diff --git a/install.ps1 b/install.ps1
index 5d70be4b4d..bb52ba58ab 100644
--- a/install.ps1
+++ b/install.ps1
@@ -255,30 +255,53 @@ function Install-UnslothStudio {
         return $null
     }
 
-    # Map a detected HIP SDK version to Radeon's Windows torch wheels.
-    # Returns @{ Torch = ...; Torchvision = ...; Torchaudio = ... } or $null
-    # when the version is unsupported. Wheels are cp312 only.
+    # Map a ROCm release version to the full Radeon Windows wheel set.
+    # Returns @{ SdkCore, SdkDevel, SdkLibraries, SdkTarball, Torch,
+    # Torchvision, Torchaudio } or $null when unsupported. AMD's docs at
+    # rocm.docs.amd.com/projects/radeon-ryzen/.../install-pytorch.html
+    # require a two-step install: first the rocm_sdk_* wheels (~1.4 GB;
+    # ship the runtime that torch links against), then torch itself. Both
+    # are mandatory -- torch import fails with missing DLLs otherwise.
+    # Wheels are cp312 only.
     function Get-RocmWheelUrls {
         param([Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]$Version)
         $base721 = 'https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.2.1/'
         $base711 = 'https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.1.1/'
         if ($Version.Major -eq 7 -and $Version.Minor -eq 2) {
             return @{
-                Torch       = $base721 + 'torch-2.9.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
-                Torchvision = $base721 + 'torchvision-0.24.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
-                Torchaudio  = $base721 + 'torchaudio-2.9.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
+                SdkCore       = $base721 + 'rocm_sdk_core-7.2.1-py3-none-win_amd64.whl'
+                SdkDevel      = $base721 + 'rocm_sdk_devel-7.2.1-py3-none-win_amd64.whl'
+                SdkLibraries  = $base721 + 'rocm_sdk_libraries_custom-7.2.1-py3-none-win_amd64.whl'
+                SdkTarball    = $base721 + 'rocm-7.2.1.tar.gz'
+                Torch         = $base721 + 'torch-2.9.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
+                Torchvision   = $base721 + 'torchvision-0.24.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
+                Torchaudio    = $base721 + 'torchaudio-2.9.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
             }
         }
         if ($Version.Major -eq 7 -and $Version.Minor -eq 1) {
+            # 7.1.1 stamps SDK wheels with `0.1.dev0`; torch gets rocmsdk date tag.
             return @{
-                Torch       = $base711 + 'torch-2.9.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
-                Torchvision = $base711 + 'torchvision-0.24.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
-                Torchaudio  = $base711 + 'torchaudio-2.9.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
+                SdkCore       = $base711 + 'rocm_sdk_core-0.1.dev0-py3-none-win_amd64.whl'
+                SdkDevel      = $base711 + 'rocm_sdk_devel-0.1.dev0-py3-none-win_amd64.whl'
+                SdkLibraries  = $base711 + 'rocm_sdk_libraries_custom-0.1.dev0-py3-none-win_amd64.whl'
+                SdkTarball    = $base711 + 'rocm-0.1.dev0.tar.gz'
+                Torch         = $base711 + 'torch-2.9.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
+                Torchvision   = $base711 + 'torchvision-0.24.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
+                Torchaudio    = $base711 + 'torchaudio-2.9.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
             }
         }
         return $null
     }
 
+    # Default Windows ROCm release when HIP_PATH is absent. HIP_PATH is an
+    # optional hint, NOT a prerequisite -- regular torch users only need
+    # an AMD graphics driver (26.2.2+ for 7.2.1) and Python 3.12. PyTorch
+    # does not publish Windows ROCm wheels on download.pytorch.org (see
+    # the "ROCm is not available on Windows" note on pytorch.org), so
+    # repo.radeon.com is the only source until pytorch/pytorch#159520
+    # lands upstream Windows ROCm hosting in a future release.
+    $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion = @{ Major = 7; Minor = 2 }
+
     function New-StudioShortcuts {
         param(
             [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$UnslothExePath
@@ -646,9 +669,12 @@ shell.Run cmd, 0, False
     # users with both cards get the NVIDIA torch path they expect.
     if ($HasNvidiaSmi) { $HasAmdGpu = $false }
 
-    # Resolve HIP SDK when we are taking the AMD path. We still probe here
-    # even when $HasAmdGpu is $false so the status line is informative on
-    # mixed NVIDIA+AMD hosts.
+    # Probe HIP SDK as an OPTIONAL version hint. The HIP SDK developer
+    # toolkit is NOT a prerequisite for running torch on Windows -- AMD's
+    # install docs only require the graphics driver (26.2.2+ for 7.2.1)
+    # and Python 3.12. We use $HipSdkVersion when present to select a
+    # matching ROCm wheel release; otherwise we fall back to the newest
+    # stable release ($DefaultWindowsRocmVersion).
