AMD Develops Ryzen 9 9955HX3D “Fire Range” CPU for Gaming Laptops; Arrow Lake-HX Offers Minimal Performance Increase

At the upcoming CES event, both AMD and Intel are set to unveil their next-generation enthusiast laptop CPUs, featuring exciting options like the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D “Fire Range”from AMD and Intel’s Arrow Lake-HX series.

New Developments in Laptop Processors: AMD’s Ryzen 9 9955HX3D & Intel’s Arrow Lake-HX

Recent insights into AMD’s Fire Range processors indicate that the Ryzen 9000HX series will be developed using the advanced Zen 5 architecture. This series will differentiate itself from alternatives, including Strix Point, Krackan Point, and Strix Halo, by specifically aiming at the high-performance premium laptop market.

Previously, a benchmark listing claimed to feature the Ryzen 9 9950HX on Geekbench, although the naming scheme remains unconfirmed. The indication is that AMD might continue the Dragon Range naming tradition, similar to that of the Ryzen 7000HX series. Recently, leaks from Weibo have unveiled further details, with prominent leaker Golden Pig Upgrade suggesting the impending launch of the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D.

Golden Pig Ryzen 9 9955HX3D — Image Source: Golden Pig Upgrade via Weibo

Despite the removal of the original leak page, a timely screenshot by @9950pro captures the essential information. According to Golden Pig, Intel’s new Arrow Lake-HX WeUs, such as the Core Ultra 7 255HX and Core Ultra 9 275HX, are expected to provide minimal improvements over their earlier counterparts. This isn’t entirely unexpected, as it mirrors Intel’s desktop Arrow Lake processors’ performance, which lagged behind both the Raptor Lake and Refresh series in gaming, despite showing some productivity gains.

It remains to be clarified whether the performance increments refer to gaming or productivity tasks. Nonetheless, AMD is positioned advantageously with the impending release of the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, marking a milestone as the first mobile CPU to incorporate additional L3 cache. This flagship WeU within the Fire Range lineup promises exceptional productivity and gaming performance, especially when integrated with discrete GPUs.

Although detailed specifications are still under wraps, expectations suggest that the 9955HX3D will feature 16 cores and 32 threads. Given that the predecessor, the Ryzen 9 7950HX, offers 64 MB of total L3 cache, the new model is likely to introduce an additional 64 MB on one CCD, resulting in a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache overall. This reflects AMD’s commitment to deploying its innovative 3D V-Cache technology across various products, transitioning from mainstream desktop solutions to data center EPYC chips, and now into the mobile market.

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