> They very much are in the same space.
I would place the Asus a peg above the Framework in both CPU and GPU. It also has a bit higher memory bandwidth. All in all, it's pretty close, but what really sets it apart from anything else that size is the network connectivity: one 10Gbe port and a pair of X7 connectors intended for clustering.
> Apple shipping 6x TB5 ports on the new M3 Ultra is a beautiful example of what life should be like.
AMD is well positioned to build specialized products if this niche proves profitable. I can easily imagine them making cut down versions of their MI300A with varying numbers of CPU and GPU tiles.
What I dislike about this is the size. They could make it a bit larger, which would, unavoidably, make it quieter as well.
I'm very Team Red (AMD) but I dig & respect the 4x 40Gbps USB ports here. Its not popular but it is a good way to attach pretty fast storage. Also the 200Gbps connect-x7 is just awesome. Users can add what they will to Strix Halo, but it's neat seeing good connectivity on chip.
I hope AMD can get better about USB4 & Thunderbolt 4. It really feels like it should be part of their APUs. Apple shipping 6x TB5 ports on the new M3 Ultra is a beautiful example of what life should be like.