A massive leak has seemingly laid bare the technological heart of Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, codenamed "Magnus." In a comprehensive new video, the popular YouTube channel Moore’s Law Is Dead has consolidated earlier fragments of data with fresh details, painting a picture of a console so powerful it could not only outperform the anticipated PlayStation 6 but also blur the line between console and high-end gaming PC.
The leak, sourced from the channel's well-connected host Tom, suggests that Microsoft and chip partner AMD are engineering a beast of an APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) designed to deliver a generational leap in performance. If the specifications hold true, the gaming landscape of 2027 and beyond could look very different.
The Magnus APU: A Colossal Dual-Chiplet Design
At the core of the next Xbox is the Magnus APU, a sophisticated piece of silicon that marks a significant departure from current console designs. According to the report, it’s a dual-chiplet design, meaning it unites two separate dies using advanced bridge packaging.
- SoC Die (144 mm²): Fabricated on TSMC’s cutting-edge N3P (3 nm) process, this die houses the CPU cores, the NPU (Neural Processing Unit), and the main I/O components.
- GPU Die (264 mm²): Likely produced on TSMC’s N3C or N3P node, this larger die contains the GPU logic and an additional memory controller.
Combined, these chiplets form a substantial 408 mm² of 3 nm silicon, making Magnus the largest console APU ever created. Tom explains that this modular approach allows AMD to share GPU chiplets between its future RDNA 5 desktop graphics cards and the console platform, unifying development pipelines and reducing engineering costs.
Decoding the Power: RDNA 5 GPU and Hybrid Zen 6 CPU
The leaked specifications for the individual components are where the "Magnus" truly earns its name.
The GPU: RDNA 5 with an Asymmetric Twist
The graphics portion is built on AMD’s future RDNA 5 architecture and is configured with 70 compute units, with 68 expected to be enabled in the final retail unit. These are distributed across four shader engines in a deliberately "lopsided" layout—three engines with 18 CUs each and one with 16 CUs.
This asymmetric design, reportedly discussed by AMD at the Hot Chips symposium, is a key innovation. It allows RDNA 4 and 5 to efficiently share memory across uneven shader clusters without incurring a performance penalty. The GPU also boasts a massive 24 MB of L2 cache—about five times that of the current Xbox Series X—which, paired with next-gen GDDR7 memory, is set to dramatically improve frame stability and ray-tracing performance.
The CPU: A Hybrid Gaming-Focused Powerhouse
On the processor side, Magnus is said to feature a hybrid configuration that mirrors modern PC architectures:
- 3 High-Performance Zen 6 Cores: Clocked potentially close to a staggering 6 GHz, these cores are designed to handle the primary threads of demanding games.
- 8 Zen 6C Efficiency Cores: These cores will manage background tasks and operating system functions, ensuring maximum resources are dedicated to gameplay.
This 11-core setup shares a 12 MB L3 cache, a figure that may seem modest but is argued to be intentionally optimized for the specific workloads of gaming.
Memory, AI, and the Big Questions: Power and Price
The APU is expected to connect to a 192-bit GDDR7 memory interface, allowing for configurations of up to 48 GB of unified memory. The leak suggests a dynamic allocation where 16 GB is dedicated to VRAM and 32 GB serves as system memory. Tom stresses that anything below 40 GB could limit the console's longevity in future game development cycles.
The onboard NPU is rated for up to 110 TOPS of AI compute, making it fully capable of supporting advanced features like Windows Copilot and in-game AI acceleration.
However, this immense power comes with significant trade-offs. Power consumption is estimated to be between 250 and 350 Watts, which might necessitate a bulky three-prong power cord reminiscent of the PlayStation 3. More consequentially, the advanced chiplets, packaging, and components could push the retail price into the $1,000 to $1,500 range, a stratospheric figure for a console but potentially competitive with high-end prebuilt gaming PCs.
For a deep dive into all the technical nuances and the source of this leak, check out the full episode of Broken Silicon below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK2b2n_-YN8
Magnus vs. The Competition: A Glimpse into the Next Generation
The leak doesn't exist in a vacuum, and Tom provides compelling comparisons to the rumoured competition.
Performance vs. PS6 "Orion"
Based on paper specifications, the Magnus APU is projected to outperform Sony's PlayStation 6 Orion by around 15-30%, a figure that could stretch to 35% with higher clock speeds and faster memory. Microsoft's internal target is reportedly 4K 144 Hz gaming, compared to Sony's goal of 4K 120 Hz, underscoring a push for a more PC-like experience.
Ray-Tracing: Can RDNA 5 Beat Nvidia Blackwell?
When a viewer asked if RDNA 5 could surpass Nvidia's upcoming Blackwell architecture in ray-tracing, Tom was confident: "Yes, of course... My AMD sources have said since 2022 that RDNA 5 is where AMD goes for ray tracing. RDNA 4 wasn't even the real attempt; they were just playing catch-up."
Feature Parity with PS6
Another key question was whether Magnus would adopt unique PS6 features, such as Sony's rumoured universal compression tool. Tom believes feature parity is very likely, stating, "I’d assume most features in the PS6 will be in Magnus... The difference was that Mark Cerny designed a better house with the same Lego bricks." He credits Sony's hardware team for its bespoke designs but notes both companies are working from a similar AMD foundation.
The Final Verdict: A "Bridge Generation"
Tom concludes that for the high-risk, high-reward "Magnus" project to succeed, three conditions must be met:
- Full backwards compatibility across all Xbox generations.
- Windows-level gaming performance with SteamOS-like efficiency.
- A minimum of 48 GB of GDDR7 memory.
If Microsoft can deliver on this vision, the next Xbox may not just be another console. It could be a "bridge generation"—a true hybrid that redefines what an Xbox is and forever changes our expectations of console gaming.
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