Here’s a strange bit of news: AMD is now selling custom 4700S CPUs— the ones found in the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X — as a part of ITX desktop kits. We’re talking about the same chip with its integrated GPU disabled. These peculiar 4700S-based ITX kits from AMD were already available in China for a while, but now they have been brought over to Western markets as well.

“AMD 4700S Desktop Kit is its own unique solution, designed to address the desire for robust, high-core count performance in the mainstream market – ideal for multitasking, productivity, and light 3D workflows,” as per the official announcement.

We’re talking about an 8-core, 16-thread Zen 2-based CPU that’s been heavily modified (for better and worse). Its integrated graphics card has been disabled, which means you’ll have to use the onboard (and rather outdated) PCIe Gen 2 x4 slot. Unfortunately, given its meager bandwidth, the highest is a Radeon RX 590 or GeForce GTX 1060, two fairly old albeit still sufficiently powerful graphics cards that will still get the job done if you’re looking to game at 1080p. 

Ports-wise, we’re not going to get anything overly impressive: an ethernet (RJ45) port, three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, one USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 port, four USB 2.0 ports, three audio jacks, along with two onboard SATA connectors. Standard fare, pretty much, and certainly void of any “frills” and nice-to-haves we’ve all become accustomed to. 

While this might seem like a strange call from AMD, there’s a very logical explanation: these SoCs are being repurposed. They didn’t deliver the kind of performance necessary to be implemented in a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, so they’re being tweaked and tuned and sold as PC components.

To learn more about chip binning, make sure to read TechSpot’s phenomenal explainer. This is required reading for anyone looking to understand better the market and the direction in which the whole industry is headed. It applies not only to consoles and PCs but to mobile phones and tablets as well. The means and production methods are extremely similar (if not the same) across the board, which is why the ongoing semiconductor shortages have affected the industry as a whole rather than any specific segment of the market.

The first batch of these 4700S-based ITX desktop kits released on June 24, so if you’re into these obscure, miniature PCs, you have something to look forward to!