If you were hoping RDNA 5 graphics would trickle down to mainstream laptops quickly, a well-known AMD leaker has some disappointing news. In a NeoGAF thread, a user guessed that RDNA 5 might reach ordinary APUs around 2028. Kepler_L2 replied with a short correction: “RDNA5+ in 2029 with Grimlock.” In other words, the mainstream mobile parts get an updated “5+” version of the architecture inside the Zen 7 “Grimlock” family, a year or more after RDNA 5 itself.
That fits Kepler_L2’s January claim on X that AMD is splitting its APU roadmap in two. Budget designs, and laptops paired with a discrete GPU, would stay on RDNA 3.5 until 2029. Premium parts like Medusa Halo would get RDNA 5 sooner. Kepler_L2 has a long track record on AMD’s RDNA and Zen roadmaps, but this is a one-line forum reply, not a slide deck. Treat the year as directional.
Nobody has explained what separates RDNA 5+ from RDNA 5. The obvious comparison is RDNA 3 to RDNA 3.5: the same family, tuned for integrated graphics power and efficiency rather than a new architecture. AMD has only just brought FSR 4.1 to older Radeon cards, as in our coverage of Adrenalin 26.10.1 adding it to the RX 6000 series. Meanwhile, the rumored RDNA 3.5 hold leaves mainstream laptop iGPUs a generation behind for a long time. Intel is clearly eyeing that opening, with Razor Lake-AX reportedly aimed squarely at Medusa Halo.
2029 is a long way off, and roadmaps slip in both directions. If the split holds, though, the iGPU you get will depend more than ever on which price tier you buy. Let us know your thoughts in the forums..
Discussion (1 reply)
Join Discussion →guys, laptop OEMs are very strict with their timelines. absolutely nothing can stop them, including Covid / Ramageddon etc.
this is the expected time line
[*]latter half of 2027
[*]CES (Jan) 2028
[*]CES (Jan) 2029
[*]CES (Jan) 2030