According to the latest update, aMD has resuscitated three mobile chips from 2019 and 2020 to ship to PC makers asking for cheaper processors for budget PCs, the publisher confirmed.
Industry observers note that it also added the Ryzen 4700LE, built on the Zen 2 (Ryzen 4000 / Renoir) architecture introduced in 2020. AMD is now offering the AMD Ryzen 3 3100U and the the Ryzen 5 3501U, based on the Zen+ (Ryzen 3000 Mobile / Picasso) architecture it launched in 2019.
Industry observers note that the reason is a simple one: not all customers can afford a fresh PC.
The report highlights that “The Ryzen 3100U and Ryzen 3501U are additional SKUs based on AMD’s existing Picasso architecture that were developed to support specific OEM requirements in the value segment,” an AMD representative said in an emailed statement.
In a fresh development, “These processors are intended to address targeted customer demand for lower-cost solutions and will be available in limited volumes through select OEMs,” the representative added.
According to the latest update, however, all three chips will certainly cost far less than the current Ryzen AI 400 series, AMD’s most recent generation of laptop processors. Because the processors are being sold directly to laptop makers, AMD didn’t disclose prices.
The report highlights that the Ryzen 3510U includes four cores and the Ryzen 4700LE includes eight. It’s unclear what memory type will accompany the fresh chips. The Ryzen 3 3100U, for example, ships with just two CPU cores and two threads and fits into the FP5 socket.
The report highlights that in my own tests of a seven-year-old PC, the differences in performance between the older PC and a fresh one were significant in some cases, such as decompressing a compressed file. But performing other tasks differed in just a few tenths of a second. Intel, too is rumored to arrival a “Raptor Lake Next” chip in 2027, pushing an older processor and the cheaper DDR4 memory in a bid to keep the PC market humming. Looking to the past can make sense as PC prices skyrocket amid chip shortages.
In a fresh development, it’s still ironic that old laptops being stored on a shelf might be the next big thing in 2026, however. It might be a cheap productivity hack, but AMD’s decision doesn’t make it a poor choice.
The report highlights that he has authored over 3,500 articles for PCWorld alone, covering PC microprocessors, peripherals, and Microsoft Windows, among other topics. Mark has written for publications including PC Magazine, Byte, eWEEK, Highly adopted Science and Electronic Buyers' News, where he shared a Jesse H. Neal Award for breaking news. He recently handed over a collection of several dozen Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs because his office simply has no more room. Mark has written for PCWorld for the last decade, with 30 years of experience covering technology.