I'd pay $1,500 for an Xbox Ally X with 2.5x the performance, and this leaked AMD CPU could nudge that dream closer to reality

AMD is no stranger to making CPUs with powerful integrated GPUs. However, a leaked new chip, called the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388, could be one of its most exciting yet. It appears to be based on the company's Strix Halo design, which uses its biggest ever integrated GPU. Crucially, unlike earlier Strix Halo products, this new model has relatively few CPU cores while maintaining the full power of its integrated GPU, which could be ideal for a new super-powered gaming handheld.

AMD already has a stranglehold on the market for chips used in the best gaming handhelds, with its products powering the Steam Deck LCD and OLED, the Xbox Ally X, and many more devices. However, the level of GPU power in this chip is far higher than any of those models.

Specifically, in a new leak from the CPU benchmarking software PassMark (via @realVictor_M), the AMD chip is shown to include Radeon 8060S-level graphics, with the model name also including the term "Max+." Both of these indicate the chip is using the full GPU power of the Strix Halo design, which includes a massive 40 compute units (CUs) based on the company's latest RDNA 3.5 architecture.

This GPU isn't new as such, with the existing Ryzen AI Max+ 395 version of Strix Halo having been around for months and including 40CUs. However, what this leak also shows is that this new version of the chip includes only eight CPU cores compared to the 16 included on the Ryzen AI Max+ 395.

It's this relatively low number of CPU cores with a very powerful GPU that makes the chip so exciting. That's because existing high-end variants of Strix Halo have demanded a very high price, whereas this model has the potential to cost a lot less.

For a sense of just how powerful this GPU really is, the GPU in the Steam Deck has just eight CUs based on a much older RDNA 2 architecture, while the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme used in the Xbox Ally X has 16 CUs based on the same RDNA 3.5 architecture. In other words, this chip's GPU is potentially 2.5x more powerful than that in the Xbox Ally X.

We saw just how powerful Strix Halo could be in our Asus ROG Flow Z13 review. This gaming tablet uses the Ryzen AI Max 390 variant, which has 12 CPU cores and a slightly lower-spec GPU with 32 CUs, but it still provides incredible gaming performance. For instance, in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p with high detail settings, it delivered 50fps on average. To get the same frame rate on the Xbox Ally X, I had to drop to medium detail settings and use FSR upscaling set to balanced, which renders the game at just 720p.

With this AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 design, there's the potential for even higher frame rates from a device that doesn't cost the same $2,000 price as the Flow Z13.

To be clear, the Max+ 388 is still likely to be a large and powerful chip that will surely demand a high price, so don't expect a sub-$500 handheld based on it any time soon. The only handheld so far based on Strix Halo is the GPD Win 5, and that costs around $2,000. However, if this rumored chip turns out to actually exist, it could allow for a few hundred dollars to be shaved off the price of similar devices. An Xbox Ally X for $1,500 with 2.5x the performance, anyone?

While we await more news of this rumored AMD chip, why not have a read of our best Steam Deck accessories and best gaming headset guides, to find out the best way to make the most of your portable gaming gear.