artificial intelligence processor installed in the latest laptop chip is deemed unnecessary
In the year 2025, gaming and computing have reached new heights, but not without controversy. Wes Fenlon, a seasoned games and hardware journalist with over a decade of experience, has taken it upon himself to voice his grievances in a special edition of Gripes Week. One of his primary concerns is the inclusion of Neural Processing Units (NPUs) in modern Accelerated Processing Units (APUs).
The author, who is currently running Linux on a Framework 13 laptop, finds himself frustrated with the NPU in his Arrow Lake CPU. The space dedicated to this feature remains unused on his laptop, and he expects it to remain that way until it gets replaced. Similarly, AMD's Ryzen AI chips, such as the "Strix Point" processors, include an NPU, but the author questions its necessity.
The main issue with NPUs, as Fenlon points out, is that most current software and workloads do not effectively utilise them. This leaves the dedicated silicon idle, providing no tangible benefits to users in everyday scenarios. Instead, Fenlon argues, this space could have been used for additional CPU or GPU cores or more cache, which could deliver clearer and more immediate performance gains.
More CPU cores can improve multitasking and general compute throughput, while extra GPU cores enhance graphics and parallel compute performance, especially in gaming or GPU-accelerated tasks. Increasing cache size can reduce memory bottlenecks and improve latency, aiding overall performance. However, integrating more cache is complicated by layout constraints since cache must be physically close to cores and memory controllers, making it challenging in compact designs.
The main technical bottleneck limiting the benefit of adding GPU cores or cache in some modern APUs is memory bandwidth. Even chips with many GPU cores can be limited by the available memory bandwidth, which means raw core count or cache increases may not scale performance proportionally. Wider memory interfaces or dedicated on-chip caches (Infinity Cache-style) would be needed to unlock the potential of additional compute units.
Despite these concerns, experts like Nick Evanson, PC Gamer's resident silicon whisperer, explain that the chip's limited memory bandwidth prevents the space from being used for more GPU cores. AMD, Intel, and Microsoft, on the other hand, seem to believe that NPUs are here to stay. The author, however, doubts he'll ever have a real use for an NPU until it can do the same work as the tensor cores in GPUs used for DLSS/FSR.
The author also suggests a complete rejig of the layout could allow for more CPU and GPU cache, which would help with performance. As he waits for AMD to announce Zen 5 chips and Framework to release a new motherboard for a new laptop, he can't help but wish the space devoted to the NPU could have been used for additional CPU or GPU cores or more cache.
In the meantime, Fenlon offers a list of recommended laptops for gaming and computing, including the Razer Blade 16 (2025), Gigabyte G6X, Razer Blade 14 (2025), MSI Vector 16 HX AI, Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10, and Gigabyte Aorus 17X. These laptops, while not free of the NPU dilemma, provide a solid foundation for gaming and computing needs in 2025.
[1] Evanson, N. (2025). The State of Modern APUs: A Silicon Whisperer's Perspective. PC Gamer. [2] Fenlon, W. (2025). The AI PC: A New Era of Computing or a Waste of Space? PC Gamer. [3] Fenlon, W. (2025). Gripes Week: The NPU Dilemma in Modern APUs. PC Gamer. [4] Fenlon, W. (2025). Recommended Gaming and Computing Laptops for 2025. PC Gamer. [5] Fenlon, W. (2025). AI's Impact on Journalism and the Internet. PC Gamer.
- Wes Fenlon, in his special edition of Gripes Week, questions the necessity of Neural Processing Units (NPUs) in modern Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), given that most current software and workloads don't effectively utilize them.
- The author, a seasoned games and hardware journalist, finds the space dedicated to NPU in his Arrow Lake CPU on his Framework 13 laptop unused and doubts its utility until it gets replaced.
- Fenlon argues that the space dedicated to NPUs could have been used for additional CPU or GPU cores or more cache, which could deliver immediate performance gains.
- Nick Evanson, PC Gamer's resident silicon whisperer, explains that the chip's limited memory bandwidth prevents the space from being used for more GPU cores, but AMD, Intel, and Microsoft seem to believe that NPUs are here to stay.
- Despite his concerns about NPUs, Fenlon offers a list of recommended gaming and computing laptops for 2025, including the Razer Blade 16, Gigabyte G6X, and MSI Vector 16 HX AI, acknowledging that these laptops, while not free of the NPU dilemma, provide a solid foundation for gaming and computing needs.
