Best of AMD — 2025

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    Article
    Avatar of dhhDavid Heinemeier Hansson·1y

    Cheap mini PCs have gotten really good

    The Minisforum UM870 mini PC, retailing at $343 as a bare-bone unit, offers surprising performance with its 8-core/16-thread AMD 8745H CPU, 48GB RAM, and 1TB storage for under $550. It matches or exceeds larger, more expensive systems in certain tasks, such as running the HEY test suite faster than a 14-core Apple M4 Pro. While it may lack capabilities like 8K video editing that high-end Apple systems offer, it compensates by being able to play modern games at 1080p. The post highlights the impressive efficiency and cost-effectiveness of modern mini PCs, driven by advancements in technology and manufacturing.

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    Article
    Avatar of dhhDavid Heinemeier Hansson·1y

    AMD in everything

    The post shares an enthusiastic experience of using AMD processors across various devices, including a new fleet running dual EPYC 9454s, Framework laptops, desktops, and gaming PCs. It highlights AMD's impressive performance and TSMC's crucial role in chip manufacturing. The post also praises Framework's repairable and upgradeable laptops as a credible alternative to MacBooks and discusses the advancements in chip technology benefiting both Android and Linux users.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·39w

    You should buy a faster CPU

    Modern CPUs have become dramatically faster, with desktop processors offering up to 10x performance improvements over older laptop chips. The author argues that investing in top-tier CPUs like the AMD Ryzen 9950X ($500) provides better value than AI coding subscriptions ($480/year) for developer productivity. Benchmarks show desktop CPUs are roughly 3x faster than laptops, and current generation processors are 3x faster than models from 3 years ago, making build times significantly shorter and development workflows more efficient.

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    Article
    Avatar of dhhDavid Heinemeier Hansson·1y

    The new Framework 13 HX370

    The new AMD HX370 option in the Framework 13 laptop offers a notable performance boost for developers, running test suites significantly faster than other models. Despite its higher cost, it appeals with its better keyboard, matte screen, repairability, and excellent Linux compatibility. Alternatives like the budget-friendly Ryzen AI 5 340 and the slightly less powerful but cheaper Ryzen AI 7 350 also present competitive options. Apple's hardware remains strong, but its software is criticized for increasing bloat and control, making Linux a more attractive choice for development.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·24w

    Valve: HDMI Forum Continues to Block HDMI 2.1 for Linux

    The HDMI Forum continues to block open-source HDMI 2.1 driver implementation for Linux, forcing Valve's Steam Machine to be software-limited to HDMI 2.0 despite hardware support. This restriction prevents native 4K at 120Hz without compression and limits VRR functionality. AMD submitted a functional HDMI 2.1 driver in early 2024 but was rejected by the HDMI Forum. Valve confirms they're still working to resolve the issue, while users can work around limitations using chroma subsampling or active DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapters.

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    Article
    Avatar of dhhDavid Heinemeier Hansson·44w

    It's a Beelink, baby

    Beelink mini PCs offer excellent price-to-performance ratios for developers, with three standout models: the budget EQR5 ($299), the sweet-spot SER8 ($599), and the high-end SER9 HX370 ($899). These AMD-powered machines feature superior build quality, silent cooling, and full Linux compatibility, making them ideal alternatives to traditional desktop setups for development work.

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    Video
    Avatar of techlinkedTechLinked·25w

    Microsoft, Please Stop.

    Windows 11 users face bugs including invisible login buttons and slower File Explorer performance despite updates. Amazon and Google launched a service simplifying multi-cloud connectivity between AWS and Google Cloud. OpenAI is testing ads in ChatGPT conversations, while a study found 21% of AI research peer reviews were likely AI-generated. Hardware news includes the IO X2 gaming handheld with AMD Ryzen AI Max Plus chip, AMD's accidentally leaked Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor, and Netflix removing casting support from newer Chromecast devices. India mandates pre-installed government security app on all smartphones, and Japan unveils a $385,000 human washing machine capsule.

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    Video
    Avatar of linuxcastThe Linux Cast·50w

    This App Made Me Buy a Mac

    A content creator shares their frustrating experience trying to get DaVinci Resolve video editing software working reliably on Linux, particularly with AMD graphics cards. After weeks of troubleshooting across multiple Linux distributions including openSUSE, Aurora, and Pop OS, they ultimately had to switch to a Mac to continue using DaVinci Resolve. The post highlights the challenges of running professional creative software on Linux and the poor AMD GPU support in DaVinci Resolve.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·33w

    Battering RAM

    Researchers demonstrate a $50 hardware interposer that bypasses memory encryption on Intel SGX and AMD SEV-SNP cloud processors. The device sits between processor and DDR4 memory, passing boot-time security checks before activating to redirect encrypted memory addresses. This enables plaintext access to protected workloads and breaks attestation on fully patched systems. The attack exposes fundamental limitations in current scalable memory encryption designs, which lack cryptographic freshness guarantees. Open-source schematics are available, and both Intel and AMD have acknowledged the findings but consider physical DRAM attacks out of scope for current products.

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    Video
    Avatar of savvynikSavvyNik·24w

    A New Linux Computer Just Dropped.. And It’s Wild

    The Caligra C100 is a new Linux-based developer terminal with a retro wedge chassis design reminiscent of Commodore 64. It features AMD Ryzen 9 9440HS processor, 96GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, and mechanical keyboard, priced at $2,000 with $99 pre-order deposit. The device runs a custom Linux OS called Workbench, marketed as distraction-free for creators and technical work. However, the product lacks clear differentiation, detailed specifications about the OS, and concrete use cases, making its target audience and value proposition unclear compared to competitors like Framework, System76, or standard Linux workstations.

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    Video
    Avatar of techlinkedTechLinked·35w

    Microsoft is Deleting Itself

    Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella expresses concerns about AI competition potentially making the company obsolete, despite aggressive AI integration efforts. AMD launches new handheld gaming chips and GPUs, while iPhone 17 Pro users report scratching issues with the anodized aluminum frame. TikTok deal progresses with US-based algorithm copy, Nvidia confirms ARM-based PC processor details, and various other tech industry updates including cybersecurity incidents and product launches.

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    Video
    Avatar of techlinkedTechLinked·30w

    Ryzen, Not Again…

    AMD rebrands older Zen 2 and Zen 3 Plus chips as Ryzen 10 and 100 series without hardware changes. Hackers exploit a Red Tiger fork to steal Discord user data through fake game mods. Microsoft faces Australian lawsuit for allegedly forcing customers to pay for Copilot in Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Tesla's Mad Max driving mode draws federal scrutiny for exceeding speed limits. Microsoft's financial filings reveal $4.7 billion in losses tied to OpenAI investment. Researchers develop biodegradable memory chips using mushroom tissue as potential silicon alternatives.

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    Video
    Avatar of youtubeYouTube·48w

    This Laptop Runs LLMs Better Than Most Desktops

    The Asus Flow Z13 2025 with AMD's Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 APU can run 110 billion parameter LLMs thanks to its 128GB of unified memory, outperforming many desktop setups. The APU combines CPU and GPU on a single chip, allowing the GPU to access large amounts of shared memory. However, unlike Apple's true unified memory architecture, AMD's implementation requires pre-allocating memory between CPU and GPU at boot time. Performance testing shows that manual memory allocation settings significantly outperform auto settings, with 16GB GPU allocation often providing optimal results. The system's 235 GB/s memory bandwidth enables competitive performance against Apple Silicon, though the memory copying process during model loading reveals architectural limitations compared to true unified memory systems.

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