     $HipSdkVersion = $null
     if ($HasAmdGpu) {
         $HipSdkVersion = Get-HipSdkVersion
@@ -658,11 +684,11 @@ shell.Run cmd, 0, False
         step "gpu" "NVIDIA GPU detected"
     } elseif ($HasAmdGpu) {
         if ($HipSdkVersion) {
-            step "gpu" ("AMD GPU detected (HIP SDK {0}.{1})" -f $HipSdkVersion.Major, $HipSdkVersion.Minor)
+            step "gpu" ("AMD GPU detected (HIP SDK {0}.{1} hint)" -f $HipSdkVersion.Major, $HipSdkVersion.Minor)
         } else {
-            step "gpu" "AMD GPU detected (HIP SDK missing)" "Yellow"
-            substep "Install HIP SDK from https://www.amd.com/en/developer/resources/rocm-hub/hip-sdk.html" "Yellow"
-            substep "and re-run this installer." "Yellow"
+            step "gpu" ("AMD GPU detected (will use rocm-rel-{0}.{1}.x)" -f $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion.Major, $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion.Minor)
+            substep "HIP SDK not found (optional). Ensure AMD graphics driver is up to date:" "DarkGray"
+            substep "https://www.amd.com/en/support/download/drivers.html" "DarkGray"
         }
     } else {
         step "gpu" "none (chat-only / GGUF)" "Yellow"
@@ -925,12 +951,26 @@ shell.Run cmd, 0, False
 
     # The AMD/ROCm path does not use a --index-url; instead it installs
     # explicit wheel URLs from repo.radeon.com. $TorchIndexUrl stays $null
-    # on that branch so the NVIDIA/CPU path is visibly bypassed.
+    # on that branch so the NVIDIA/CPU path is visibly bypassed. HIP_PATH
+    # is a hint only -- we fall back to $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion when
+    # it is absent or points at an unsupported version, because the HIP
+    # SDK is NOT a runtime prerequisite for torch on Windows.
     $TorchIndexUrl = $null
     $RocmWheelUrls = $null
+    $RocmReleaseVersion = $null
     if ($HasAmdGpu) {
         if ($HipSdkVersion) {
             $RocmWheelUrls = Get-RocmWheelUrls -Version $HipSdkVersion
+            if ($RocmWheelUrls) {
+                $RocmReleaseVersion = $HipSdkVersion
+            }
+        }
+        if (-not $RocmWheelUrls) {
+            if ($HipSdkVersion) {
+                substep ("HIP SDK {0}.{1} is too old; falling back to rocm-rel-{2}.{3}.x" -f $HipSdkVersion.Major, $HipSdkVersion.Minor, $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion.Major, $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion.Minor) "Yellow"
+            }
+            $RocmWheelUrls = Get-RocmWheelUrls -Version $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion
+            $RocmReleaseVersion = $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion
         }
     } else {
         $TorchIndexUrl = Get-TorchIndexUrl
@@ -1008,26 +1048,57 @@ shell.Run cmd, 0, False
         if ($SkipTorch) {
             substep "skipping PyTorch (--no-torch flag set)." "Yellow"
         } elseif (-not $RocmWheelUrls) {
-            if (-not $HipSdkVersion) {
-                Write-Host "[ERROR] AMD GPU detected but HIP SDK is not installed." -ForegroundColor Red
-                Write-Host "        Download it from https://www.amd.com/en/developer/resources/rocm-hub/hip-sdk.html" -ForegroundColor Yellow
-                Write-Host "        and re-run this installer." -ForegroundColor Yellow
-            } else {
-                Write-Host "[ERROR] AMD HIP SDK $($HipSdkVersion.Major).$($HipSdkVersion.Minor) detected." -ForegroundColor Red
-                Write-Host "        Unsloth requires HIP SDK 7.1 or later on Windows. Please update from" -ForegroundColor Yellow
-                Write-Host "        https://www.amd.com/en/developer/resources/rocm-hub/hip-sdk.html" -ForegroundColor Yellow
-            }
+            # Should be unreachable because the detection block above
+            # always falls back to $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion, but guard
+            # anyway so a future refactor that drops the fallback does
+            # not install CPU torch on an AMD host.
+            Write-Host "[ERROR] Could not resolve Windows ROCm wheel URLs." -ForegroundColor Red
+            Write-Host "        This is a bug; please file it at github.com/unslothai/unsloth/issues" -ForegroundColor Yellow
             return
         } else {
-            substep "installing PyTorch ROCm wheels from repo.radeon.com..."
