A recent leak suggests that AMD might be using an older architecture for one of the Ryzen Z2 series APUs. The leak claims that the Ryzen Z2 A might be using the Van Gogh architecture, the same architecture found in the Steam Deck APU.

The Ryzen Z2 series already features various architectures, including Rembrandt, Hawk Point, and Strix Point. AMD is reportedly planning to add two more: the Ryzen Z2 A and the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme. The latter is understood to be an enhanced version of Strix Point, featuring an integrated NPU. The architecture of the Z2 A, however, has been a source of speculation.

Hoang Anh Phu now claims that the Ryzen Z2 A is based on the “Van Gogh” APU found in the Steam Deck. This APU features a 4-core Zen 2 CPU and an 8-CU RDNA2 GPU. This would mean that the Ryzen Z2 A, like the Ryzen Z2 G, would be an RDNA2-based APU designed for handheld devices.

Based on what has been said about this series, the Ryzen Z2 is becoming increasingly complex, with a somewhat confusing naming scheme. The current Z2 lineup already encompasses a mix of CPU architectures (Zen 2, Zen 3+, Zen 4, and Zen 5) and GPU architectures (RDNA 2, RDNA 3, and RDNA 3.5), making it difficult to determine which APUs feature specific architectures.

The first handheld devices based on the Ryzen Z2 APUs are expected to be released later this year, but to date, we are not aware of any console that will utilise the Ryzen Z2 A. However, based on the specifications we have for this APU, we guess that it will be used in entry-level consoles.

KitGuru says: Do you think it makes sense to launch an APU based on GPU and CPU architectures that are now five to six years ago?

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