It looks like AMD is cooking up a new gaming CPU based on a very familiar design. A new leak suggests that at a new AMD Ryzen Z2 processor, aimed at the handheld gaming PC market, will be based on the Van Gogh APU used in the Steam Deck, likely positioning it as an option for budget handhelds.
The Steam Deck kickstarted the revolution in handheld PC gaming, and it continues to dominate, with the Steam Deck OLED still our top recommendation as the best handheld gaming PC out there. The market is getting crowded, however, with plenty of alternatives for gamers to choose from, while AMD looks to power as many of them as it can with its new Z2 lineup.
Hardware leaker Hoang Anh Phu shared news of this new leaked CPU via a post on X (formerly Twitter). In the post, Hoang simply posted “Z2 A = Van Gogh,” with Van Gogh referring to the Steam Deck’s processor, while Z2 A refers to a so-far unannounced CPU in the new AMD Ryzen Z2 lineup. No further details have been shared, although the Van Gogh chip used in the Steam Deck is a Zen 2 APU, fitted with eight RDNA 2 Compute Units, and we’d expect similar specs here as a result.
AMD hasn’t confirmed this, however, nor has it officially announced such a processor itself. However, based on this leak, an AMD Ryzen Z2 A would sit below the more powerful AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme as a budget-friendly option for manufacturers. Such systems could also benefit from running SteamOS, as Lenovo is looking to do with its Legion Go S. The Linux-based OS developed by Valve is super optimized to work efficiently on handhelds and is already fine-tuned to work well on the original Van Gogh APU design.
Despite AMD officially announcing the Z2 Extreme back in January, we’re still waiting for devices that use the chip to become available. It’s expected to be included in handhelds such as the Lenovo Legion Go 2 but there’s still no sign of them yet. While we wait, make sure to check out our Steam Deck OLED review to see why Valve continues to dominate the market.
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