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The photographed chip is not from the Steam Deck OLED. It is the 7nm AMD APU inside the original LCD Steam Deck, publicly known as Van Gogh and codenamed Aerith by Valve. High-resolution die photography reveals its four Zen 2 CPU cores, eight RDNA 2 graphics compute units, memory interfaces, cache and I/O—and a large unexplained region that may be computer-vision hardware related to the AMD silicon used in Magic Leap 2.
The images, published in coverage from December 2023, do not prove that the Steam Deck contains an unlockable hidden processor. They offer something more interesting: a rare look at how a supposedly custom handheld APU can combine Valve-specific optimization with reusable AMD silicon.
What was photographed?
These are not ordinary motherboard or teardown photographs. Semiconductor photographer Fritzchens Fritz photographed the exposed silicon die from an original LCD Steam Deck motherboard. Preparing a chip for this kind of imaging requires opening the package and sacrificing the chip or assembly.
Semiconductor-analysis YouTuber High Yield supplied the motherboard context and interpreted the die layout. The resulting images make the chip’s physical floorplan visible in a way that ordinary product specifications cannot.
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The original reporting appeared on December 28, 2023, with related technical coverage published by Tom’s Hardware on December 27. It is therefore best understood as a 2023 die-analysis story—not a newly announced Steam Deck feature or a 2026 product development.
First, identify the Steam Deck model correctly
The die shots show the APU used in the original LCD-generation Steam Deck. They do not show the later Steam Deck OLED chip.
| Steam Deck version | Process | Chip name | CPU and GPU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original LCD model | 7nm | AMD Van Gogh / Valve Aerith | 4 Zen 2 cores; 8 RDNA 2 compute units |
| OLED model | 6nm | Sephiroth | 4 Zen 2 cores; 8 RDNA 2 compute units |
Valve’s LCD specifications describe a four-core, eight-thread Zen 2 CPU running from 2.4 to 3.5 GHz, paired with eight RDNA 2 compute units running at up to 1.6 GHz. The APU operates in a 4–15W power range and shares 16GB of LPDDR5 memory running at 5500 MT/s across four 32-bit channels.
The OLED model retains the same broad CPU and GPU configuration, but Valve lists its APU as 6nm and its LPDDR5 memory as 6400 MT/s. The process and platform revisions improve efficiency; they do not represent a sudden doubling of CPU or graphics resources.
What does “custom AMD APU” mean?
Valve describes the Steam Deck’s processor as a custom AMD APU created for handheld gaming. That does not necessarily mean every transistor was designed exclusively for Valve, or that no block originated in a broader AMD platform.
An APU combines CPU cores, graphics, memory controllers, display engines, multimedia functions, I/O and power-management circuitry on one piece of silicon. For Valve, customization can include the chosen CPU and GPU configuration, memory interface, power targets, firmware, packaging, validation and the way the chip is integrated into SteamOS and the handheld’s thermal design.
The die evidence suggests a more precise description: Aerith is a semi-custom AMD design optimized for Valve’s product, but it may also contain reusable or application-specific logic intended for another product category. That is very different from calling it an off-the-shelf laptop Ryzen processor. The Steam Deck APU is not a retail mobile CPU simply dropped into a handheld.
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Reading the die: what the photographs show
A die photograph is a physical image, while the labels placed over it are analytical interpretations based on repeated layout patterns, known AMD intellectual property and comparisons with related chips. The photographs therefore provide strong visual evidence of major structures, but they are not an official AMD floorplan that identifies every transistor.
CPU complex
Four Zen 2 CPU cores are visible in one portion of the die, along with their individual L2 cache areas. A shared 4MB L3 cache sits nearby. The repeated, regular shapes of the CPU cores make them among the easier structures to recognize.
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- SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based)
- 512GB NVMe SSD, 16GB LPDDR5 on-board RAM (5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels), microSD UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC
- 6 nm AMD APU, CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32
Graphics complex
The graphics portion contains eight RDNA 2 compute units. In the physical layout, these are represented as four workgroup processors, or WGPs, with each WGP containing two compute units. Surrounding GPU logic handles functions such as scheduling, cache and graphics data movement rather than shader execution alone.
