmed about this new microcode update, it's evident that it helps AMD's upcoming Ryzen 8000G series desktop APUs that are expected to arrive next year.
The new beta BIOS updates apply to several AM5 ROG, TUF Gaming, and ProArt X670E, B650E, and B650 motherboards, including the ROG Crosshair X670E Hero, Gene, Extreme, ROG Strix X670E-A Gaming WiFi, -E Gaming WiFi, -F Gaming WiFi, and -I Gaming WiFi. ROG Strix B650E-E Gaming WiFi, -F Gaming WiFi, -I Gaming WiFi, and B650-A Gaming WiFi, TUF Gaming X670E Plus, Plus WiFi, B650-Plus, Plus WiFi, B650M-Plus, and Plus WiFi. ProArt X670E Creator WiFi, and B650-Creator. The updates can be downloaded from Asus via Google Drive links, but be warned: these new BIOS updates are not entirely stable and might encounter bugs or instability issues.
Ryzen 8000 is the terminology for AMD's upcoming Zen 4-based APUs aimed squarely at desktop systems. Leaks and rumors report that these new chips will be equipped with Phoenix and Phoenix 2 silicon from AMD's mobile CPUs, which not only includes a high-performance RDNA 3 GPU but also a dedicated XDNA/XDNA2 Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that is designed to accelerate artificial intelligence applications at a hardware level.
AMD Ryzen 8000G Specifications*
| Model | Silicon | x86 Core Config | GPU | GPU Config | TDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 7 8700G | Phoenix | 8C/16T | 8x Zen 4 | Radeon 780M | 12 CU | 768 SPs | 65W |
| Ryzen 5 8600G | Phoenix | 6C/12T | 6x Zen 4 | Radeon 760M | 8 CU | 512 SPs | 65W |
| Ryzen 5 8500G | Phoenix 2 | 6C/12T | 2x Zen 4 + 4x Zen 4c | Radeon 740M | 3 CU | 256 SPs | 65W |
| Ryzen 3 8300G | Phoenix 2 | 4C/8T | 1x Zen 4 + 3x Zen 4c | Radeon 740M | 4 CU | 256 SPs | 65W |
*Specifications are unconfirmed.
We know four SKUs that will be part of AMD's new APU lineup, including the Ryzen 7 8700G, Ryzen 5 8600G, Ryzen 5 8500G, and Ryzen 3 8300G. The Ryzen 7 8700G reportedly has eight Zen 4 cores and a Radeon 780M iGPU sporting 12 CUs. The Ryzen 5 8600G will reportedly come with six Zen 4 cores and 760M with 8 CUs.
The latter two chips will seemingly come with AMD's more complex Phoenix 2 silicon, which incorporates a hybrid core design consisting of Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores. The Ryzen 5 8500G will purportedly come with two Zen 4 cores and four Zen 4c cores, while the Ryzen 3 8300G will have just a single Zen 4 core and three Zen 4c cores. The iGPU on both models includes the Raedeon 740M with 4 CUs.
These new chips are expected to be unveiled at CES 2024, which debuts on January 9th and ends on January 12th.
