AMD opens pre-orders for Ryzen AI Halo developer platform at $3,999, challenging NVIDIA

AMD Opens Pre-Orders For The Linux-Friendly Ryzen AI Halo Developer Platform

AMD today announced the opening of pre-orders for their Ryzen AI Halo petite PC powered by AMD Ryzen AI Max+ "Strix Halo" and working with either Microsoft Windows or Linux. Back at CES in January, Lisa Su showed off the Ryzen AI Halo as a mini PC built around their powerful Strix Halo platform and to compete with the likes of NVIDIA GB10 / DGX Spark products for AI workloads. The Ryzen AI Halo comes with up to 128GB of unified memory, support for up to 200B parameter large language models, and is optimized to run AI workflows out-of-the-box. For AI users it's a polished, out-of-the-box alternative to the likes of Framework Desktop and other Strix Halo mini PCs. The AMD Ryzen AI Halo advertises official Linux support and AMD has even been developing an RGB LED light bar driver for the Ryzen AI Halo device. That light bar driver isn't yet mainline in the Linux kernel but it's working there. Besides the light bar driver not yet being in the mainline kernel, as far as I know all the Ryzen AI Halo support is mainline in the Linux kernel already. AMD Strix Halo as tested on the Framework Desktop and formerly HP ZBook Ultra G1a has been doing great on Linux so by and large the Ryzen AI Halo should be ready to roar. And with official ROCm support. AMD is running the Ryzen AI Halo developer platform pre-orders via Micro Center. The pre-order price is $3999 USD for the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 128GB of RAM and 2TB NVMe SSD. There are separate options for either Linux or Microsoft Windows out-of-the-box with no cost difference. Those wishing to learn more about the Ryzen AI Halo developer platform pre-orders can do so at AMD.com. Hopefully we get the chance soon to check out the Ryzen AI Halo developer platform on Linux to see how its working out and performing in diverse Linux environments.

AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 Mini PC Listed for Pre-Order at $3,999

AMD's Ryzen AI Halo platform is beginning to make its way into commercial systems, with a new mini PC now available for pre-order through Micro Center. Built around the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, the compact workstation-class machine is designed primarily for AI development, local inference workloads, software engineering, and professional content creation applications. The system is powered by AMD's flagship Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, featuring 16 Zen 5 CPU cores and 32 threads. Integrated graphics duties are handled by the Radeon 8060S GPU, eliminating the need for a discrete graphics card while still providing considerable graphics and compute performance. The combination makes the platform particularly interesting for users seeking a balance between CPU processing power, GPU acceleration, and compact system dimensions. Perhaps the most notable specification is the inclusion of 128GB of LPDDR5X-8000 unified memory. Unlike conventional desktop architectures that separate system memory and graphics memory, the Ryzen AI Halo platform allows the CPU, GPU, and AI acceleration hardware to share the same memory pool. This approach can benefit AI inference tasks, machine learning experimentation, and large language model workloads that require significant memory capacity. Storage is provided by a 2TB NVMe solid-state drive, offering sufficient capacity for development tools, virtual machines, large datasets, and AI models. Connectivity is also unusually comprehensive for a mini PC. The system includes three USB Type-C ports, a dedicated USB Type-C Power Delivery connector, HDMI 2.1 output, and a 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface. Wireless connectivity is handled by Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Physically, the device remains remarkably compact, measuring just 149 x 149 x 43.18 mm. The enclosure is constructed primarily from aluminum alloy, giving the system a workstation-oriented appearance while maintaining a small desktop footprint. Micro Center currently lists the system at $3,999 and offers customers a choice between Windows 11 Professional and Linux operating systems. While the price places it well above mainstream mini PCs, the large memory configuration and AI-focused hardware target a specialized audience that would otherwise need a much larger workstation platform. ComponentSpecification ProcessorAMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 CPU Cores / Threads16 Cores / 32 Threads ArchitectureZen 5 GraphicsRadeon 8060S Integrated GPU Memory128GB LPDDR5X-8000 Unified Memory Storage2TB NVMe SSD Networking10GbE, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Video OutputHDMI 2.1 USB Ports3 × USB Type-C Power DeliveryUSB Type-C PD Port Power Adapter120W Dimensions149 × 149 × 43.18 mm Operating SystemsWindows 11 Pro or Linux Price$3,999 Source: Micro Center

AMD Tackles NVIDIA's $4679 DGX Spark AI PC With Its $3999 Ryzen AI Halo: Now Available With 128 GB Memory For Blazing Fast LLMs

