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AMD Ryzen AI Halo – $4k AI Dev Kit

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Re: AMD Ryzen AI Halo – $4k AI Dev Kit

#171

Post by cyberax »

kamranjon wrote: post #2

In case it saves anyone some time (from the article): "The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395(Strix Halo) processor has been available since Spring 2025 and the Halo doesn’t offer anything new on that front." It has the same 256 GB/s memory bandwidth limit as every board previously, not sure why this is even being released right now as if it's some new fangled thing - you can go get a Framework Desktop for roughly the same price…

If you're not space-constrained, why go with a Framework Desktop? Just get a normal tower or a server rack computer.

Re: AMD Ryzen AI Halo – $4k AI Dev Kit

#172

Post by Rzor »

onraglanroad wrote: post #138

I think I might be tempted to wait for the Butlerian market crash and pick up stuff from the firesale. Depends how long this market can remain utterly loony though.

>Depends how long this market can remain utterly loony though.

Probably way, way longer than we'd ideally like. Every now and then, you hear that this is the new normal, that it'll last until 2032 or something, and I can practically smell the paid advertising or cult-like messaging behind attempts to destroy any speck of hope consumers have so they'll just pay the toll. But man, it really could be exactly that. There's just too much money to be made for all the involved parties.

Re: AMD Ryzen AI Halo – $4k AI Dev Kit

#173

Post by ahmadyan »

c7b wrote: post #131
ahmadyan wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He is making things up. It is the same bandwidth as DGX Spark (256 GB/s vs 273 GB/s) and far behind M3 Ultra (~819 GB/s)

You're the one making things up. An M3 Ultra with 128GB RAM doesn't exist, the M3 Max has 410GB/s bandwidth [0]. I was of course talking about the M4 Max with 546GB/s, which was closer to twice the price of a Strix Halo mini PC in a typical configuration when it was still available. And memory bandwidth isn't everything, NVidia's lead in software is substantial, look up any tests comparing them side-by-side. [0] http…

Google is your friend: https://www.apple.com/mac-studio/specs/

Apple M3 Ultra chip 819GB/s memory bandwidth

They have 96, 128, 256, and 512GB variants my friend.

Re: AMD Ryzen AI Halo – $4k AI Dev Kit

#174

Post by hahahaa »

sarjann wrote: post #99
Tenoke wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I looked for one and it's impossible to find, let alone at a reasonable price + it does suffer from being harder to train/use less common models and workflows (e.g. arbitrary comfyui ones). Spark at least doesnt have that drawback, while AMD has both drawbacks. Waiting for the market to be less insane is somewhat akin to waiting for the s&p500 to drop a decent amount so you can buy in.

No, equities naturally trend up with economic growth. RAM is up because of a supply shock, as new capacity comes on prices will drop, it’s a commodity.

If it flys, floats or FLOPs it is better to rent.

Re: AMD Ryzen AI Halo – $4k AI Dev Kit

#175

Post by [deleted] »

ahmadyan wrote: post #173
c7b wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're the one making things up. An M3 Ultra with 128GB RAM doesn't exist, the M3 Max has 410GB/s bandwidth [0]. I was of course talking about the M4 Max with 546GB/s, which was closer to twice the price of a Strix Halo mini PC in a typical configuration when it was still available. And memory bandwidth isn't everything, NVidia's lead in software is substantial, look up any tests comparing them side-by-side. [0] http…

Google is your friend: https://www.apple.com/mac-studio/specs/ Apple M3 Ultra chip 819GB/s memory bandwidth They have 96, 128, 256, and 512GB variants my friend.

[deleted]

Re: AMD Ryzen AI Halo – $4k AI Dev Kit

#177

Post by actionfromafar »

c7b wrote: post #131
ahmadyan wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He is making things up. It is the same bandwidth as DGX Spark (256 GB/s vs 273 GB/s) and far behind M3 Ultra (~819 GB/s)

You're the one making things up. An M3 Ultra with 128GB RAM doesn't exist, the M3 Max has 410GB/s bandwidth [0]. I was of course talking about the M4 Max with 546GB/s, which was closer to twice the price of a Strix Halo mini PC in a typical configuration when it was still available. And memory bandwidth isn't everything, NVidia's lead in software is substantial, look up any tests comparing them side-by-side. [0] http…

Well, some exist, but I guess they don't make any new ones for now.

Re: AMD Ryzen AI Halo – $4k AI Dev Kit

#178

Post by flakiness »

bigyabai wrote: post #64
kcb wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ability to run any OS is a pretty nice benefit versus the spark.

As far as I know, you can use other OSes once the Spark's firmware is updated with LVFS. You'll need a custom-built distro image, but that goes for like 90% of ARM hardware on Linux.

> that goes for like 90% of ARM hardware on Linux.

And that's where AMD CPU shines vs ARM.

Re: AMD Ryzen AI Halo – $4k AI Dev Kit

#179

Post by smcleod »

kamranjon wrote: post #2

In case it saves anyone some time (from the article): "The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395(Strix Halo) processor has been available since Spring 2025 and the Halo doesn’t offer anything new on that front." It has the same 256 GB/s memory bandwidth limit as every board previously, not sure why this is even being released right now as if it's some new fangled thing - you can go get a Framework Desktop for roughly the same price…

Yeah the 256GB/s bandwidth is really very limiting

Re: AMD Ryzen AI Halo – $4k AI Dev Kit

#180

Post by qingcharles »

cowmix wrote: post #148
ekholm_e wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. I bought Framework Desktop in November 2025 with almost these exact specs for ~$2.5k

I got the EVO-X2 for $1,599! In 44+ years of buying computers, I've seen some appreciation, but nothing like this. Going from $1,599 to ~$3,500 in a year is just insane.

I've never seen appreciation in buying PCs. They were always like cars, once you drive them off the lot...
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