Next-Gen AMD “Magnus” console APU leaks – Zen6 and BIG GPU
AMD “Magnus” CPU leak suggests HUGE next-gen console upgrades
Moore’s Law is Dead, a popular hardware leaking YouTube channel, has unveiled an AMD-powered custom chip called “Magnus.” This custom processor is allegedly intended for a next-generation console, making it a potential CPU for a future Xbox or PlayStation system.
This custom processor reportedly features eleven Zen 6 CPU cores and a 384-bit memory controller. This CPU will feature three Zen 6 and eight Zen 6c CPU cores. With its 384-bit memory bus, this chip features a memory bus that is 50% wider than the memory bus of today’s PlayStation 5. If this chip connects to GDDR7 memory, the next generation of consoles will have much more memory bandwidth than their predecessors. Furthermore, if 2GB memory chips are used, this next-generation console will have 24GB of memory.
While this CPU’s core configuration is weird, it makes sense for a console. Gaming workloads can be highly single-threaded. As such, it makes sense to invest more silicon area to make specific cores faster. Also note that this processor’s CPU and GPU are split into separate chiplets. This moves console processor design away from the monolithic norms that we have seen for both the PS4/XB One and PS5/Xbox Series console generation.
That is probably the next-gen Xbox, the codenames that AMD uses for Playstation SoCs are from Shakespeare characters.
— Kepler (@Kepler_L2) July 18, 2025
While Moore’s Law is Dead has suggested that this chip could be a PlayStation 6 SOC, another leaker, @KeplerL2, has stated that this chip is more likely to be an Xbox processor. This is due to the chip’s lack of a Shakespearean codename, which is typical of PlayStation chip names.
Big memory investment
If this chip is real, it suggests that console manufacturers are investing heavily in memory performance. Today’s PlayStation 5 console uses a 256-bit memory bus. With a 384-bit memory bus, a next-generation console would be able to deliver 50% more memory capacity bandwidth. This is if the system uses the same memory as today’s consoles. Assuming these new consoles will utilise faster memory than the GDDR6 chips used on the PS5/Xbox Series X, we should expect a significantly more substantial memory boost than 50%. The PS5 uses 14 Gbps GDDR6 memory chips. Today’s GDDR7 memory chips can run at speeds of at least 28 Gbps.
If this console uses 2GB 28 Gbps GDDR7 memory chips, AMD’s rumoured Zen 6 “Magnus” chip will be connected to 24GB of memory. Better still, this chip will have access to 3x as much memory bandwidth as a PlayStation 5. That’s a HUGE upgrade.
You can join the discussion on AMD’s Zen 6 “Magnus” console SOC on the OC3D Forums.
