GIGABYTE has released UEFI firmware (BIOS) updates for its Socket AM5 motherboards, which include the AMD AGESA ComboAM5 PI 1.1.0.1a microcode. This new version of AGESA has led to speculation that some of AMD's upcoming Ryzen 8000G desktop APUs are based on the newer "Hawk Point" silicon, rather than "Phoenix." Earlier this month, AMD released its Ryzen 8040 series "Hawk Point" mobile processors, which feature a faster NPU that delivers up to a 40% increase in AI interference performance compared to "Phoenix." While "Hawk Point" is essentially the same as "Phoenix" in terms of its first generation XDNA architecture-based NPU, the clock speed of the NPU has been increased. If AMD is indeed using "Hawk Point" for some of its Ryzen 8000G desktop APU models instead of "Phoenix," it would suggest that AMD is bringing Ryzen AI to the desktop platform, with the Ryzen 8000G becoming the first desktop processors to feature an NPU.
It is expected that AMD will release at least two APU models based on the "Hawk Point" silicon: the Ryzen 7 8700G and the Ryzen 5 8600G. The lower-end models, namely the 8500G and Ryzen 3 8300G, are likely to be based on the smaller "Phoenix 2" silicon, featuring a hybrid CPU that combines two "Zen 4" cores with up to four "Zen 4c" cores. While the "Zen 4c" cores may have the same instruction set architecture (ISA) and IPC as the regular "Zen 4" cores, they have tighter Vcore limits and operate at lower clock speeds. This means that the two available "Zen 4" cores are considered the "performance" cores, and AMD designates them as UEFI CPPC "preferred cores," ensuring that the operating system directs most of its processing traffic to them. Both "Phoenix" and "Hawk Point" have the same CPU setup, with up to eight "Zen 4" cores.
