The video clarifies that the Steam Deck’s Steam Machine likely uses AMD’s Hawk Point 2 APU featuring a hybrid CPU design with both Zen 4 and power-efficient Zen 4c cores, balancing cost and power efficiency. Despite initial concerns, this hybrid setup is expected to maintain strong gaming performance by prioritizing demanding tasks on full Zen 4 cores, with real-world testing needed to confirm its impact on CPU-intensive games.
The video discusses clarifications regarding the CPU specifications of the Steam Deck’s Steam Machine, particularly focusing on whether it uses AMD’s Zen 4 or Zen 4c cores, or a combination of both. Initially, the official specs mentioned a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 CPU with 6 cores and 12 threads, running up to 4.8 GHz with a 30-watt TDP. There was some confusion between two AMD chip variants, Hawk Point and Hawk Point 2, with the latter being a smaller chip featuring a hybrid core design consisting of two full Zen 4 cores and four Zen 4c cores. The Zen 4c cores are a reduced configuration of Zen 4, optimized for density and power efficiency but typically clock lower.
The discussion explains that the Steam Machine likely uses the Hawk Point 2 configuration with a combination of Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores. This choice is somewhat unusual but makes sense from a cost and power efficiency perspective. Using a mobile APU design like Hawk Point 2 avoids the complexity and higher power consumption of a desktop dual-chip design, which would involve a separate IO die and CCD. Valve appears to prioritize affordability and power efficiency in the Steam Machine’s design, which aligns with selecting this hybrid core approach.
Regarding gaming performance, the speakers suggest that the hybrid core setup should not significantly impact gaming workloads. Most games do not heavily load many cores simultaneously; typically, they rely on one or two dominant threads with others handling lighter tasks. Therefore, the system can schedule demanding threads on the full Zen 4 cores while offloading less critical tasks to the Zen 4c cores without noticeable performance degradation in games. However, the impact might be more apparent in non-gaming tasks that utilize all cores more evenly.
The conversation also touches on clock speeds, noting that the 4.8 GHz figure likely applies to the full Zen 4 cores, while the Zen 4c cores may run at a lower base clock, potentially around 3.2 GHz. The speakers express some concern about having lower-performing cores in the mix but remain optimistic that the Steam OS, being tailored specifically for a limited range of devices, will handle task scheduling efficiently. This specialized OS approach might outperform more general-purpose operating systems in managing hybrid core architectures.
Finally, the video highlights the importance of real-world testing with CPU-limited games to understand the true performance implications of this hybrid CPU design. Titles known for stressing CPUs, such as Baldur’s Gate 3, Flight Simulator, and Cyberpunk 2077, will be key benchmarks. The speakers also mention considerations like stutter length and shader download systems, which could affect user experience. Overall, while the hybrid core design is an unusual choice, it aligns with Valve’s goals of cost-effectiveness and power efficiency without severely compromising gaming performance.