ECS to Unveil First AMD Krackan Point APU Laptop at CES 2025: Affordable AI-Ready Computing

Copilot on a budget: AMD's Krackan Point APUs to debut in budget-friendly ECS laptop

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. Something to look forward to: Since AMD introduced its Ryzen 9000 series and Strix Point Ryzen AI processors, users have been eagerly anticipating other members of the Zen 5 family, such as Ryzen AI Max and Fire Range. Now, ECS has become the first manufacturer to confirm plans to unveil a product featuring AMD's mainstream-focused Krackan Point chips at CES 2025. ECS is set to showcase the first laptop featuring AMD's upcoming Krackan Point APUs at CES 2025. AMD has already confirmed that Krackan Point is designed to offer a low-cost entry point into Microsoft's Copilot+ PC standard, positioning it to compete with Intel's Lunar Lake Core Ultra 200V series. The processor powering the ECS UP42KP laptop is likely the Ryzen AI 7 350. The manufacturer's description matches the rumored specifications of this chip, which include four Zen 5 cores, four Zen 5c cores, an integrated GPU with eight RDNA 3.5 compute units, and an XDNA 2 NPU capable of 40 TOPs - meeting the threshold required for Copilot. With a TDP ranging from 15W to 54W, the 14-inch 1080p laptop supports DDR5-5600 RAM, 16 PCIe lanes, Wi-Fi 6, HDMI 2.1, and USB 4. It also supports Windows Hello via an IR camera with a privacy shutter. While the release date and pricing details remain unclear, AMD aims for Krackan Point devices to retail for under $800. The Ryzen AI 7 350 is the most powerful Krackan Point APU announced so far, but a lower-tier version - the AI 5 340 - was spotted on Geekbench last November. This cheaper variant will maintain the AI 7 350's NPU performance but feature three Zen 5 cores, three Zen 5c cores, and a Radeon 840M iGPU with four RDNA 3.5 CUs. Krackan Point sits just below Strix Point in AMD's Zen 5 lineup. Since its debut late last year, Strix Point APUs, such as the Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, have started appearing in the latest handheld gaming PCs. Lenovo is expected to unveil a device featuring the Z2 Extreme variant at CES. Ryzen AI Max, featuring up to 16 Zen 5 cores and 40 RDNA 3.5 CUs, is the next step up. A benchmark of an engineering sample was recently spotted running on an upcoming high-end 2-in-1 notebook from Asus. Users are also eagerly awaiting the launch of AMD's Fire Range, the company's most powerful Zen 5 laptop processors. A recent Geekbench AI test suggests they will debut in Asus' 2025 ROG Strix G-series laptops. In the desktop sector, AMD is also set to unveil new Ryzen 9000 X3D CPUs this month. TechSpot recently named last year's 9800X3D the best gaming CPU, and it has outpaced all of its non-X3D counterparts in sales at Mindfactory. The new ECS Krackan Point laptop will be accompanied by a new Snapdragon X Plus notebook, a mini PC, and new Intel motherboards.

ECS Confirms AMD Krackan Point For"UP42KP" Laptop, Featuring 8 Zen 5/Zen 5c Cores & RDNA 3.5 iGPU

