In a recent Youtube video from HighYield, it was revealed that the design of the APU used in the Steam Deck LCD version contains unused parts with more cores than necessary. It is speculated that the same APU was also used in the Magic Leap 2 AR glasses, which makes use of these additional cores. The Steam Deck APU used in the OLED version is believed to be specifically designed for the Steam Deck platform and does not include these unused cores. The video provides detailed pictures of the APU, showcasing its CPU, GPU, and mysterious undocumented parts. The differences between the LCD and OLED versions are also discussed, suggesting that the OLED version is a more customized chip for the Steam Deck. The article concludes with comments from HN users hypothesizing that Magic Leap may have paid for the design of the chip but did not utilize it in large quantities, while Valve opted for a more cost-effective solution initially but is now producing a custom chip for the Steam Deck.
https://boilingsteam.com/an-in-depth-look-at-the-steam-deck-apu/.