-            substep "(first wheel is ~780 MB; download may take a few minutes)"
+            # Verify the venv's Python is 3.12 -- Radeon's wheels are cp312
+            # only and pip would fail with a confusing error otherwise.
+            $venvPyVer = ''
+            try {
+                $venvPyVer = (& $VenvPython -c "import sys; print(f'{sys.version_info.major}.{sys.version_info.minor}')" 2>$null | Out-String).Trim()
+            } catch {}
+            if ($venvPyVer -and $venvPyVer -ne "3.12") {
+                Write-Host "[ERROR] Radeon Windows ROCm wheels require Python 3.12 (venv has $venvPyVer)." -ForegroundColor Red
+                Write-Host "        Install Python 3.12 from https://www.python.org/downloads/ and re-run." -ForegroundColor Yellow
+                return
+            }
+
+            substep ("installing Radeon ROCm wheels for rocm-rel-{0}.{1}.x ..." -f $RocmReleaseVersion.Major, $RocmReleaseVersion.Minor)
+            substep "Step 1/2: ROCm SDK runtime (~1.4 GB -- this will take a while)"
+            # Use python -m pip (NOT uv) because (a) AMD's documented
+            # procedure uses pip, (b) uv has known wheel-corruption issues
+            # on these big ROCm/bnb wheels (unslothai/unsloth#4966), and
+            # (c) pip's dep resolver is the combination AMD validates. We
+            # install all four SDK artefacts in one command so pip does
+            # not reset torch between them.
+            $sdkInstallExit = Invoke-InstallCommand {
+                & $VenvPython -m pip install --no-cache-dir --force-reinstall `
+                    $RocmWheelUrls.SdkCore `
+                    $RocmWheelUrls.SdkDevel `
+                    $RocmWheelUrls.SdkLibraries `
+                    $RocmWheelUrls.SdkTarball
+            }
+            if ($sdkInstallExit -ne 0) {
+                Write-Host "[ERROR] Failed to install ROCm SDK wheels (exit code $sdkInstallExit)" -ForegroundColor Red
+                Write-Host "        Verify your AMD graphics driver is recent and repo.radeon.com is reachable." -ForegroundColor Yellow
+                return
+            }
+
+            substep "Step 2/2: PyTorch + torchvision + torchaudio (~820 MB)"
             $torchInstallExit = Invoke-InstallCommand {
-                uv pip install --python $VenvPython `
-                    $RocmWheelUrls.Torch $RocmWheelUrls.Torchvision $RocmWheelUrls.Torchaudio
+                & $VenvPython -m pip install --no-cache-dir --force-reinstall `
+                    $RocmWheelUrls.Torch `
+                    $RocmWheelUrls.Torchvision `
+                    $RocmWheelUrls.Torchaudio
             }
             if ($torchInstallExit -ne 0) {
                 Write-Host "[ERROR] Failed to install ROCm PyTorch (exit code $torchInstallExit)" -ForegroundColor Red
-                Write-Host "        Verify HIP SDK $($HipSdkVersion.Major).$($HipSdkVersion.Minor) is installed and wheels are reachable." -ForegroundColor Yellow
+                Write-Host "        Update your AMD graphics driver: https://www.amd.com/en/support/download/drivers.html" -ForegroundColor Yellow
                 return
             }
         }
diff --git a/studio/install_python_stack.py b/studio/install_python_stack.py
index 8aa050ad53..d087a4a098 100644
--- a/studio/install_python_stack.py
+++ b/studio/install_python_stack.py
@@ -43,9 +43,23 @@ _ROCM_TORCH_INDEX: dict[tuple[int, int], str] = {
 }
 _PYTORCH_WHL_BASE = "https://download.pytorch.org/whl"
 
-# Windows AMD ROCm torch wheels live at repo.radeon.com, not download.pytorch.org.
-# Keyed by HIP SDK (major, minor). Wheels are cp312 only and require the HIP SDK
-# to be pre-installed.
+# Windows AMD ROCm torch wheels live at repo.radeon.com because PyTorch
+# does NOT publish Windows ROCm wheels on download.pytorch.org (and says so
+# on pytorch.org/get-started/locally: "ROCm is not available on Windows").
+# Every wheel under download.pytorch.org/whl/rocm{6.4,7.1,7.2}/ is
+# manylinux_2_28_x86_64 only. Upstream work to ship Windows ROCm wheels is
+# tracked at pytorch/pytorch#159520, targeted for torch 2.10/2.11 but not
+# yet delivered. Until then repo.radeon.com is the only source.
