RDNA 3.5 hardware support in Linux: current state and near future

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The arrival of AMD's new APUs with integrated RDNA 3.5 graphics has put Linux in the spotlight for many users wondering if the penguin's operating system is truly ready to take full advantage of this hardware from day one. Between early firmware updates, kernel improvements, and advancements in the open-source graphics stack, things are far more interesting than they might initially seem.

Meanwhile, manufacturers like Lenovo, with their ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, are serving as the perfect testing ground to measure how these iGPUs perform against Windows 11 with AMD's proprietary drivers. Added to this is a steady stream of patches for the AMDGPU and AMDKFD drivers , the arrival of new IP blocks like GFX 11.5.3, and key adjustments to the display subsystem. All of this suggests that RDNA 3.5 hardware support in Linux is no longer an experiment, but a very serious commitment.

Current state of RDNA 3.5 support on Linux

To understand where we've come from and where we're going, it's worth reviewing how support for RDNA 3.5 iGPUs in Linux has been consolidated at various levels: firmware, kernel, and user graphics layer. AMD has changed its approach compared to previous generations, making moves before the products are fully released (see the history between Intel and AMD ).

In recent days, AMD has updated the linux-firmware.git repository with the firmware blobs necessary for the new RDNA 3.5-based integrated GPUs to function correctly on Linux. Without these files, the open-source drivers included with the kernel cannot initialize the hardware, effectively rendering the GPU useless or severely limited.

What's striking is that, this time, AMD has decided to release the firmware well in advance of the commercial launch of the new APUs. Traditionally, these packages arrived at the same time as, or even after, the products became available for purchase, leaving Linux users in a kind of limbo for weeks or months.

With this more proactive approach, distributions can package the RDNA 3.5 firmware into their images before the hardware even reaches stores en masse. This translates to almost immediate support: you install a recent distro, boot up, and the system immediately recognizes and utilizes the integrated GPU without any fuss.

In parallel, the Linux kernel has been incorporating constant improvements to the AMDGPU driver in kernel space , which is the foundation upon which user-space drivers like RadeonSI (for OpenGL) and RADV (for Vulkan) rely. These changes not only enable the new hardware but also refine performance, power management, and stability.

RDNA 3.5 APUs and IP blocks: what's being prepared

Among the firmwares released by AMD, the file corresponding to the GFX 11.5.3 graphics block stands out , a new revision of the RDNA 3.5 architecture that points to products not yet officially announced, but which are already being discussed in leaks and industry rumors.

So far, AMD has been distributing the GFX versions for RDNA 3.5 as follows: GFX 11.5.0 in the Ryzen AI 300 “Strix Point” , GFX 11.5.1 in the Ryzen AI Max 300 “Strix Halo” variants, and GFX 11.5.2 in the Ryzen AI 350 “Kraken Point”. Each number identifies a specific IP block within the RDNA 3.5 family.

The appearance of GFX 11.5.3 in the firmware repository suggests the imminent arrival of a new APU known internally as "Gorgon Point ," which, according to leaks, would form the basis of a future Ryzen 9000G series for desktops with Zen 5 and enhanced RDNA 3.5 graphics. AMD uses this IP block numbering to differentiate variants, making it difficult to determine the exact chip corresponding to each version simply by looking at the code.

The published package is not limited to the pure graphics section; it also includes other essential hardware components such as PSP 14.0.5 (Security Platform) , SDMA 6.1.3 (Direct Memory Access Control) and, very importantly, new versions of the Display Core Next video subsystem.

At this point, the arrival of DCN 3.6 for some RDNA 3.5 variants stands out , whereas until now the known implementations had remained at DCN 3.5 and 3.5.1. This version jump opens the door to improvements related to video output: greater compatibility with high resolutions, high refresh rates, and more complex multi-monitor configurations.

For end users, this set of firmwares means that when these new RDNA 3.5 APUs and possible desktop derivatives hit the market, Linux will already have the basic building blocks needed for the system to boot with functional and stable graphics support from day one.

Improvements to AMDGPU and AMDKFD for the next kernel

Beyond firmware updates, AMD is feeding the DRM-Next queue with a fairly large package of changes for its AMDGPU (graphics) and AMDKFD (computing) drivers that will be integrated into the next major kernel cycle, expected around Linux 6.20 or a possible jump to the 7.0 branch.