AMD has officially launched its Ryzen AI Halo AI PC, which offers super-fast token throughput at a $3999 price point. AMD Challenges DGX Spark With Its Strix Halo-Equipped Ryzen AI Halo "AI PC" That Costs $679 US Lower The first AMD Ryzen AI Halo platforms are now available on retail, and are listed at the official MSRP of $3999. These systems pack the Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 SoC, 128 GB of memory, and lots of AI horsepower within a compact form factor that challenges NVIDIA's DGX Spark at a much lower price point. You can head over to the following links to purchase the Ryzen AI Halo PC: Ryzen AI Halo (1st Gen) Specs The AMD Ryzen AI Halo developer platform launching this June will be based on the Ryzen AI MAX 300 family, codenamed Strix Halo, which has seen some major adoption in the past few months, from laptops to handhelds and Mini PCs; it's entering every consumer PC segment. These high-performance and premium SoCs offer amazing performance thanks to their Zen 5 CPU, RDNA 3.5 GPU, and XDNA 2 NPU architectures. The Ryzen AI Halo combines these SoCs in a small form factor for developers and SFF AI users. AMD's Ryzen AI Halo is based on the flagship Strix Halo SoC, the Ryzen AI MAX+ 395, which features 16 cores, 32 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, the Radeon 8060S iGPU with 40 RDNA 3.5 cores, a 50 TOPS XDNA 2 NPU, and a TDP of up to 120W. The PC will be equipped with 128 GB LPDDR5X-8000 RAM and 2 TB of PCIe Gen4x4 storage. In addition to that, the platform itself measures just 5.9" x 5.9" x 1.7", making it ultra-compact and shorter than Apple's Mac Mini Pro (M4). It comes with 3 USB Type-C ports, including one for power input, Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.4, 10 Gbps Ethernet, and HDMI 2.1b. The Software Stack The Ryzen AI Halo Mini PC will feature full AMD ROCm Support, including the newly released ROCm 7.2.2 suite, will be optimized for Dev-Ready applications such as LM Studio, ComfyUI, VS Code, and More, will enable optimizations for several models, including GPT-OSS, FLUX.2, SDXL, and More, and it will carry Day 0 support for leading AI models. Tackles NVIDIA DGX Spark & Apple Mac Mini M4 Pro AMD compares the Ryzen AI Halo Mini PC against two competitors: DGX Spark from NVIDIA and Mac Mini M4 Pro from Apple. Versus the DGX Spark, AMD claims the Ryzen AI Halo offers wider OS support, leadership LLM Token value, and includes an NPU rated at 50 TOPS. The company also showcases some AI numbers against DGX Spark, which are listed below: * +7% GPT OSS Tokens/s (120B) * +12% Qwen 3.5 Tokens/s (122B) * +4% Qwen 3.6 Tokens/s (35B) * +14% GLM 4.7 Tokens/s (30B) Compared to the Apple Mac Mini, the Ryzen AI Halo offers twice the max memory config as the M4 Pro, can run up to 200B models, whereas the Mac Mini can't go beyond 100B models, and offers broader Gen AI capabilities. AMD states that the AI Halo is on average 4x faster than the M4 Mac Mini Pro. How Does It Pay For Itself, & What's The Actual Token Cost One of the biggest advantages highlighted by AMD for its Ryzen AI Halo is its higher token value and its ability to pay for itself. AMD states that not every agent and workflow needs a frontier model, and most of the grunt work can be shifted to local instead of the cloud. Developers running localized AI can save up to $750 USD per month when switching from Cloud-based AI. For example, with AMD Ryzen AI Halo, you will pay the initial $3999 price, followed by a $16.2 monthly electricity cost, which is measured at a sustained 150W draw (cited as a nightmare case). Meanwhile, the AI Cloud services net you roughly $750 per month, assuming up to 31 Million Tokens (8 hours/day) at 36 Tokens/s or up to 385 Million Tokens (8 hours/day) assuming 446 Tokens/s. Given this math, AMD's Ryzen AI Halo will be able to Break Even in just 6 months, and the total bill after 3 years will be roughly $ 4,500- $ 4,600, versus cloud services, for which you'll be paying over $25K. Gorgon Halo Upgrade Coming In Q3 Following the availability of the Ryzen AI Halo (Ryzen AI MAX+ 395), this month for $3999, AMD is also going to introduce an updated variant with its Ryzen AI MAX+ 495 SoCs around Q3 2026, which will come packed with even more capabilities and 192 GB of memory, enabling 300B+ model support. As for the price itself, it is competitive against the NVIDIA DGX Spark, which costs $4679 right now, but at the same time, there are several Ryzen AI MAX+ Mini PCs with similar configurations that come in at a lower price. Regardless, the AMD Ryzen AI MAX SoCs are superb, and we have our own review here that proves this. Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.