+#
+# AMD's official install procedure
+# (rocm.docs.amd.com/projects/radeon-ryzen/.../install-pytorch.html) is a
+# TWO-STEP pip install:
+#   Step 1: rocm_sdk_core + rocm_sdk_devel + rocm_sdk_libraries_custom +
+#           rocm-<ver>.tar.gz. These wheels ship the ROCm runtime libraries
+#           that torch links against at import time. They total about 1.4
+#           GB. The HIP SDK developer toolkit (HIP_PATH) is NOT a substitute
+#           -- torch imports the Python-packaged runtime from rocm_sdk_*.
+#   Step 2: torch + torchvision + torchaudio. About 820 MB.
 #
 # As of 2026-04, repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/ contains four release dirs:
 #   rocm-rel-6.4.4/  -- PEP 503 simple index (torch/, torchvision/, torchaudio/
@@ -55,18 +69,38 @@ _PYTORCH_WHL_BASE = "https://download.pytorch.org/whl"
 #                       so the filename changes whenever AMD rebuilds and we
 #                       cannot hardcode a URL for it. Supporting 6.4.4 would
 #                       require parsing the PEP 503 index at install time --
-#                       out of scope here; users on that SDK get a "please
-#                       upgrade to 7.1+" error.
-#   rocm-rel-7.1.1/  -- flat layout, stable `+rocmsdk20251116` date tag.
-#   rocm-rel-7.2/    -- flat layout, stable `+rocmsdk20260116` date tag.
-#   rocm-rel-7.2.1/  -- flat layout, stable `+rocm7.2.1` version tag. Newest
-#                       7.2.x release as of writing; superset of rocm-rel-7.2.
+#                       out of scope here.
+#   rocm-rel-7.1.1/  -- flat layout, torch stable `+rocmsdk20251116` tag,
+#                       SDK wheels stamped `0.1.dev0` (pre-release marker).
+#   rocm-rel-7.2/    -- flat layout, torch stable `+rocmsdk20260116` tag.
+#   rocm-rel-7.2.1/  -- flat layout, torch stable `+rocm7.2.1` tag, SDK
+#                       wheels stamped `7.2.1`. Newest 7.2.x release as of
+#                       writing; superset of rocm-rel-7.2.
 #
-# The map below routes HIP SDK 7.2.x -> rocm-rel-7.2.1 wheels (newer, bug
-# fixes) rather than rocm-rel-7.2; torch bundles its own ROCm runtime so the
-# host SDK point version does not need to match the wheel tag exactly.
+# HIP SDK detection via HIP_PATH is an OPTIONAL version hint, not a
+# prerequisite. Users only need an AMD graphics driver (26.2.2+ for 7.2.1)
+# and Python 3.12. When HIP_PATH is absent or points at an unsupported
+# version, we default to the newest stable release (7.2.1).
 _ROCM_WINDOWS_TORCH_WHEELS: dict[tuple[int, int], dict[str, str]] = {
     (7, 2): {
+        # Step 1: ROCm SDK wheels (ship the runtime torch imports)
+        "sdk_core": (
+            "https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.2.1/"
+            "rocm_sdk_core-7.2.1-py3-none-win_amd64.whl"
+        ),
+        "sdk_devel": (
+            "https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.2.1/"
+            "rocm_sdk_devel-7.2.1-py3-none-win_amd64.whl"
+        ),
+        "sdk_libraries": (
+            "https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.2.1/"
+            "rocm_sdk_libraries_custom-7.2.1-py3-none-win_amd64.whl"
+        ),
+        "sdk_tarball": (
+            "https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.2.1/"
+            "rocm-7.2.1.tar.gz"
+        ),
+        # Step 2: torch wheels
         "torch": (
             "https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.2.1/"
             "torch-2.9.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl"
@@ -81,6 +115,25 @@ _ROCM_WINDOWS_TORCH_WHEELS: dict[tuple[int, int], dict[str, str]] = {
         ),
     },
     (7, 1): {
+        # Step 1: ROCm SDK wheels -- note 7.1.1 stamps the SDK wheels with
+        # `0.1.dev0` while keeping the torch wheels at 2.9.0.
+        "sdk_core": (
+            "https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.1.1/"
+            "rocm_sdk_core-0.1.dev0-py3-none-win_amd64.whl"
+        ),
+        "sdk_devel": (
+            "https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.1.1/"
+            "rocm_sdk_devel-0.1.dev0-py3-none-win_amd64.whl"
+        ),
+        "sdk_libraries": (
+            "https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.1.1/"
+            "rocm_sdk_libraries_custom-0.1.dev0-py3-none-win_amd64.whl"
+        ),
+        "sdk_tarball": (
+            "https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.1.1/"
+            "rocm-0.1.dev0.tar.gz"
+        ),
+        # Step 2: torch wheels
         "torch": (
             "https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.1.1/"
             "torch-2.9.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl"
@@ -95,6 +148,13 @@ _ROCM_WINDOWS_TORCH_WHEELS: dict[tuple[int, int], dict[str, str]] = {
         ),
     },
 }
+# Default Windows ROCm release when HIP_PATH is absent or unreadable. Users
+# only need a recent AMD graphics driver and Python 3.12 -- the HIP SDK
+# developer toolkit is NOT required for running torch.