In terms of graphics, the patches enable new graphics IPs associated with RDNA 3.5 and also provide preliminary support for RDNA4-based hardware GFX12.1. While the latter is still far from being available to the average user, it makes it clear that Linux support is progressing almost in parallel with AMD's internal hardware development.

In other words, even if a user can't install an RDNA4 GPU in their computer tomorrow, the kernel is already incorporating specific code and paths for future generations . This way, when the product is commercially released, the support base will already be quite mature, and there won't be a need to start from scratch.

Along with the future IPs comes a good handful of internal adjustments: new updates to the SMU 15 (System Management Unit) system management, which controls aspects such as frequencies, voltages and power states, plus fixes for previous versions of SMU 14.x present in pre-RDNA 3.5 generations.

Also included are fixes related to SR-IOV (GPU virtualization) , improvements to the UserQ queue, a restructuring of the SMU mailbox handling, and adjustments to the MES micro-engine scheduler. From the outside, these may sound like minor details, but these kinds of changes make all the difference in stability and sustained performance in the medium term.

Meanwhile, the AMDKFD compute driver also receives a number of fixes . These include a memory leak correction and specific solutions for systems that don't use 4K kernel pages, such as certain ARM64 servers that work with 64K pages when running compute workloads with Instinct or Radeon hardware.

Key updates in video output and HDMI

Among these improvements, there's a fairly tangible patch for desktop users that affects the AMDGPU driver's display subsystem. It's an update to the HDMI code to allow frequencies up to 340 MHz when the monitor and adapter configuration support it.

Until now, the controller was limited to a pixel clock speed of around 165 MHz per HDMI port , a legacy figure that had become outdated and, in fact, didn't even comply with the HDMI 1.3 specification, which allows up to 340 MHz. This limitation primarily affected those using DP-HDMI adapters (dongles) to connect demanding displays.

With the new patch, configurations based on RDNA 3.5 and later versions will be able to enable higher resolutions or refresh rates via HDMI, provided both the monitor and adapter support it. It doesn't work miracles—the physical hardware still dictates the performance—but it eliminates an artificial bottleneck on the software side.

This improvement coincides with the introduction of DCN 3.6 in some RDNA 3.5 variants , which reinforces support for modern video outputs, something fundamental in ultralight laptops or compact workstations that depend on one or two ports for everything.

For the Linux environment, where many users work with high-resolution monitors and multi-monitor setups , these changes mean the graphics stack has fewer unpleasant "surprises": less flickering, fewer absurd limitations, and an experience more in line with what is achieved in Windows with proprietary drivers.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 as a test bench

A very illustrative case of the current state of RDNA 3.5 support in Linux is the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 , a business laptop that has arrived at the testing labs with one of the new Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 processors and Radeon 880M integrated graphics based on RDNA 3.5.

This device combines a lightweight design with a fairly capable RDNA 3.5 iGPU , making it a perfect test platform for comparing native graphics performance in Linux versus Windows 11 and for evaluating solutions such as external graphics cards for laptops.

This device combines a lightweight design with a fairly capable RDNA 3.5 iGPU , making it a perfect test platform for comparing native graphics performance on Linux versus Windows 11. The idea isn't so much to measure FPS in games via Proton, but rather to see how much AMD's open-source stack has matured compared to proprietary drivers.

Software configuration in Windows 11 and Ubuntu 25.04

On the Windows 11 side, the test environment is based on a fully updated system with the latest security and performance patches. This is complemented by drivers from the AMD Radeon Software suite, which typically include GPU-specific optimizations and robust support for DirectX, Vulkan, and OpenGL.

This environment makes use of native application execution , without the need for translation layers such as Proton, DXVK or similar, so that the performance of the Radeon 880M is measured directly on the Microsoft platform, without compatibility interference.

In the Ubuntu 25.04 beta version, the system is configured with a Linux 6.14 kernel that incorporates the latest features and patches for Strix Point APUs and other RDNA 3.5 variants. This kernel works in conjunction with the integrated AMDGPU driver, which is responsible for communicating directly with the hardware.

Mesa 25.0, the open-source 3D driver implementation that includes RadeonSI for OpenGL and RADV for Vulkan, sits atop the kernel . This combination of kernel drivers and user drivers is what allows RDNA 3.5 hardware to be fully utilized with open libraries.