Memory interfaces
The LPDDR5 interfaces occupy visible edge regions where the APU connects to the handheld’s memory package or board wiring. High-speed memory connections require substantial physical circuitry, and they help explain why a modern APU’s die area cannot be judged by counting only CPU cores and graphics units.
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Display engines, USB connectivity, multimedia blocks, external-I/O circuitry, power management and other supporting logic fill much of the remaining silicon. These areas are less visually familiar than CPU or GPU cores, but they are essential to a self-contained handheld platform.
Tom’s Hardware reported an estimated total Van Gogh die area of approximately 162 mm². Its rough die-shot estimates assigned about 9% to LPDDR5 memory buses, 12% to CPU cores and 11% to GPU cores. Those figures are estimates from the analysis, not AMD-published floorplanning data.
This is why the execution units occupy less of the die than a casual glance might suggest. A handheld APU needs memory, cache, media, display, I/O, power and control logic around the CPU and GPU.
The unexplained region: roughly 13% of the die
The most intriguing part of the analysis is a large region—estimated at roughly 13% of the Aerith/Van Gogh die—that does not correspond neatly to the normal Steam Deck feature list.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteHigh Yield argued that the region appears to contain repeated processing elements and local cache-like structures. Its organization resembles computer-vision hardware associated with AMD’s Mero platform, used in Magic Leap 2.
The reasoning proceeds in several steps:
- Magic Leap 2 uses an AMD APU called Mero.
- Published descriptions give Mero four Zen 2 CPU cores and eight RDNA 2 compute units—the same broad CPU/GPU configuration as the Steam Deck APU.
- The Steam Deck die contains a sizable block not readily explained by its advertised gaming functions.
- Magic Leap 2 documentation discusses a 14-core computer-vision processing engine.
- The unexplained region appears consistent with additional computer-vision processing hardware.
From those similarities, High Yield proposed that Van Gogh and Mero may be substantially the same underlying silicon, configured or marketed differently for different products. That is an informed die-analysis hypothesis, not an AMD-confirmed statement that the two chips are identical.
What “same chip” does—and does not—mean
Two chips having four Zen 2 cores and eight RDNA 2 compute units does not prove that their entire dies are identical. They could share a base design while differing in enabled blocks, firmware, interconnect configuration, power behavior, packaging or validation.
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The strongest responsible reading is that the physical layout and published specifications point to a close relationship between the Steam Deck’s Aerith/Van Gogh silicon and Magic Leap 2’s Mero platform. The evidence does not establish that every feature, revision or transistor is the same.
Why would a gaming handheld contain computer-vision silicon?
Computer-vision hardware makes obvious sense in augmented-reality glasses. Such a device may need to interpret cameras, track movement, map surroundings and understand the wearer’s environment while operating within strict power and thermal limits.
Those workloads are not central to the Steam Deck. The handheld needs graphics rendering, display output, audio, storage and conventional system I/O, but it does not need Magic Leap’s dedicated environment-tracking pipeline for its advertised functions.
That makes AMD’s possible reuse of the silicon strategically plausible. Designing a modern APU is expensive, and a common base can serve different customers when the performance, power and software requirements are compatible. A block that is valuable in an AR product may simply remain unused in a gaming handheld.
Is the suspected computer-vision hardware active in Steam Deck?
There is no verified public method for ordinary Steam Deck owners to activate or use it. The responsible distinction is between several different states:
- Physically present: a structure appears to exist in the die photograph.
- Electrically enabled: the circuitry may or may not be powered and connected.
- Exposed to firmware: the system firmware may or may not know how to initialize it.
- Supported by drivers: SteamOS and AMD software may lack the necessary interfaces.
- Usable by owners: an end user would need a documented, functioning software and hardware path.
Tom’s Hardware noted uncertainty over whether the suspected block was permanently disabled in hardware or merely turned off through firmware. A die image cannot answer that question by itself. Even if the logic is not fused off, reverse-engineering its interfaces and creating reliable drivers would be a substantial undertaking.
