AMD Ryzen 6000 chips are in line for a massive GPU overhaul

Ryzen 5 5600X
(Image credit: Future)

A new rumour has emerged claiming Zen 3+ is not only very much alive and well, but will be paired with RDNA 2 graphics for AMD's Ryzen 6000 Rembrandt APUs. We've been waiting for AMD to release an update to the graphics cores in its APU lineup for a while now, and if this turns out to be true, then it would make for a serious all-in-one package that has the potential to play games at decent frame rates and resolutions.

The latest rumour originates from ExecutableFix, who tweeted on May 8 that Rembrandt uses RDNA 2 and has a maximum of 12 compute units (CUs). This follows a tweet on April 30 saying Rembrandt would employ Zen 3+ using TSMC's 6nm production process.

A couple of weeks ago we reported the refresh to Zen 3, aka Zen 3+, had disappeared from AMD's roadmaps at least with respect to its mainstream CPU line-up (codenamed Warhol). That refresh was expected to land in the fall, but it didn't allow for the other potential Zen 3+ refresh, namely AMD's APU line.

Unlike Intel, which has integrated graphics in most of its chips, AMD reserves its integrated graphics for the mobile and desktop APU lines. Until now these APUs have stuck with AMD's Vega architecture, which is starting to show its age. Even so, the likes of the Ryzen 5 3400G, which has 11 Vega CUs, can run the latest games, such as Resident Evil Village at respectable framerates, albeit at 720p.

The expectation was that we would see the first generation of AMD's RDNA architecture make its way into APUs before making the leap to its very latest graphics tech. This rumour suggests this won't be the case, although Rembrandt isn't expected to make an appearance until 2022, so there's still time.

Having said that, AMD has just introduced a whole new family of APUs, with its Ryzen 5000 G-Series, although these are initially only for OEMs, with the promise that they will be coming to DIY builders later in the year. These new chips are only Vega-powered though, and the promise of RDNA 2 integrated graphics in Ryzen 6000 series chips is a big enough improvement to make it worth waiting for.

Your next upgrade

(Image credit: Future)

Best CPU for gaming: the top chips from Intel and AMD
Best graphics card: your perfect pixel-pusher awaits
Best SSD for gaming: get into the game ahead of the rest

RDNA 2 is what you'll find powering the likes of the impressive Radeon RX 6800 XT, and while that may have a lot more cores on offer, 72 compute units to be exact, the underlying architecture scales well. One of the magic ingredients of RDNA 2 though, is the Infinity Cache, but I can't see there being room for that in the already cramped space of an APU. We'll have to see how this plays out. 

Rembrandt is also expected to offer support for DDR5 and PCIe 4.0 and thus be AMD's first APUs to use its next-gen AM5 platform. It almost sounds too good to be true, but a lot of this tech is already out there, or on the cards, so it's certainly all possible. Here's hoping the rumours are true.

Alan Dexter

Alan has been writing about PC tech since before 3D graphics cards existed, and still vividly recalls having to fight with MS-DOS just to get games to load. He fondly remembers the killer combo of a Matrox Millenium and 3dfx Voodoo, and seeing Lara Croft in 3D for the first time. He's very glad hardware has advanced as much as it has though, and is particularly happy when putting the latest M.2 NVMe SSDs, AMD processors, and laptops through their paces. He has a long-lasting Magic: The Gathering obsession but limits this to MTG Arena these days.

Read more
An image of a delidded AMD Ryzen 9000 series desktop CPU, showing an impression of the die structures in the two top chiplets
Claims about AMD moving to a 12-core chiplet design for Zen 6 have got me all kinds of excited for the next generation of X3D processors
AMD press slide detailing the Ryzen 9 9950X3D processor.
AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D CPUs are rumoured to launch at the end of March at roughly the same time as the RX 9070-series GPUs
A collage of Radeon RX 9000 series graphics cards, as shown in AMD's promotional video for the launch of RDNA 4 at CES 2025
AMD's 'official' performance figures for RDNA 4 leak out early, with the RX 9070 XT claimed to be 42% faster than the RX 7900 GRE at 4K
A screenshot of an AMD ad, showing what's purported to be an RDNA 4 GPU next to a Ryzen 9 processor box
AMD's next-gen RDNA 4 graphics cards are now rumoured to be called the RX 9000-series, and we might have already had a sneak peek at what they look like
The 2025 revised release of the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 tablet floats in a mint green gradient void. It sits in a landscape orientation, propped up by a stand attached to its back. A lightweight tablet-style keyboard is also attached at the front of the device.
The new ROG Flow Z13 is ditching dedicated graphics but making up for it with AMD's next-gen Ryzen AI Max APU
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 RDNA 4 GPUs arranged in diagonal lines, taken from a CES 2025 presentation slide
If AMD isn't spilling the beans on the RX 9070 and 9070 XT at least online retailers are, but a release isn't imminent
Latest in Processors
Aooster's G-Flip 370 mini PC
This palm-sized PC has removably memory, a flip up screen, and a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor
Texas Instruments MSPM0C1104 tiny chip
World's smallest microcontroller looks like I could easily accidentally inhale it but packs a genuine 32-bit Arm CPU
Intel engineers inspect a lithography machine
Finally some good vibes from Intel as stock jumps 15% on new CEO hire and Arizona fab celebrates 'Eagle has landed' moment for its 18A node
A photo of an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor surrounded by DDR5 memory sticks from Corsair, Kingston, and Lexar
Fresh leak suggests Intel's on-again-off-again Arrow Lake CPU refresh is back on the menu (boys)
 photo shows a factory tool that places lids on data center system-on-chips at an Intel fab in Chandler, Arizona, in December 2023. In February 2024, Intel Corporation launched Intel Foundry as the world’s first systems foundry for the AI era, delivering leadership in technology, resiliency and sustainability.
Return of the gigahertz wars: New Chinese transistor uses bismuth instead of silicon to potentially sock it to Intel and TSMC with 40% more speed
 photo shows a factory tool that places lids on data center system-on-chips at an Intel fab in Chandler, Arizona, in December 2023. In February 2024, Intel Corporation launched Intel Foundry as the world’s first systems foundry for the AI era, delivering leadership in technology, resiliency and sustainability.
So, wait, now TSMC is supposedly pitching a joint venture with Nvidia, AMD and Broadcom to run Intel's ailing chip fabs?
Latest in News
Three sheep with big guns in Palworld.
It was 'super popular to hate Palworld' after launch, says community manager: 'A lot of companies might crumble under the threats, under the pressure'
Palworld Ancient Civilization Parts - Grizzbolt with a minigun
'It was a very depressing day': Palworld community manager reveals studio's reaction to Nintendo lawsuit
CS 1.6 remade in CS: Legacy.
A gorgeous ground-up remake of Counter-Strike 1.6 is on its way to Steam, and one of the game's original creators says 'it really gives me old vibes'
Portal P3 pinball table
There's a new Portal game and it costs $12,500
MrBeast posing in front of a stack of cashing, promoting Beast Games season 2
Beast Games opens casting for season 2: MrBeast lost a ton of money on season 1 but apparently not enough that he won't do it again
Ark: Lost Colony teaser still.
Ark 2 is still on: The next Ark expansion 'leads into the events of Ark 2,' says Studio Wildcard