+_DEFAULT_WINDOWS_ROCM_VERSION: tuple[int, int] = (7, 2)
+_AMD_RADEON_DRIVER_URL = (
+    "https://www.amd.com/en/support/download/drivers.html"
+)
 _HIP_SDK_DOWNLOAD_URL = (
     "https://www.amd.com/en/developer/resources/rocm-hub/hip-sdk.html"
 )
@@ -373,16 +433,31 @@ def _has_usable_nvidia_gpu() -> bool:
 
 
 def _ensure_rocm_torch_windows() -> None:
-    """Install Radeon's Windows ROCm torch wheels when an AMD GPU + HIP SDK
-    are both present. Called from _ensure_rocm_torch().
+    """Install Radeon's Windows ROCm SDK + torch wheels when an AMD GPU is
+    present. Called from _ensure_rocm_torch().
 
-    Silently returns when no AMD GPU is visible, so NVIDIA and CPU-only
-    Windows hosts are never touched. When an AMD GPU is present but the
-    HIP SDK is missing or too old, prints a pointer to the HIP SDK
-    download page and returns without raising -- the Linux helper has the
-    same shape. NVIDIA takes precedence on mixed AMD+NVIDIA hosts so
-    install.ps1 and setup.ps1 (which install CUDA torch in that case)
-    are not clobbered.
+    AMD's documented install procedure
+    (rocm.docs.amd.com/projects/radeon-ryzen/.../install-pytorch.html) is
+    a TWO-STEP sequence: first the rocm_sdk_* wheels (which ship the ROCm
+    runtime libraries torch links against at import time), then the torch
+    wheels themselves. Both steps are mandatory -- torch import fails
+    with missing-DLL errors without the SDK wheels, even on a host that
+    has the HIP SDK developer toolkit installed, because torch imports
+    the Python-packaged runtime.
+
+    HIP_PATH is treated as an OPTIONAL version hint, not a prerequisite.
+    Regular users only need the AMD graphics driver (26.2.2+ for 7.2.1)
+    and Python 3.12, as documented by AMD. When HIP_PATH is missing or
+    points at an unsupported version, we default to the newest stable
+    release (_DEFAULT_WINDOWS_ROCM_VERSION) rather than erroring out.
+
+    NVIDIA takes precedence on mixed AMD+NVIDIA hosts. Silently returns
+    when no AMD GPU is visible so NVIDIA and CPU-only Windows hosts are
+    never touched. Both pip installs pass force_pip=True because uv's
+    installer has known problems with these wheels -- matches the fix in
+    unslothai/unsloth#4966 for bitsandbytes on Linux ROCm, and AMD's own
+    troubleshooting notes flag pip dep-resolver overwrite scenarios on
+    this procedure.
     """
     # NVIDIA wins on mixed hosts -- matches the Linux branch and avoids
     # overwriting a freshly installed CUDA torch with ROCm wheels.
@@ -391,27 +466,6 @@ def _ensure_rocm_torch_windows() -> None:
     if not _has_rocm_gpu_windows():
         return
 
-    ver = _detect_rocm_version_windows()
-    if ver is None:
-        _safe_print(
-            _red(
-                "   AMD GPU detected but HIP SDK was not found. Install it "
-                f"from {_HIP_SDK_DOWNLOAD_URL} and re-run setup."
-            )
-        )
-        return
-
-    wheels = _ROCM_WINDOWS_TORCH_WHEELS.get(ver)
-    if wheels is None:
-        _safe_print(
-            _red(
-                f"   HIP SDK {ver[0]}.{ver[1]} detected. Unsloth on Windows "
-                f"requires HIP SDK 7.1 or 7.2. Please update from "
-                f"{_HIP_SDK_DOWNLOAD_URL}"
-            )
-        )
-        return
-
     # Radeon wheels are cp312 only. Warn (do not crash) when the venv's
     # Python is not 3.12 -- pip will fail anyway with a clearer message.
     if (sys.version_info.major, sys.version_info.minor) != (3, 12):
@@ -424,20 +478,79 @@ def _ensure_rocm_torch_windows() -> None:
         )
         return
 
+    # Prefer HIP_PATH as a version hint when available, but fall back to
+    # the newest stable release so users without the developer SDK still
+    # get a working install.
