AMD Ushers in Next Generation of Computing with AMD A-Series APUs

[btarunr]

AMD today announced the next generation in mainstream consumer computing with the availability of the new high-performance AMD Fusion A-Series Accelerated Processing Units (APUs). Enabling truly immersive computing experiences in consumer notebooks and desktops, the AMD A-Series APUs enable brilliant HD graphics, supercomputer-like performance and over 10.5 hours of battery life.

In an increasingly digital and visually oriented world, consumers are placing ever-higher priorities on multitasking, vivid graphics, lifelike games, lag-free videos, and ultimate multimedia performance. To meet these needs, the AMD A-Series APUs combine up to four x86 CPU cores with powerful DirectX 11-capable discrete-level graphics and up to 400 Radeon cores along with dedicated HD video processing on a single chip. AMD A-Series APUs also allow for advanced capabilities such as gestural interfaces, multi-monitor support, 3D entertainment and real-time image stabilization.



“The AMD A-Series APU represents an inflection point for AMD and is perhaps the industry’s biggest architectural change since the invention of the microprocessor,” said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, AMD Products Group. “It heralds the arrival of brilliant all-new computing experiences, and enables unprecedented graphics and video performance in notebooks and PCs. Beginning today we are bringing discrete-class graphics to the mainstream.”

The AMD A-Series APUs (previously codenamed “Llano”) are currently shipping and scheduled to appear in more than 150 notebooks and desktops from leading OEMs throughout the second quarter of 2011 and beyond. Delivering powerful serial and parallel computing capabilities for HD video, 3D rendering and data-intensive workloads in a single-die processor, the AMD A-Series APUs offer software developers unprecedented power and potential in an ever smaller package.

AMD AllDay Power: Battery Life that Lasts
The AMD A-Series APU delivers the power to match how consumers actually use their PCs: all day – without sacrificing performance. Delivering more than 10.5 hours of resting battery life – a more than 50 percent increase compared to the 2010 AMD Mainstream Platform – users can get their work done or watch multiple HD movies on a single charge. Additionally, AMD dynamic switchable graphics optimize battery life on PCs featuring AMD dual-graphics solutions by intelligently managing power states on the APU and separate discrete AMD Radeon GPU.

“The battery life of the AMD A-Series APU is a huge leap forward and will surprise many consumers and commercial customers,” said Chris Cloran, Vice President and General Manager, Client Division, AMD. “And the supercomputer-like performance will give people some revolutionary capabilities, like real-time image stabilization –taking out all the shakes and jitters in those hand-held videos on the fly, while you’re watching.”

Brilliant HD: Every Pixel Matters
People are making, sharing and enjoying more digital content than ever on their PCs, and the AMD VISION Engine - cutting-edge hardware and software featured with every AMD A-Series APU that automatically helps digital content like videos, games and photos look their best. HD video is crystal clear through dedicated video playback technology and dynamic post-processing, and websites render faster with accelerated HTML5 and Direct2D performance. Editing, transferring and viewing HD content is fast and easy with support for advanced connection standards, including HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.1, and USB 3.0, along with native support for multiple monitors.

Also introduced with the AMD A-Series APU is a new feature called AMD Steady Video designed to stabilize videos during playback – making unsteady, jumpy content look steady and smooth. The AMD A-Series APU can also enables advanced capabilities like gestural interfaces, 3D gaming and 3D Blu-ray video entertainment – features that are now key to consumer PC experiences and expectations.

Every PC built with an AMD A-Series APU delivers brilliant HD by offering discrete-class DirectX 11-capable graphics – with models available at virtually every price point. Only AMD Fusion APUs offer true AMD Dual Graphics, with up to 75 percent graphics performance boost, when paired with an AMD Radeon discrete graphics card. This faster, higher-quality, more vivid and lifelike delivery makes consumers feel fully present in their digital world, especially when gaming.

Personal Supercomputing: Ultimate Performance
Consumers are doing more than ever before with their PCs – from work to play – and with the AMD A-Series APU, even their laptops can keep up, delivering next generation parallel processing. With up to 400 gigaflops for notebook, and up to 500 gigaflops for desktops8, AMD A-Series APUs ensure users have the horsepower needed to handle the most demanding applications such as video and image processing, facial recognition, gesture recognition and multitasking scenarios. For the most challenging environments, AMD Fusion A-Series APUs offer AMD Turbo Core Technology, which dynamically optimizes and boosts CPU and GPU performance to power-efficient levels depending on the applications being run.

The Growing AMD Fusion Ecosystem
AMD has seen great momentum in the software developer community since the launch of AMD Fusion APUs in January 2011, with more than 50 leading applications now accelerated by the family of AMD Fusion APUs and advanced browsers like Internet Explorer 9 delivering even more immersive, next generation web experiences when running on an AMD Fusion APU-powered PC. And, the inaugural AMD Fusion Developer Summit, running now through June 16 in Seattle, Washington, is providing a forum for developers, academics and innovators to collaborate around parallel programming and industry standards, like OpenCL, helping the software ecosystem build on the promise of the latest computing methodologies.

