AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 mini PC hits 60 FPS for 1080p gaming comfortably - no discrete GPU needed

There's already a mini PC packing a flagship (Strix Point) AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor kicking about, albeit a pre-release model, but it has been reviewed - and the results are impressive.

VideoCardz reports that ETA Prime on YouTube grabbed the scoop here and put the compact prototype from SOUYO through its gaming paces, with the integrated RDNA 3.5 graphics (featuring a beefy 16 CUs) in the HX 370 carving out some nicely smooth frame rates.

Okay, so the caveat here is that in 1080p resolution, the graphics are on low settings (or sometimes medium) - and FSR kicks up the frame rate, too - but still, you get a decent enough image quality, and a fluid 60 FPS across a range of games.

For example, ETA Prime ran Cyberpunk 2077 at an average of 74 FPS (low, FSR balanced), Red Dead Redemption 2 reached 76 FPS (low, FSR balanced) and Starfield hit 78 FPS (low, 50% res scaling, with frame generation).

These are quite demanding games running very nicely on a seriously compact PC box.

In terms of other specs, this mini PC comes toting three M.2 slots inside (though the reviewer found that there was an issue with one of those slots, but doubtless that'll be fixed for release).

Remember, this isn't the finished device - it's still a (review) sample, and we're expecting the likes of the SOUYO S to launch in October, with what'll likely be a few different takes on this kind of mini PC. It'll also be interesting to see what can be done with Windows 11 handhelds, too, powered by Strix Point.

My (not so) little Halo

There is, of course, an even juicier prospect on the horizon from Team Red, namely the hotly anticipated Strix Halo. These will be the top-end APUs from AMD that should hopefully be revealed at CES 2025, according to the latest on the grapevine.

Strix Halo is a huge step up from Strix Point and could be an immense CPU for mini PCs, with the only worry being that the memory bandwidth might hold back overall performance somewhat, even if the CPU is a monster. (And it really is, with the integrated RDNA 3.5 graphics in this case bristling with 40 CUs).

Is the age of the discrete GPU over? Well, clearly not - but nonetheless, these kinds of mobile chips are going to be perfect for casual through to intermediate gaming needs, and maybe a bit more. Strix Halo has been equated to the RTX 4070 (mobile) performance-wise, in the past, after all.