So this discovery should not be described as a hidden AI or AR processor waiting to be unlocked. It does not establish an upgrade path, a secret performance mode or a practical feature for current owners.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the smaller OLED APU matters
Valve’s OLED model uses the 6nm Sephiroth APU rather than the original LCD model’s 7nm Aerith chip. Valve confirms the process change and the preserved four-core Zen 2/eight-CU RDNA 2 configuration, but it does not publish a complete public Sephiroth die map or confirm which individual blocks were removed.
Contemporary die-analysis coverage reported that Sephiroth is approximately 20% smaller than Aerith. A 6nm process can provide higher logic density than the 7nm-class process used for the original chip, so some reduction is expected. However, the process improvement alone may not fully explain the reported difference.
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- Valve is entering the gaming console marketplace with the new Steam Deck, a console geared towards PC gamers. The Steam Deck can be docked to a monitor, and used as a PC, or docked to a TV.
- Players can play a huge variety of games at any time with the comfort of a console and the freedom of a PC. Not anti-glare screen.
- Like the name suggests, the Steam Deck will include upgraded 1TB storage, and will include a carrying case. A micro SD slot will also enable expanded storage.
- Valve partnered with AMD to create a specialized APU optimized for handheld gaming, and Valve says the chip will deliver performance to run AAA gaming titles.
- The Steam Deck is outfitted with a 7-inch touchscreen, and two trackpads under the control sticks that allow gamers to operate games never designed outside of mouse and keyboard capabilities.
Removing or substantially altering a large block that was unnecessary for Steam Deck would be a plausible additional explanation. In that reading, the OLED chip is not merely a denser copy of the old die: it may also be a more focused implementation for Valve’s handheld.
That remains an inference. Valve and AMD have not publicly confirmed that the suspected computer-vision region was removed from Sephiroth, nor that it accounts for a specific percentage of the size reduction.
What this changes for performance
Nothing directly. The die shots do not alter the LCD Deck’s published specifications: four Zen 2 cores, eight RDNA 2 compute units, LPDDR5 memory and a 4–15W APU power envelope.
The finding matters for understanding:
- how AMD amortizes the cost of complex chip development;
- how semi-custom silicon can serve more than one market;
- why CPU and GPU blocks are only part of an APU’s area;
- how process shrinks and block changes can work together;
- why a product can be custom-optimized without being exclusive to one customer.
It is technically significant, but it is not evidence of a secret Steam Deck capability or an imminent next-generation Valve handheld.
Confirmed, likely and unknown
| Status | What the evidence supports |
|---|---|
| Confirmed | The photographed die belongs to the original 7nm LCD Steam Deck platform; Valve specifies four Zen 2 cores, eight RDNA 2 CUs, LPDDR5 memory and a 4–15W APU range. |
| Strongly supported by the images | The die contains recognizable CPU, cache, GPU, memory-interface and I/O regions. |
| Analytical hypothesis | A roughly 13% unexplained region resembles computer-vision hardware associated with Magic Leap 2’s Mero platform. |
| Unknown | Whether Van Gogh and Mero are literally identical, whether the suspected block is fused off or firmware-disabled, and whether it was removed from the OLED’s Sephiroth die. |
Why the images are important
The value of these die shots is not that they reveal a button combination for extra performance. They show the physical consequences of modern semi-custom design.
Valve needed an efficient handheld gaming APU, while AMD could draw on a larger family of technologies and platform requirements. The resulting chip appears to have been tailored to Valve’s power, memory and graphics needs while potentially retaining silicon intended for a different workload. The OLED revision then moved to 6nm, increased memory speed and may have become physically leaner as well as more efficient.
That combination—customization layered onto reusable silicon—is common-sense semiconductor economics, but rarely visible to consumers. Fritzchens Fritz’s photography and High Yield’s interpretation make that normally hidden design compromise unusually clear.
For the full contemporary narrative, see HotHardware’s die-shot coverage and Tom’s Hardware’s technical analysis. Valve’s official specifications are available for the original Steam Deck, the OLED model and Valve’s hardware overview.
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