AMD launched a new class of accelerated processor at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
The AMD Fusion Family of Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) incorporate in a single die design: multi-core CPU (x86) technology, DirectX 11-capable graphics and parallel processing engine, a dedicated high-definition video acceleration block, and a high-speed bus to shuttle data across the differing types of processor cores.
AMD claims that their APUs “combine more compute capabilities than any processor in the history of computing” and describes the embedded graphics processor as “discrete-level.”
According to a press statement issued by AMD, new generations of desktop, notebook and HD netbooks are now available based on AMD Fusion APUs at affordable price points.
The chip-maker expects tablets and embedded designs based on AMD Fusion APUs to be available later in Q1 2011.
AMD said that it also expects leading manufacturers Acer, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba to announce plans to deliver AMD Fusion APU-based systems at very compelling value and mainstream price points.
“In one major step, we enable users to experience HD everywhere as well as personal supercomputing capabilities in notebooks that can deliver all-day battery life. It’s a new category, a new approach, and opens up exciting new experiences for consumers,” said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, AMD Products Group.
HD 2.0 Everywhere
High definition (HD) content is ubiquitous today. From YouTube videos to DirectX 11 games to Blu-ray.
According to AMD their Vision Engine, which is a set of capabilities available on all AMD Fusion APU-powered PCs, provide the following combination of features.
1. DirectX 11-capable graphics.
2. Parallel processing to speed application performance.
3. The UVD3 video acceleration block found in the new AMD Radeon™ HD 6800 Series GPUs.
4. Unique graphics driver capabilities updated on a monthly basis to continuously improve visual performance.
AMD makes some bold claims about its Vision Engine, saying that software from AMD partners means Internet browsing is a faster, application-like experience. At the time of writing this seems to include Adobe (i.e. Flash) and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
They go on to say that their APUs can make standard defintion (SD) look like (HD) and that 2D content can be converted into stereoscopic 3D.
Personal Supercomputing
Fusion APUs allow developers to take full advantage of the parallel processing power of a GPU, AMD said in its press release. Speeds greater than 500 GFLOPs (Giga floating point operations per second) for the upcoming A-Series “Llano” APU will be available.
AMD AllDay Power
AMD also promises battery life of 10 hours or more based on the testing parameters described below.
In testing conducted by AMD performance labs the 2011 Low Power platform reference design “Zacate” E-350 demonstrated up to 641 minutes or 10.68 hours “all-day” battery life while idle and up to 249 minutes or 4.15 hours as an “active” metric using 3DMark ’06. The reference design consisted of a AMD Dual-Core Processor E-350, 1.6Ghz 2C, 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3-1066 system memory 14.0″ display @ 1366×768, Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, 62Whr Li-Ion battery.
The 2011 AMD C-50 Dual-Core Accelerated Processor demonstrated up to 735 minutes or 12.26 hours “all-day” battery life while idle and up to 379 minutes or 6.31 hours as an “active” metric using 3DMark ’06. The reference design consisted of a an AMD Dual-Core processor C-50 1.0Ghz 9W, 2GB (1x2GB) DDR3-1066 system memory, AMD Radeon™ HD 6250 Graphics with 10.1” @ 1024×600, 6-cell Li-Ion, 62.2 Whr battery. LED Backlight Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. All testing performed using a 6-cell Li-Ion, 62.2 Whr battery. AMD defines “all day” battery life as 8+ hours of idle time.
Out power and Outperform: E-Series, C-Series and A-Series APUs
AMD announced the availability of their 2011 low power platform (formerly codenamed “Brazos”) in two APU variations: E-Series and C-Series.
These APUs feature the new x86 CPU core codenamed “Bobcat.” Bobcat is AMD’s first new x86 core since 2003 and was designed from the ground up to deliver improved mobile performance.
| Low Power APUs | Model | TDP | Core Count | Frequency |
| E-Series (former codename: “Zacate”) Designed for mainstream notebooks, All-in-Ones, and small form factor desktops |
E-350 | 18 W | 2 | 1.6 GHz |
| E-240 | 18 W | 1 | 1.5 GHz | |
| C-Series (former codename: “Ontario”) Designed for HD netbooks and other emerging form factors |
C-50 | 9 W | 2 | 1.0 GHz |
| C-30 | 9 W | 1 | 1.2 GHz |
The 2011 mainstream platform is primarily intended for performance in mainstream notebooks and mainstream desktops. It will feature the 32nm die A-Series “Llano” APU, which includes up to four x86 cores and a DirectX 11-capable discrete-level GPU. It is scheduled to ship in the first half of 2011 and appear in products mid-year.
Discuss the launch of AMD Fusion APUs on the MyGaming forum.
Loading ...
