This is perhaps the primary AMD Strix Halo chip in a handheld gaming PC we've seen, however I'm extra excited for these mini PCs across the nook
It appeared like a lot of 2024 was held in anticipation of Strix Halo, however regardless of AMD’s behemoth APU launching approach again in January for CES 2025, we nonetheless have not seen a lot of it within the wild—actually not for gaming, anyway. Now, nonetheless, we have got our first sliver of a glimpse at it in what is seemingly a GPD handheld that includes an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (Strix Halo) APU.
X person and prolific tech leaker HXL (@9550pro) shared a picture of the machine from Chinese language social media web site QQ (through NotebookCheck) and referred to as it a “GPD STX Halo handheld prototype.” The PSP-esque curvature to the bumper seen on the top-left does look what you discover on a GPD 4 Win, so this might be a GPD 4 Win or perhaps even GPD 5 Win (unannounced) prototype.
GPD STX Halo handheld prototypeSource：QQ pic.twitter.com/nhSf5xucR3June 28, 2025
The display exhibits a 3DMark TimeSpy results of 10,366, which is about what you will get from a machine with an RTX 4060 cell GPU. It is also, as NotebookCheck factors out, 3x extra highly effective than GPD Win 4 scores, with that handheld that includes the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (Strix Level fairly than Strix Halo).
Strix Halo is the most important and baddest of AMD’s APUs. The highest-end model—the one we see right here—is the AI Max+ 395, which has an RDNA 3.5 GPU with 40 Compute Models (CUs) alongside 16 CPU cores. It maxes out at 120 W, which is way larger than we see in handhelds, which normally run from about 15–35 W.
There may be, in fact, a query of how a lot juice can be required to realize these outcomes—greater than the standard handheld TDP, one would suppose. However programs engineer and tech Tweeter Cary Golomb factors out that Strix Halo bandwidth just about caps out at 45 W (for 1080p gaming), so a plugged-in GPD handheld would possibly be capable of take advantage of the chip.
That being stated, Strix Halo continues to be a really costly chip—you are getting much more CPU grunt than you’d want or need out of a handheld—and it is troublesome to see how that value can be justified for many avid gamers except the low-TDP handheld gaming efficiency was significantly better than the HX AI 370.
It does seem to be Strix Halo is extra highly effective than Strix Level at decrease wattages, however as Cary Golomb once more factors out, solely about 20% or so at 15 W. And sadly, Strix Halo appears to price way more than 20% greater than Strix Level. That value is perhaps justified for a workstation mini PC or laptop computer, however not for handhelds or laptops, as our Jacob Ridley argued in his ROG Stream Z13 2025 (with Strix Halo APU) assessment.
In that assessment, Jacob stated, “This is not a chip designed for a gaming machine and it exhibits.” And I can not assist however really feel the identical about this prototype Strix Halo-powered GPD handheld, assuming GPD does not work a miracle on the pricing entrance. However hey, it is cool to see nonetheless.
For my cash, although, I am extra enthusiastic about Strix Halo being plopped in laptop computer and mini PC type components. A current Geekbench end result (through @RubyRapids) hints at a Minisforum Strix Halo miniPC (Shenzhen Meigao Digital Gear Co., listed because the motherboard producer, runs Minisforum).
We have preferred what we have seen of Minisforum’s mini PCs for gaming, and maybe a mini PC from them that is aimed toward productiveness in addition to gaming can be a great candidate for Strix Halo. I suppose we’ll see; hopefully, there will be extra AI Max 300 units to take a look at quickly.
Finest handheld PC 2025