It’s difficult not to be skeptical. For one thing, IDC has lowered its PC market forecasts yet again, predicting that the days of inexpensive PCs might be over for now. A Ryzen AI Max+ box like the Framework Desktop we reviewed once cost $2,515, but now costs $2,700—and that’s without any storage. You already know that RAM and storage prices are skyrocketing. AI developers with cash to spare might be able to cash out a Bitcoin or two and buy themselves a box to sit on their desk, but the average consumer staring down rapidly rising gas prices might think twice about spending an extra two grand
AMD wants you to buy a $2,000 'agent PC' just for AIAs if the AI data center boom wasn't causing enough problems for PC hardware, a looming strike in Samsung's home territory of South Korea could grind the memory giant's already-strained production to a halt. …
… AMD's argument is that only the Ryzen AI Max+ is suited to these types of PCs, given the enormous potential amount of memory 128GB such systems can come with. Much of that memory can be configured as VRAM, the space in which AI algorithms work. …
… "Constraints and rising prices around key components like memory, wafers, and substrates are driving higher costs that could impact demand for our product at some point in the year," Zinsner said. …
… Relying on locally run AI on your own RTX hardware ensures that you can manage the costs at every step of the way, from initial purchase, to deployment, and ongoing maintenance. No need for cloud AI subscriptions, or long-term token fees. …
… AMD is the latest to step up to the plate with a local AI solution, a mini PC dubbed "Ryzen AI Halo." At first blush it looks mighty appealing: a Mac mini-sized form factor, a powerful AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor with 16 Zen 5 CPU cores and 32 threads upgradable to the bleeding-edge Ryzen AI Ma… …
… Well, then, you're going to have to pay for it—and you'll be paying a lot more than you would have a year ago, as "AI" data centers gobble up a bigger and bigger share of the industry's output of memory and storage. …
… Granted, given recent AI-induced price inflation, calling any SSD "budget" is relative, but you will currently spend quite a bit less with this DRAM-less HMB/Host Memory Buffer design. Once available at 2TB for $150, the drive is now $285. Thanks, OpenAI. …
… The AI boom steamrolled right over consumer PCs—data center hunger for memory and storage made once-easy upgrades into astronomically priced luxuries. …
… While memory is more of a long-term limitation, ports are more of a daily annoyance and I've got to get it out of my system. …
… Some laptop makers will express memory in clock speed, so you’ll see “DDR4/2,133 or DDR4/2,400.” While a higher memory clock does increase memory bandwidth, the impact isn’t quite as great as going from dual-channel to single-channel mode. …