Ubuntu also forgoes any compatibility layers like DXVK, VKD3D, or Proton . Tests are run using native tools to ensure the fairest possible comparison with Windows 11, focusing on the raw performance of the drivers and not on any API translators.

Benchmark methodology and tools used

To analyze the behavior of the Radeon 880M under RDNA 3.5 in both systems, a battery of varied and relatively well-known benchmarks is used , with the aim of covering both classic graphics performance and the computing capabilities of the iGPU.

Among the tools used are Geekbench 6 in its GPU section , capable of measuring general computing tasks and graphics operations; GFXBench 5.0 in its OpenGL and Vulkan modes, which offers complex scenes to test different rendering paths; and glmark2, a Linux classic for stressing the OpenGL stack with synthetic scenes.

This list is complemented by benchmarks such as Basemark GPU and Unigine Superposition , used in different configurations (for example, 720p in Low and Medium qualities) to observe the behavior in scenarios more similar to real-world use of heavy 3D applications.

In addition to public tools, internal benchmarks designed to stress shaders and compute loads are used , which helps to better measure the efficiency of the iGPU in parallel tasks, filtering, or basic physics simulations that are becoming common in modern workflows.

The test suite always focuses on native workloads, avoiding mixing translation technologies that could skew the comparison. The main objective is to see how far the RDNA 3.5 driver stack on Linux performs on its own compared to the combination of Windows 11 and proprietary drivers.

Results in OpenGL, Vulkan and synthetic tests

In the realm of OpenGL and Vulkan, tests with GFXBench and glmark2 place Ubuntu 25.04 in a fairly competitive position compared to Windows 11. Where a few years ago Linux always lagged far behind, now the difference has been greatly reduced and even reversed in some scenarios.

In GLMark2, for example, scenes with high particle usage and complex shaders show that Ubuntu can outperform Windows 11 by around 12%, thanks to ongoing work on RadeonSI within Mesa. This translates into a very smooth desktop and 3D application experience.

In GFXBench 5.0 under Vulkan, the results are closer: RADV holds its own against AMD's proprietary driver for Windows, with minor differences that, in many cases, are imperceptible in everyday use. This clearly demonstrates that the open-source Vulkan driver has matured considerably.

When it comes to Unigine Superposition, a particularly demanding test, Windows 11 maintains a slight advantage of between 5 and 7% on average . Even so, the gap is much smaller than in previous generations, where open-source drivers were clearly lagging behind.

In the realm of computing, with benchmarks like Geekbench GPU and internal tests, Ubuntu 25.04 even surpasses Windows 11 in several parallel processing tasks . The combination of improvements to ROCm, Vulkan Compute support in RADV, and the optimization of the AMDGPU stack makes Linux shine precisely in computationally intensive workloads.

Linux vs. Windows in RDNA 3.5 graphics performance

Taking all the information from these tests into account, the general feeling is that Linux has come very close to matching Windows' performance on RDNA 3.5 iGPUs , and in some scenarios even surpasses it. It doesn't always win, but it's no longer playing in a clearly inferior league as it was a few years ago.

Key factors include the combination of kernel 6.14 with a highly refined AMDGPU , the jump to Mesa 25.0 with continuous improvements to RadeonSI and RADV, and AMD's ongoing effort to keep submitting code and revisions on time for each kernel merge window.

For those using the laptop with native workloads—development, light editing, 3D applications, office applications with multiple connected screens—the experience on Ubuntu 25.04 based on RDNA 3.5 is perfectly viable and, in many cases, very robust . The system doesn't require additional proprietary drivers to deliver competitive performance.

This also translates into greater peace of mind in the medium term: the improvements that are being made to the kernel and Mesa are applied transparently to the entire range of supported hardware , so it is expected that, as the 6.xo series progresses to a future 7.0, RDNA 3.5 users will continue to see small gains and fixes without needing to reinstall everything.

At the same time, the early release of firmware and support for IP blocks like GFX 11.5.3 and DCN 3.6 indicate that the next leap in AMD APUs and GPUs will arrive on Linux with the groundwork laid: fewer surprises, fewer emergency patches, and more functionality active from the first boot.

The landscape of RDNA 3.5 hardware support in Linux is now much more mature and attractive for those who want to combine a modern computer with an open operating system, whether for daily work, development, accelerated computing or demanding multimedia use without depending on closed drivers.