The Soyo S9 AI showed unusually capable 1080p gaming for an integrated-GPU mini PC—but it was a prototype preview, not a finished retail review. ETA Prime tested the system ahead of its expected 2024 release, reporting 60–78 frames per second in several demanding games. Those results used low-to-medium settings, AMD FSR, resolution scaling and, in some cases, frame generation, so they demonstrate the platform’s potential rather than guarantee retail performance.
The original report appeared on Tom’s Hardware on August 23, 2024. It described unfinished hardware, including a nonfunctional front USB-C port and an apparently unusable M.2 slot.
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What was actually reviewed?
The computer was the Soyo S9 AI, a compact mini PC built around AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. ETA Prime tested a pre-release prototype supplied ahead of the expected launch, while Tom’s Hardware summarized the video and its results.
That distinction matters. Prototype firmware, BIOS settings, drivers, cooling, power limits, memory configuration and port functionality can change before retail release. A prototype with unfinished I/O is useful evidence of what the design may achieve, but it is not enough to establish reliability, sustained performance, noise levels or value.
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There was also no confirmed retail price or precise launch date at the time. Mid-October 2024 was described as an expected launch period, not a firm availability date.
Why the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 mattered
The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 combines 12 CPU cores—four Zen 5 cores and eight denser Zen 5c cores—with Radeon 890M integrated graphics. The GPU uses AMD’s RDNA 3.5 architecture and has 16 compute units, up from the 12 compute units in the preceding graphics design discussed in the report.
There was no discrete graphics card in the Soyo system. Its appeal therefore came from combining modern CPU performance with a substantially more capable integrated GPU in a small, low-power enclosure. As with all integrated graphics, the Radeon 890M uses system memory, making memory bandwidth, capacity and the machine’s power limits important to real-world gaming.
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Reported gaming results
The following figures came from ETA Prime’s prototype testing, as reported by Tom’s Hardware. They are not independently reproduced benchmarks.
| Game | Reported settings | Average result |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 1080p, Low, FSR Balanced | 74 FPS |
| Starfield | 1080p, Low, 50% resolution scaling, frame generation | 78 FPS |
| Hogwarts Legacy | 1080p, Low, FSR Balanced | 72 FPS |
| Mortal Kombat 1 | 1080p, Medium, FSR Balanced | 60 FPS |
| Horizon Forbidden West | 1080p, Low, frame generation | 60–70 FPS |
| Ghost of Tsushima | 1080p, Medium, FSR 3.1 Balanced, frame generation | 62–73 FPS |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 1080p, Low, FSR Balanced | 76 FPS |
These are encouraging numbers for an integrated GPU. They do not mean the S9 AI rendered every game natively at 1080p on high settings.
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Why the FPS figures need context
FSR upscaling renders the game internally at a lower resolution and reconstructs an output image at the selected display resolution. Thus, a “1080p” result may not represent native 1920×1080 rendering.
Resolution scaling can reduce the internal workload even further. In Starfield, the reported test used 50% resolution scaling as well as frame generation.
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Frame generation creates additional displayed frames from rendered frames. That can make the FPS counter substantially higher, but it does not provide the same improvement as increasing the base-rendered frame rate. Input responsiveness, image quality and artifacting can differ from a conventional 60 FPS presentation.
The report also did not establish 1% lows, frame-time consistency, input latency, temperatures, fan noise, power consumption or performance after a long gaming session. Average FPS alone cannot show whether a game stutters, suffers shader-compilation pauses or throttles once the small chassis heats up.
Prototype hardware and expandability
The reported configuration used soldered LPDDR5X memory, with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities expected. Because the memory was soldered to the motherboard, buyers were not expected to be able to upgrade it later. The 16GB version could be particularly restrictive when gaming while running browsers, launchers or other applications, since the integrated GPU shares system memory with the CPU.
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Three M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 slots were reported, but one was not functioning on the prototype. “Three slots” should therefore be treated as a reported prototype specification, not a guarantee that a final unit has three usable, equally fast storage positions.
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- Front: two USB-A ports and one USB-C port.
- Rear: two HDMI ports, Ethernet, two USB-A ports and one USB-C port.
The front USB-C port did not work during testing. USB4 support for the rear USB-C port could not be confirmed. The presence of USB-C alone does not establish USB4, high-speed storage support, display capabilities or compatibility with every external GPU enclosure.
Was the Soyo S9 AI available to buy?
At the time of the report, Soyo had not announced final pricing or a confirmed release date. The company was reportedly considering the price and had asked ETA Prime’s audience what they might pay, while mid-October 2024 was mentioned as an expected launch window.
This should not be mistaken for a confirmed launch. As of the August 2026 information available for this article, a current official Soyo product page, verified retail listing, final specification sheet, price or production-unit review had not been established. Treat the S9 AI primarily as historical launch-period coverage unless a legitimate current listing can be independently verified.
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The S9 AI’s intended appeal was clear: a small machine capable of modern CPU-heavy work, emulation, media playback, general productivity and tuned 1080p gaming without a discrete GPU.
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It could have suited buyers who value a compact, cable-light system and are comfortable adjusting graphics settings. The reported multiple NVMe slots could also have appealed to users needing more storage than typical mini PCs provide.
Who should be cautious?
- Gamers seeking high settings at 1440p or consistent desktop-class performance.
- Users who need replaceable RAM.
- Buyers requiring a discrete GPU for demanding creative or compute workloads.
- Anyone who needs confirmed USB4, fully working storage expansion or mature firmware.
- Buyers unwilling to accept unknown cooling, noise and sustained-load behavior.
A final retail decision would need to verify the power limit, cooling system, memory speed and capacity, usable M.2 slots, display outputs, USB4 support, networking, included SSD and warranty. Price comparisons should include RAM, storage, the operating system and power adapter rather than comparing barebones figures alone.
What did the “[Update]” mean?
Tom’s Hardware updated the report on August 25, 2024, at 11:50 a.m. PT to correct attribution for the testing. The update did not indicate new Soyo firmware, revised hardware, new benchmark data or a retail launch.
Verdict
The Soyo S9 AI prototype was an important demonstration of how far integrated graphics had advanced. At the tested settings, the Radeon 890M delivered impressive 1080p results in several demanding games, especially for a machine with no discrete GPU.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallBut the evidence established potential, not a final buying recommendation. The results relied on upscaling and sometimes frame generation, lacked sustained-performance and latency data, and came from hardware with unresolved ports and storage functionality. Anyone considering the S9 AI should wait for verified retail specifications, pricing and independent production-unit testing before buying.
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