+    detected = _detect_rocm_version_windows()
+    ver: tuple[int, int]
+    using_default = False
+    if detected is not None and detected in _ROCM_WINDOWS_TORCH_WHEELS:
+        ver = detected
+    elif detected is not None:
+        # Detected but unsupported (e.g. 6.4): fall back to newest with a
+        # visible notice so the user knows what happened.
+        _safe_print(
+            _dim(
+                f"   HIP SDK {detected[0]}.{detected[1]} is too old; "
+                f"falling back to newest stable wheels "
+                f"({_DEFAULT_WINDOWS_ROCM_VERSION[0]}.{_DEFAULT_WINDOWS_ROCM_VERSION[1]})"
+            )
+        )
+        ver = _DEFAULT_WINDOWS_ROCM_VERSION
+        using_default = True
+    else:
+        ver = _DEFAULT_WINDOWS_ROCM_VERSION
+        using_default = True
+
+    wheels = _ROCM_WINDOWS_TORCH_WHEELS.get(ver)
+    if wheels is None:
+        _safe_print(
+            _red(
+                f"   No Windows ROCm wheel map for version {ver[0]}.{ver[1]}. "
+                f"Please file an issue at github.com/unslothai/unsloth/issues."
+            )
+        )
+        return
+
+    source = "default" if using_default else "HIP_PATH"
     _safe_print(
         _dim(
-            f"   HIP SDK {ver[0]}.{ver[1]} -- installing torch from "
-            f"repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/"
+            f"   Installing Radeon ROCm wheels for Windows "
+            f"(rocm-rel-{ver[0]}.{ver[1]}.x, {source}) from repo.radeon.com"
         )
     )
+    if using_default:
+        _safe_print(
+            _dim(
+                f"   Ensure your AMD graphics driver is recent; get the "
+                f"latest from {_AMD_RADEON_DRIVER_URL}"
+            )
+        )
+
+    # Step 1: ROCm SDK wheels (runtime libraries torch imports). ~1.4 GB
+    # download on a clean venv.
     pip_install(
-        f"ROCm torch (Windows, HIP SDK {ver[0]}.{ver[1]})",
+        f"ROCm SDK (Windows, {ver[0]}.{ver[1]})",
+        "--force-reinstall",
+        "--no-cache-dir",
+        wheels["sdk_core"],
+        wheels["sdk_devel"],
+        wheels["sdk_libraries"],
+        wheels["sdk_tarball"],
+        constrain = False,
+        force_pip = True,
+    )
+
+    # Step 2: torch wheels. ~820 MB download.
+    pip_install(
+        f"ROCm torch (Windows, {ver[0]}.{ver[1]})",
         "--force-reinstall",
         "--no-cache-dir",
         wheels["torch"],
         wheels["torchvision"],
         wheels["torchaudio"],
         constrain = False,
+        force_pip = True,
     )
 
 
diff --git a/studio/setup.ps1 b/studio/setup.ps1
index a74b116ff5..f9b9eae11a 100644
--- a/studio/setup.ps1
+++ b/studio/setup.ps1
@@ -320,29 +320,45 @@ function Get-HipSdkVersion {
     return $null
 }
 
-# Map a detected HIP SDK version to Radeon's Windows torch wheels.
-# Returns @{ Torch = ...; Torchvision = ...; Torchaudio = ... } or $null.
+# Map a ROCm release version to Radeon's full Windows wheel set.
+# Returns @{ SdkCore, SdkDevel, SdkLibraries, SdkTarball, Torch,
+# Torchvision, Torchaudio } or $null when unsupported. AMD's install docs
+# require a two-step install: first the rocm_sdk_* wheels (~1.4 GB;
+# runtime torch links against), then torch itself. Wheels are cp312 only.