The ECS UP42KP is going to be powered by an 8-core AMD Krackan Point APU, bringing an NPU performance of over 40 TOPS. ECS UP42KP to Use AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 "Krackan Point" APU, Targeted at Mainstream Laptop Market AMD's Zen 5-based affordable 'Krackan Point' launch is around the corner. We have seen these SKUs in recent weeks, mostly on Geekbench, featuring up to 8 cores and 16 threads configuration. As per the latest official reports, it looks like the AMD Krackan Point is going to launch alongside other AMD hardware. ECS, the company that manufactures laptops and other PC hardware, will be bringing AMD Krackan Point-powered laptops at CES 2025. In a recent post, ECS announced that it will bring new motherboards as well as laptops at CES 2025. These motherboards will be Intel's Z890 and B760 series motherboards for Intel's Arrow Lake and Intel's 12th/13th/14th gen CPUs respectively. On the other hand, for laptops, ECS will announce two editions: the ECS UP42KP and UP42PW. The latter is based on the Snapdragon X Plus processor, but the UP42KP will be powered by the AMD Krackan Point 8-core APU. The only 8-core Krackan Point APU we know of is the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, which we saw on PassMark roughly two weeks ago. It will feature two core clusters: 4x Zen 5 + 4x Zen 5c with hyperthreading enabled. There is another variant, called Ryzen AI 5 340, which will be a 6-core CPU and will be available in lower-end laptops. The iGPU will be based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, similar to the Strix Point and Strix Halo, but won't be as strong as either of these. This is because Krackan Point is targeted at the affordable mid-range market rather than the premium segment. Not much is known regarding its integrated graphics, but we expect it to be decent enough for light to medium-intensive graphical workloads. The ECS UP42KP will be a 14-inch laptop that will come with DDR5 5600 MT/s memory and decent connectivity options like Wi-Fi 6 and USB4. As expected, the Krackan Point APU powering it will run in a 15W-54W TDP range, which is similar to the Strix Point APUs. It's not yet confirmed whether the Krackan Point will be powering upcoming budget gaming handhelds, but it's possible since some manufacturers like ONE-NETBOOK and even ZOTAC have started deploying premium Strix Point APUs on their handhelds. The price and availability of the ECS UP42KP are unknown but will be announced at the CES event, scheduled in Las Vegas from 7th to 10th January.

The first laptop with AMD's new Krackan Point APU with Zen 5c cores, RDNA 3.5 GPU teased

TL;DR: ECS has announced the UP42KP laptop featuring AMD's unreleased Krackan Point APU with Zen 5c CPU cores, RDNA 3.5 GPU cores, and an NPU with over 40 TOPS for AI tasks. The 14-inch laptop supports DDR5-5600 memory, Wi-Fi 6, USB4, and operates at 15W-54W TDP. It will be unveiled at CES 2025. ECS has just announced its new UP42KP laptop featuring an unreleased AMD Krackan Point APU, featuring Zen 5c CPU corers, RDNA 3.5 GPU cores, and an NPU with over 40 TOPS for AI workloads. The new ECS UP42KP is based on AMD's upcoming Krackan Point APU, with 8 cores (4 x Zen 5 + 4 x Zen 5c) and Hyper-Threading enabled, which should be unveiled officially as the Ryzen AI 7 350 processor. The integrated GPU is based on the RDNA 3.5 GPU architecture, which is similar to the RDNA 3.5-based CPU inside of Strix Point and the upcoming Strix Halo APU, just nowhere near as powerful with fewer GPU cores. The new 14-inch laptop will feature DDR5-5600 memory, Wi-Fi 6, and USB4 connectivity, with the Krackan Point APU running at between 15W and 54W TDP, similar to Strix Point APUs. We should expect the full unveiling of both AMD's new Krackan Point APUs and ECS's new UP42KP laptop at CES 2025 next week. The ECS UP42KP is a 14-inch laptop that leverages the cutting-edge AMD Krackan processor platform, featuring 8 Zen 5(c) CPU cores, RDNA 3.5 integrated graphics, and NPU capabilities exceeding 40 TOPS. Targeted at the mainstream mid-range market, it operates within a TDP range of 15W to 54W and supports DDR5-5600 memory along with 16 PCIe lanes, ensuring enhanced performance and scalability. UP42KP is equipped with advanced connectivity options, such as Wi-Fi 6 and USB 4.0, ensuring seamless and high-speed connections. It also includes an IR camera for secure Windows Hello authentication, a backlit keyboard for enhanced usability in low-light conditions, HDMI 2.1 for superior display connectivity, and a built-in camera shutter for privacy protection. Despite its extensive feature set, the device maintains a sleek, slim profile at just 16.9mm thick, complemented by a Full HD display for a sharp and vibrant visual experience.