It's safe to say that chips from the likes of Intel and AMD are once again in the spotlight, considering their integrated graphics gaming performance capabilities amid a messy GPU market - and now, one of Team Red's strongest processors ever will finally be available in a mini-PC.

As VideoCardz reported, GMKtec could launch a new mini-PC, the EVO-X2, in May, powered by AMD's Ryzen AI Max 395+ APU. This comes from VideoCardz's insight into pre-order details: pre-orders are already live in China, with pricing confirmed at 14,999 RMB, which roughly converts to around $2,000 (without tariffs!) / £1,599 / AU$3,400 - and pre-orders for US and EU buyers are reportedly set for April 15.

This is the listing for the highest tier configuration, which includes 128GB of RAM and 2TB of storage space - so it's got a lot to offer for tiny PC lovers.

While its price is certainly hefty, it's worth noting that the Ryzen AI Max 395+ processor using the Radeon 8060S iGPU is an absolute powerhouse, especially for gamers.ETA Prime on YouTube has previously showcased its performance in games like Cyberpunk 2077 -on the ultra graphics preset in 1440p (with upscaling), there's a near-consistent 60fps, which isn't possible for some desktop GPUs.

It's all possible thanks to the APU's 16 cores and 32 threads, along with a seriously impressive 40 cores on the Radeon 8060S integrated GPU. It's also a significant step in the direction of discrete GPUs becoming obsolete: although that may still be a long way away considering the presence of high-end GPUs like the RTX 5080 or RTX 5090, it's a promising start.

The system shown in the video (available above) using the APU is a prototype, so aspects like cooling, power consumption, and chassis dimensions are yet to be finalized - we'll have to wait and see its real-world performance ceiling.

Fortunately, mini PCs like this offer gamers a way into the PC gaming ecosystem, supposedly at the same price (in fact, even less with the current inflated GPU prices) as Nvidia's RTX 5090 would cost with its $1,999 / £1,939 / AU$4,039 price - and that’s for a whole system, not just a graphics card. However, the issue of tariffs could see the purported $2,000 price of the GMKtec EVO-X2 skyrocket soon.

AMDのRyzen AI Max+プロセッサ搭載システムも、インフレや関税の影響を免れることはできません。現在、ゲーム機を含むPCハードウェアは関税の対象外とはなっていません。例えば、一部の小売店では、関税の不確実性から最新のゲーム機の予約を一時停止しており、同様の問題はAPU搭載システムにも影響を与える可能性があります。もし噂の2,000ドルの価格設定が正しければ、最終的な米国での価格は関税の影響で3,000ドルを超える可能性があり、商品自体が入手困難になることも考えられます。これは、特に制裁が続く中で、PCゲーム市場の不安定さを浮き彫りにしています。

Nvidiaの新しいRTX 5000シリーズGPUも、ドライバーの問題や機能の欠如、在庫不足といった課題に直面しています。インフレがさらに進行すると、Blackwellシリーズのような高性能グラフィックスカードの購入を正当化するのがますます難しくなるかもしれません。

Ryzen AI Max+のAPUは、まだ携帯型ゲーミングPCには採用されていませんが、今後すぐに採用が進む可能性は低いと考えられます。この厳しい状況が早期に解決し、ゲーマーが必要なハードウェアを遅れることなく、価格高騰もなく手に入れられることを願っています。

また、NintendoはNintendo pause pre-orders for its Switch 2 in the USにより、最新のゲーム機の予約を一時停止しています。

さらに、missing ROPs