 function Get-RocmWheelUrls {
     param([Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]$Version)
     $base721 = 'https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.2.1/'
     $base711 = 'https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/windows/rocm-rel-7.1.1/'
     if ($Version.Major -eq 7 -and $Version.Minor -eq 2) {
         return @{
-            Torch       = $base721 + 'torch-2.9.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
-            Torchvision = $base721 + 'torchvision-0.24.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
-            Torchaudio  = $base721 + 'torchaudio-2.9.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
+            SdkCore       = $base721 + 'rocm_sdk_core-7.2.1-py3-none-win_amd64.whl'
+            SdkDevel      = $base721 + 'rocm_sdk_devel-7.2.1-py3-none-win_amd64.whl'
+            SdkLibraries  = $base721 + 'rocm_sdk_libraries_custom-7.2.1-py3-none-win_amd64.whl'
+            SdkTarball    = $base721 + 'rocm-7.2.1.tar.gz'
+            Torch         = $base721 + 'torch-2.9.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
+            Torchvision   = $base721 + 'torchvision-0.24.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
+            Torchaudio    = $base721 + 'torchaudio-2.9.1%2Brocm7.2.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
         }
     }
     if ($Version.Major -eq 7 -and $Version.Minor -eq 1) {
         return @{
-            Torch       = $base711 + 'torch-2.9.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
-            Torchvision = $base711 + 'torchvision-0.24.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
-            Torchaudio  = $base711 + 'torchaudio-2.9.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
+            SdkCore       = $base711 + 'rocm_sdk_core-0.1.dev0-py3-none-win_amd64.whl'
+            SdkDevel      = $base711 + 'rocm_sdk_devel-0.1.dev0-py3-none-win_amd64.whl'
+            SdkLibraries  = $base711 + 'rocm_sdk_libraries_custom-0.1.dev0-py3-none-win_amd64.whl'
+            SdkTarball    = $base711 + 'rocm-0.1.dev0.tar.gz'
+            Torch         = $base711 + 'torch-2.9.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
+            Torchvision   = $base711 + 'torchvision-0.24.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
+            Torchaudio    = $base711 + 'torchaudio-2.9.0%2Brocmsdk20251116-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl'
         }
     }
     return $null
 }
 
+# Default Windows ROCm release when HIP_PATH is absent. HIP_PATH is an
+# optional hint, not a prerequisite -- torch runtime comes from the
+# rocm_sdk wheels, so users only need a graphics driver and Python 3.12.
+$DefaultWindowsRocmVersion = @{ Major = 7; Minor = 2 }
+
 # Find Visual Studio Build Tools for cmake -G flag.
 # Strategy: (1) vswhere, (2) scan filesystem (handles broken vswhere registration).
 # Returns @{ Generator = "Visual Studio 17 2022"; InstallPath = "C:\..."; Source = "..." } or $null.
@@ -624,7 +640,9 @@ try {
 } catch {}
 if ($HasNvidiaSmi) { $HasAmdGpu = $false }
 
-# Resolve HIP SDK when taking the AMD path.
+# Probe HIP SDK as an optional version hint. Not a prerequisite -- torch
+# links against the Python-packaged rocm_sdk wheels, so regular users
+# only need the AMD graphics driver (26.2.2+ for 7.2.1) and Python 3.12.
 $HipSdkVersion = $null
 if ($HasAmdGpu) {
     $HipSdkVersion = Get-HipSdkVersion
@@ -634,13 +652,11 @@ if ($HasNvidiaSmi) {
     step "gpu" "NVIDIA GPU detected"
 } elseif ($HasAmdGpu) {
     if ($HipSdkVersion) {
-        step "gpu" ("AMD GPU detected (HIP SDK {0}.{1})" -f $HipSdkVersion.Major, $HipSdkVersion.Minor)
+        step "gpu" ("AMD GPU detected (HIP SDK {0}.{1} hint)" -f $HipSdkVersion.Major, $HipSdkVersion.Minor)
     } else {
-        Write-Host ""
-        step "gpu" "AMD GPU detected (HIP SDK missing)" "Yellow"
-        substep "Install HIP SDK from https://www.amd.com/en/developer/resources/rocm-hub/hip-sdk.html" "Yellow"
-        substep "and re-run this installer." "Yellow"
-        Write-Host ""
+        step "gpu" ("AMD GPU detected (will use rocm-rel-{0}.{1}.x)" -f $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion.Major, $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion.Minor)
+        substep "HIP SDK not found (optional). Ensure AMD graphics driver is up to date:" "DarkGray"
+        substep "https://www.amd.com/en/support/download/drivers.html" "DarkGray"
     }
 } else {
     Write-Host ""
@@ -1638,19 +1654,30 @@ if ($HasNvidiaSmi) {
 }
 
 if ($CuTag -eq "rocm") {
-    if (-not $HipSdkVersion) {
-        Write-Host "[FAILED] AMD GPU detected but HIP SDK is not installed." -ForegroundColor Red
-        Write-Host "         Download it from https://www.amd.com/en/developer/resources/rocm-hub/hip-sdk.html" -ForegroundColor Yellow
-        Write-Host "         and re-run this setup." -ForegroundColor Yellow
-        exit 1
+    # HIP_PATH is an optional hint -- fall back to newest stable when
+    # absent or unsupported, because the HIP developer SDK is NOT a
+    # runtime prerequisite for torch on Windows (AMD's docs only list
+    # the graphics driver + Python 3.12). Users without HIP_PATH still
+    # get a working install.