For more information, visit this page.

[btarunr]

Paper launch.

[Yukikaze]

Chips or GTFO.

[bucketface]

some links showing laptops using Llano.
http://www.fudzilla.com/notebooks/it...gun-with-llano
http://www.electronista.com/articles....amd.a4.a6.a8/

anand has a review up.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4444/a...n-apu-a8-3500m

[Yukikaze]

Originally Posted by bucketface

maybe on the desktop side but there are already laptops surfacing.
http://www.fudzilla.com/notebooks/it...gun-with-llano
http://www.electronista.com/articles....amd.a4.a6.a8/

"HP didn't detail the launch details of the dv4, but the dv6 and dv7 will start of at $600 and $700 respectively when they arrive in July. Pavilion g4, g6, and g7 models start from $450, $498, and $499 each and will be ready to go the same month. ProBook users get an early start as all ProBook b-series models will be ready June 27 and start at $679. ProBook s-series models will start lower, at $519, but didn't get a precise release date."

[hardcore_gamer]

Why the clock speeds are specified as 2.6Ghz/1.9Ghz ?

[bucketface]

yeah didn't read the article properly.. so yeah paper launch. not that i'm too surprised as far as the mobile parts go. always takes abit of time for those to come out in some taptops but was expecting the desktop parts to be available. seems these are primarily aimed at oem's though.

@hardcore_gamer
1.9Ghz base clock 2.6Ghz turbo

[Imsochobo]

Originally Posted by hardcore_gamer

Why the clock speeds are specified as 2.6Ghz/1.9Ghz ?

Turbo/stock.

Fusion got higher cpu clock if gpu is less used, and to some extend per core (don't know details for lliano) and so on, max use of TDP, just like sandy bridge, but sandy doesnt have a good igp/gpu part so I'm excited about fusion for that reason, my 4 cores in my laptop is hardly used while my gpu is quite taxed aswell as memory, hope memory controller in lliano is improved from phenom II, didnt matter if I had 800 mhz or 1600 mhz memory speed, no improvement on PHII.....

[NC37]

Appears they are having trouble with the Asym Crossfire. Well, they'll get it right eventually. ATI always was like that. Original Crossfire was so pitiful compared to 3Dfx's SLI back in the day. Then it still struggled later on the dawn of PCIe. Course NV did too. Now they've both worked things out a lot better. But still, it should have been ready in time for Llano. At least better than it did at Anandtech.

[Wiselnvestor]

Originally Posted by Yukikaze

"HP didn't detail the launch details of the dv4, but the dv6 and dv7 will start of at $600 and $700 respectively when they arrive in July. Pavilion g4, g6, and g7 models start from $450, $498, and $499 each and will be ready to go the same month. ProBook users get an early start as all ProBook b-series models will be ready June 27 and start at $679. ProBook s-series models will start lower, at $519, but didn't get a precise release date."

http://translate.google.com/translat..._aid%3D0693537


Look down bottom of page.

[johnnyfiive]

Where the f is bulldozer already?

[theubersmurf]

Originally Posted by johnnyfiive

Where the f is bulldozer already?

That's what I'm wondering. Though they haven't been available that long, AM3+ motherboards are available and I just about bought one. I want some real world benches with these things so I can make a decision. I'm sick of waiting for them.

[AlCabone]

Looks too be good for low power mainstream/multimedia laptops but the CPU is still K10.5. It performs the same as an Athlon II at the same speeds.

[TheLaughingMan]

Originally Posted by theubersmurf

That's what I'm wondering. Though they haven't been available that long, AM3+ motherboards are available and I just about bought one. I want some real world benches with these things so I can make a decision. I'm sick of waiting for them.

If you were not here a week ago, launch for Bulldozer was delayed 60 to 90 days....unfortunately.

[ZenZimZaliben]

There is a full review of Llano on Anandtech.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4444/a...n-apu-a8-3500m

CPU is weak. GPU is strong for on die.

Good review. Trinity look like it will be the sh1t. BullDozer arch with crossfire gpu on die. AMD did a great job on the gpu portion, but basically same chip as previous gen just new fab process.

Guess they went for efficiency more than power. It can get 8 hours at best with the laptop they tested, however it didn't have the largest battery compared to the others. The relative battery/energy use placed it in the top 2.

[theubersmurf]

Originally Posted by TheLaughingMan

If you were not here a week ago, launch for Bulldozer was delayed 60 to 90 days....unfortunately.

great...

[xBruce88x]

from the AnandTech article...

that's a lot of names to keep up with...

[Thatguy]

Originally Posted by johnnyfiive

Where the f is bulldozer already?

Last romour I heard was the fabs got busy filling fusion orders.

[a_ump]

Originally Posted by Thatguy

Last romour I heard was the fabs got busy filling fusion orders.

With the performance these'll provide in the mobile market, it doesn't surprise me they got backed up on Llano bulk orders. This already proves AMD def need more fabs, or GloFo does.