A spec sheet for Project Helix, the next Xbox console, has started circulating among hardware leakers. It lists an 11-core AMD CPU, RDNA 5 graphics, a 110 TOPS neural processing unit and two memory configurations, with the top model at up to $1,500. Russian hardware site GameGPU published the full list on October 24, drawing on discussion in hardware forums. Microsoft hasn’t commented, and none of the numbers below are official.
The rumored spec sheet
- CPU: 11 cores, split into three high-clock Zen 6 cores and eight compact Zen 6c cores, with roughly 80% higher IPC than the Zen 2 chip in Xbox Series X. The leak puts total CPU performance at more than three times Series X.
- GPU: RDNA 5, up to 72 compute units, with a larger L2 cache and hardware data compression.
- NPU: 110 TOPS, said to match the unit in AMD’s upcoming Medusa Premium laptop chips.
- Memory: 24GB or 36GB of GDDR7. The base model reportedly uses 2GB chips in a clamshell layout.
- Disc drive: included only on the 36GB model.
- Price: $1,000 to $1,200 for the base model and up to $1,500 for the 36GB model with the drive, with meaningful price cuts not expected before 2029.
The NPU is the oddest line. According to the leak, it has no dedicated memory channels and shares bandwidth with the GPU and CPU, so it would mostly handle background work such as speech recognition and on-device assistants, not in-game rendering.
Official vs. rumored
| Xbox (official) | Leak (unconfirmed) | |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Custom AMD SoC | Zen 6 + Zen 6c CPU, RDNA 5 GPU |
| CPU | Not announced | 11 cores (3 + 8) |
| GPU | “Order of magnitude leap” in ray tracing | Up to 72 CUs |
| AI hardware | “Integrates intelligence” into the graphics pipeline | 110 TOPS NPU |
| Memory | Not announced | 24GB or 36GB GDDR7 |
| Price | Not announced | $1,000 to $1,500 |
| Timing | Alpha dev kits from 2027 | Not covered |
Everything Xbox has confirmed comes from Jason Ronald’s March 11 Xbox Wire post, written after his GDC talk. He described Helix as running on a custom AMD chip co-designed for the next versions of DirectX and FSR, able to play Xbox console and PC games, and backward compatible with four generations of Xbox. Alpha hardware goes to developers starting in 2027. That post gives no CPU, GPU, memory or price figures.
How it fits the price reports
The leak lands a little under the figure Fortune reported last week. As we covered on October 20, Fortune said Helix had been internally projected at $1,200 to $1,800 unless Microsoft subsidizes it, with a launch by holiday 2028. The two ranges overlap at $1,200 to $1,500. Neither one has been confirmed, and Microsoft has two years to change its mind.
The memory split is the most useful detail if it holds. A $1,000-plus base model without a disc drive would be a hard sell for anyone with a physical Series X library. A 36GB model with a drive at $1,500 would cost more than most gaming PCs people actually buy. Treat the core counts as plausible and the prices as a moving target until Xbox shows the hardware.
Edited by Kerwin Stewart, Editor-in-Chief · How we report
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