New rumors surrounding AMD's next-gen Fire Range "Zen 5" CPUs which target enthusiast laptops have been revealed, and suggest compatibility with NVIDIA's RTX 50 GPUs.
AMD's Next-Gen Fire Range "Zen 5" Laptop CPUs For Enthusiast Gaming Platforms To Retain Compatibility on FL1 Package, Feature NVIDIA RTX 50 Support
The popular leakier 'Golden Pig Upgrade' on the Chinese social outlet Weibo reports that AMD will be retailing the FL1 socket for the next-gen Fire Range Laptop CPUs based on the Zen 5 architecture. Currently, the FL1 socket is used for the AMD Dragon Range 7045HX processors built using the Zen 4 architecture. With the retaining of the socket, the company is said to save significant costs in producing the upcoming enthusiast-grade laptops.
The leaker says that even though the AMD's Zen 5 "Fire Range" CPUs will see a 'price increase', due to using the same socket as the Dragon Range, the overall cost of the laptop will be much lower as opposed to what it could be with a newer socket. Adding to that, he said it would be easier for the laptop manufacturers to equip the newer laptops with NVIDIA RTX 50 series GPUs paired with the Zen 4-based Ryzen 7045HX CPUs, since AMD wouldn't need to redesign their motherboards from scratch.
Hence, not only AMD has the choice to use the upcoming AMD Fire Range CPUs but they would be able to save the production costs further by pairing the current-gen 7045HX CPUs with the NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs.
On the other hand, Intel's partners & laptop makers will need to redesign their motherboards to accommodate new GPUs. Since the Intel Core Ultra 200 "Arrow Lake" CPUs for laptops won't be using the same socket as the current 14th-generation chips, they need to invest more in building a new platform for the upcoming GPUs. Hence, AMD will generally have the better value on the high-end side of things.
The AMD FL1 package measures 40 x 40mm and is the mobile version for the upcoming desktop Zen 5-based Ryzen 9000 CPUs. These chips feature very similar dies and configs as the desktop SKUs but still get slightly optimized power configurations.
While the official naming convention is not public yet, it could probably follow the '9045HX' naming scheme similar to Dragon Range. Fire Range CPUs will feature single or dual Zen 5 CCDs based on the CPU model and will be built on a 4nm process node. The flagship SKU is supposedly bringing up to 16 cores and will be compatible with the DDR5 SO-DIMM form factor. Here's what to expect from AMD Fire Range chips:
- Zen 5 (5nm) Monolithic Design
- Up To 16 Cores
- RDNA 3+ Graphics Cores
- 2025 Launch
- 55-75W operating power
It is also reported by the same leaker that while AMD's high-end Ryzen 9 "Fire Range" CPUs will have an edge over Arrow Lake chips, the more mainstream segment, Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5, will be less competitive due to lower performance levels so an older Ryzen 7 platform with RTX 50 GPUs might make more sense.
Intel & AMD Laptop CPU Families (Expected):
| Segment | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enthusiast | Alder Lake-HX (Intel) | Raptor Lake-HX (Intel) Dragon Range (AMD) | Raptor Lake Refresh-HX (Intel) | Arrow Lake-HX (Intel) Fire Range (AMD) Strix Point Halo (AMD) | Arrow Lake-HX Refresh (Intel) Medusa Halo? (AMD) | Nova Lake-AX (Intel) Nova Lake-HX (Intel) Gator Range (AMD) |
| High-End | Alder Lake-H (Intel) Rembrandt (AMD) | Raptor Lake-H (Intel) Meteor Lake-H (Intel) Phoenix (AMD) Rembrandt-R (AMD) | Meteor Lake-H (Intel) Raptor Lake Refresh-H (Intel) Arrow Lake-H (Intel) Hawk Point (AMD) Strix Point (AMD) | Arrow Lake-H (Intel) Krakan Point (AMD) Gorgon Point (AMD) Panther Lake-H (Intel) | Arrow Lake-H Refresh (Intel) Panther Lake-H (Intel) Medusa Point (AMD) | Nova Lake-H (Intel) |
| Mainstream | Alder Lake-U (Intel) Rembrandt (AMD) Barcelo (AMD) | Raptor Lake-U (Intel) Phoenix (AMD) Rembrandt-R (AMD) | Meteor Lake-U (Intel) Raptor Lake Refresh-U (Intel) Hawk Point (AMD) Strix Point (AMD) | Arrow Lake-U Panther Lake-U (Intel) | Panther Lake-U (Intel) Medusa BB (AMD) | Nova Lake-U (Intel) |
| Low-Power | Alder Lake-U (Intel) Mendocino (AMD) | Raptor Lake-U (Intel) | Meteor Lake-U (Intel) Lunar Lake-M (Intel) | Lunar Lake-M (Intel) | Lunar Lake-M (Intel) | TBD |
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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