+    $RocmWheelUrls = $null
+    $RocmReleaseVersion = $null
+    if ($HipSdkVersion) {
+        $RocmWheelUrls = Get-RocmWheelUrls -Version $HipSdkVersion
+        if ($RocmWheelUrls) { $RocmReleaseVersion = $HipSdkVersion }
     }
-    $RocmWheelUrls = Get-RocmWheelUrls -Version $HipSdkVersion
     if (-not $RocmWheelUrls) {
-        Write-Host "[FAILED] AMD HIP SDK $($HipSdkVersion.Major).$($HipSdkVersion.Minor) is not supported." -ForegroundColor Red
-        Write-Host "         Unsloth on Windows requires HIP SDK 7.1 or later. Please update from" -ForegroundColor Yellow
-        Write-Host "         https://www.amd.com/en/developer/resources/rocm-hub/hip-sdk.html" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+        if ($HipSdkVersion) {
+            substep ("HIP SDK {0}.{1} is too old; falling back to rocm-rel-{2}.{3}.x" -f $HipSdkVersion.Major, $HipSdkVersion.Minor, $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion.Major, $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion.Minor) "Yellow"
+        }
+        $RocmWheelUrls = Get-RocmWheelUrls -Version $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion
+        $RocmReleaseVersion = $DefaultWindowsRocmVersion
+    }
+    if (-not $RocmWheelUrls) {
+        Write-Host "[FAILED] Could not resolve Windows ROCm wheel URLs (bug)." -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-Host "         Please file an issue at github.com/unslothai/unsloth/issues" -ForegroundColor Yellow
         exit 1
     }
+
     # Radeon wheels are cp312 only. Warn loudly when the venv's Python is
     # a different minor version so the pip error makes sense. We do not
     # exit here because setup.ps1 is also invoked as "unsloth studio update"
@@ -1662,14 +1689,49 @@ if ($CuTag -eq "rocm") {
         substep "Warning: Radeon Windows ROCm wheels require Python 3.12, venv has $venvPyVer." "Yellow"
         substep "Re-create the venv with Python 3.12 from https://python.org if pip fails below." "Yellow"
     }
-    substep "installing PyTorch ROCm wheels from repo.radeon.com..."
-    substep "(first wheel is ~780 MB; download may take a few minutes)"
+
+    substep ("installing Radeon ROCm wheels for rocm-rel-{0}.{1}.x from repo.radeon.com..." -f $RocmReleaseVersion.Major, $RocmReleaseVersion.Minor)
+    substep "Step 1/2: ROCm SDK runtime (~1.4 GB, may take several minutes)"
+    # Use `python -m pip install` NOT uv for the Radeon wheels. AMD's
+    # docs specify pip; uv has known issues on similar large ROCm wheels
+    # (matches the bitsandbytes situation in unslothai/unsloth#4966); and
+    # using pip directly is the combination AMD validates.
     if ($script:UnslothVerbose) {
-        Fast-Install $RocmWheelUrls.Torch $RocmWheelUrls.Torchvision $RocmWheelUrls.Torchaudio
+        & python -m pip install --no-cache-dir --force-reinstall `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.SdkCore `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.SdkDevel `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.SdkLibraries `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.SdkTarball
+        $sdkInstallExit = $LASTEXITCODE
+        $output = ""
+    } else {
+        $output = & python -m pip install --no-cache-dir --force-reinstall `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.SdkCore `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.SdkDevel `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.SdkLibraries `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.SdkTarball | Out-String
+        $sdkInstallExit = $LASTEXITCODE
+    }
+    if ($sdkInstallExit -ne 0) {
+        Write-Host "[FAILED] ROCm SDK install failed (exit code $sdkInstallExit)" -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-Host $output -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-Host "         Verify your AMD graphics driver is recent: https://www.amd.com/en/support/download/drivers.html" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+        exit 1
+    }
+
+    substep "Step 2/2: PyTorch + torchvision + torchaudio (~820 MB)"
+    if ($script:UnslothVerbose) {
+        & python -m pip install --no-cache-dir --force-reinstall `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.Torch `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.Torchvision `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.Torchaudio
         $torchInstallExit = $LASTEXITCODE
         $output = ""
     } else {
-        $output = Fast-Install $RocmWheelUrls.Torch $RocmWheelUrls.Torchvision $RocmWheelUrls.Torchaudio | Out-String
+        $output = & python -m pip install --no-cache-dir --force-reinstall `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.Torch `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.Torchvision `
+            $RocmWheelUrls.Torchaudio | Out-String
         $torchInstallExit = $LASTEXITCODE
     }
     if ($torchInstallExit -ne 0) {