AMD Radeon 8040S

The AMD Radeon 8040S is an integrated graphics processor built on the Strix Halo chip, employing the RDNA 3.5 architecture and fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. With a die size of 308 mm², it was released on January 5, 2025, and holds a 50th percentile position among all GPUs in the database, placing it exactly at the median of the performance distribution. As an IGP with a 55 W power envelope and a slot width of IGP, it targets portable devices, as indicated by its display outputs being portable device dependent. The production status is Active, and it succeeds the Polaris Mobile predecessor, marking a generational shift to the Navi Mobile (RX 8000M) line.

Memory Subsystem

The Radeon 8040S does not feature dedicated VRAM. Instead, its memory size, type, and bus width are all designated as "System Shared," meaning the GPU draws from the host system's main memory. Consequently, memory bandwidth is explicitly listed as "System Dependent." This architecture has profound implications for high-resolution gaming. Because the GPU competes with the CPU for the same memory bus, performance at elevated resolutions, such as 1440p or 4K, will be heavily constrained by the speed and capacity of the installed system RAM. The lack of dedicated video memory means that texture loading and frame buffer operations rely entirely on system memory latency and throughput. For users, this translates to a scenario where the GPU's raw compute capabilities, which are modest, are further bottlenecked by memory subsystem variability. The PCIe 5.0 x16 bus interface provides a high-bandwidth link to the CPU and memory, but the ultimate performance ceiling remains tied to the system's memory configuration. In practical terms, the shared memory design makes the 8040S best suited for 1080p gaming or lighter workloads, where memory pressure is less severe. At higher resolutions, the system dependent bandwidth will likely become the limiting factor, causing frame rates to drop more sharply than on a discrete GPU with dedicated VRAM. The absence of a dedicated memory bus width figure in the specifications reinforces that the 8040S is entirely reliant on the host platform, meaning two systems with identical GPUs could see measurably different performance solely based on their memory modules. This dependency is a critical consideration for anyone planning to push the GPU beyond standard 1080p resolutions, as the shared memory pool will inevitably become a bottleneck for high-resolution textures and large frame buffers.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The Radeon 8040S is equipped with 16 ray tracing cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing. This is a notable inclusion for an integrated part, as it allows the GPU to handle modern ray-traced effects without relying solely on compute shaders. The API support is comprehensive: it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. DirectX 12 Ultimate ensures compatibility with the latest DirectX 12 features, including ray tracing and variable rate shading, while Vulkan 1.4 offers cross-platform support for modern game engines. The presence of these APIs means the 8040S can run titles that leverage advanced graphics features, but the actual ray tracing performance will be limited by the GPU's overall throughput and the shared memory bottleneck. The 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units define the traditional rasterization pipeline. The pixel rate of 89.60 GPixel/s and texture rate of 179.2 GTexel/s provide a baseline for fill-rate performance, which is modest by discrete GPU standards but reasonable for an integrated solution. The 16 RT cores, while present, will deliver playable ray tracing only at lower resolutions and settings, given the power and memory constraints. The lack of a listed tensor core count means that any AI-accelerated features are not specified in the database, and the GPU must rely on its general-purpose compute units for such tasks. The 2:1 FP16 ratio, offering 11.47 TFLOPS against 5.734 TFLOPS FP32, does provide headroom for mixed-precision workloads, which can be leveraged in certain rendering techniques that use half-precision arithmetic.

Who Should Consider It

Benchmark results indicate that the Radeon 8040S occupies the 50th percentile of all GPUs, placing it in the middle of the performance spectrum. This suggests it is not a high-end part, but it is also not an entry-level one. For gamers, this translates to a GPU that can comfortably handle 1080p gaming at medium to high settings in many titles, provided the system memory is sufficiently fast. The 5.734 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and the 89.60 GPixel/s pixel rate are indicative of a part that can manage modern game engines at standard resolutions. However, the system dependent memory bandwidth is a critical caveat. Users with slower or lower-capacity system RAM will see performance degrade disproportionately, especially in texture-heavy scenes. The 8040S is best suited for users in portable devices, such as compact laptops or handhelds, where a discrete GPU is not feasible. Its 55 W TDP and IGP slot width make it an efficient choice for battery-powered systems. For those aiming to play at 1440p or higher, the shared memory architecture will likely prove insufficient, as the bandwidth and capacity constraints will cause stuttering and reduced frame rates. The 50th percentile ranking suggests it is a balanced mid-range option, but the lack of dedicated VRAM means it should be considered primarily for 1080p gaming and productivity tasks rather than high-resolution gaming. The boost clock of 2800 MHz, compared to a base clock of 1295 MHz, indicates a wide dynamic range that can help maintain performance under varying thermal conditions, which is particularly relevant in thin-and-light chassis where cooling is limited.

How It Compares

The database lists no nearest rivals for the AMD Radeon 8040S, meaning a direct head-to-head comparison against specific competitor products cannot be drawn from the available data. Instead, its position is defined by the 50th percentile vs all GPUs, which places it exactly at the median of the performance distribution. This is a neutral standing, it is neither a top-tier performer nor a low-end part. Without rival scores or deltaPct values, any attempt to position it against a named competitor would be speculative. The predecessor, Polaris Mobile, indicates a generational progression, but the 8040S represents a significant architectural shift to RDNA 3.5 and a 4 nm process. The absence of rival data means that users must rely on the GPU's own specifications and percentile ranking to gauge its relative performance. In the broader market, a 50th percentile score suggests that half of all GPUs are faster and half are slower, making it a typical mid-range offering. This is consistent with its integrated nature and 55 W power envelope, which inherently limits its performance compared to larger discrete parts. The 308 mm² die size, while large for an integrated solution, reflects the complexity of the Strix Halo chip, but the power ceiling of 55 W prevents it from competing with high-end discrete GPUs that have access to dedicated memory and higher thermal budgets.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark section for the Radeon 8040S is empty, with an average benchmark score of 0, meaning no aggregated benchmark results are available in the database. Consequently, the analysis must rely on theoretical throughput figures and the percentile ranking. The GPU delivers 5.734 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 11.47 TFLOPS of FP16 compute at a 2:1 ratio, indicating that half-precision operations are processed at twice the rate of single-precision. The texture rate of 179.2 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 89.60 GPixel/s are derived from the 64 TMUs and 32 ROPs, respectively, operating at the boost clock of 2800 MHz. The base clock is 1295 MHz, and the boost clock is 2800 MHz, providing a substantial dynamic range. These figures place the 8040S in a mid-range category, consistent with its 50th percentile standing. The 1024 shading units are the primary compute resource, and the 16 RT cores add dedicated ray tracing hardware. Without benchmark scores, it is impossible to provide precise percentage deltas against rivals, but the theoretical peak rates suggest that the 8040S will handle 1080p gaming with ease, while 1440p will be challenging due to the shared memory bandwidth. The 11.47 TFLOPS FP16 capability is useful for compute workloads that leverage half precision, such as certain machine learning inference tasks, though no tensor cores are listed. Overall, the performance profile is that of a capable integrated GPU, best suited for mainstream gaming and everyday computing in portable form factors. The pixel rate of 89.60 GPixel/s, when combined with the 32 ROPs, indicates a fill-rate that can support moderate resolutions, but the system dependent bandwidth will ultimately govern real-world frame delivery. The 55 W TDP is a defining constraint, ensuring that the GPU operates within a power envelope suitable for portable devices, but it also caps the sustained clock speeds and thus the achievable performance in prolonged gaming sessions.