AMD Announces New A-Series Accelerated Processing Units (APUs)

[btarunr]

AMD today updated its A-Series line-up of desktop and notebook Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), further improving its top-performing family of dual- and quad-core APUs. Along with speed and performance improvements, AMD Steady Video update make this unique feature more compelling than ever. For desktop users, AMD extends its overclocking pedigree to the APU; for the first time users can tune both x86 and graphics settings in a single processor for boosted performance.

The updated AMD A-Series APUs combine up to four x86 CPU cores with up to 400 Radeon cores, delivering powerful DirectX 11-capable, discrete-level graphics and dedicated HD video processing on a single chip. These new APUs increase performance and deliver a richer feature set than existing AMD A-series APUs. Plus, only AMD APUs offer AMD Dual Graphics for an up to 144 percent visual performance boost when a select APU is paired with a select AMD Radeon HD 6500 Series graphics card.



The AMD A-Series family of APUs also features AMD Steady Video, designed to stabilize videos during playback - making unsteady, jumpy content look steady and smooth as you watch. On select systems using AMD A-Series APUs, Internet Explorer 9 will include an AMD Steady Video plugin, unlocking one-click control to simplify access to the premium AMD Steady Video feature for video stabilization.

All AMD A-Series processors are powered by AMD VISION Engine Software, a suite of software that provides end-users with regular updates designed to improve system performance and stability, and can add new software enhancements.

New A-Series Desktop APUs launched today:

• A8-3870K: Four CPU cores, 3.0 GHz CPU base (unlocked), 100W TDP, 400 Radeon cores, 600 MHz GPU base (unlocked), 4 MB L2 cache
• A8-3820: Four CPU cores, 2.5 GHz CPU base (2.8 GHz Turbo Core), 65W TDP, 400 Radeon cores, 4 MB L2 cache
• A6-3670K: Four CPU cores, 2.7 GHz CPU base (unlocked), 100W TDP, 320 Radeon cores, 600 MHz GPU base (unlocked), 4 MB L2 cache
• A6-3620: Four CPU cores, 2.2 GHz CPU base (2.5 GHz Turbo Core), 65W TDP, 320 Radeon cores, 4 MB L2 cache
• A4-3420: Two CPU cores, 2.8 GHz CPU base, 65W TDP, 160 Radeon cores, 1 MB L2 cache

New Notebook APUs launched today:

• A8-3550MX: Four CPU cores, 2.0 GHz CPU base (2.7 GHz Turbo Core), 45W TDP, 400 Radeon Cores, 4 MB L2 cache
• A8-3520M: Four CPU cores, 1.6 GHz CPU base (2.5 GHz Turbo Core), 35W TDP, 400 Radeon Cores, 4 MB L2 cache
• A6-3430MX: Four CPU cores, 1.7 GHz CPU base (2.4 GHz Turbo Core), 45W TDP, 320 Radeon Cores, 4 MB L2 cache
• A6-3420M: Four CPU cores, 1.5 GHz CPU base (2.4 GHz Turbo Core), 35W TDP, 320 Radeon Cores, 4 MB L2 cache
• A4-3330MX: Two CPU cores, 2.2 GHz CPU base (2.6 GHz Turbo Core), 45W TDP, 240 Radeon Cores, 2 MB L2 cache
• A4-3320M:Two CPU cores, 2.0 GHz CPU base (2.6 GHz Turbo Core), 35W TDP, 240 Radeon Cores, 2 MB L2 cache
• A4-3305M:Two CPU cores, 1.9 GHz CPU base (2.5 GHz Turbo Core), 35W TDP, 160 Radeon Cores, 1 MB L2 cache
• E2-3000M: Two CPU cores, 1.8 GHz CPU base (2.4 GHz Turbo Core), 35W TDP, 160 Radeon Cores, 1 MB L2 Cache

The new AMD A-Series family of APUs improves the first generation of highly successful and revolutionary desktop and notebook processors, providing an outstanding experience for consumers seeking more responsive multitasking, long battery-life, vivid graphics, lifelike games, lag-free videos and the ultimate multimedia performance.

Desktop APUs in the component channel as well as systems based on the new AMD A-Series APUs will hit the retail market over the next several weeks.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[cadaveca]

These naming schemes aren't that intuitive. I wish there was a real "decoder" for these somewheres. A8, A6, 3870 and 3670, very confusing.

I'll still take a A8-3870K though.

 

[Hustler]

Not difficult to see where AMD's priority now lies...

If they just put some Level 3 Cache on these I'd be quite interested.

 

[Yukikaze]

Not difficult to see where AMD's priority now lies...

If they just put some Level 3 Cache on these I'd be quite interested.

That will drive the TDP quite high and increase die size, and thus cost. Both of these are something that AMD is avoiding with those APUs in the first place.

 

[Over_Lord]

I wish they would just create a 55W laptop APU with desktop speed GPU, i.e. 600MHz, and a 2.2GHz CPU with aggressive turbo.

I guess this is pretty achievable, since 65W desktop part @ 2.5Ghz exists already.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

*Sigh* I wish i could manually upgrade the E-350 in my laptop. Need a little more grunt under the hood!!

 

[Nesters]

A8-3870K looks nice, I just hope the price is low enough.

 

[BrooksyX]

Glad to see AMD is still making strides in the low end market. Should keep intel from doing to much price gouging.

 

[btarunr]

a8-3870k looks nice, i just hope the price is low enough.

That's US $135.

 

[Nesters]

That's US $135.

Ok, so that's the price of A8-3850 now and it's not just an incremental update but the unlocked package.
Let's see how far it clocks and i might actually get one of these too, or a cheaper A8-3850.

 

[LAN_deRf_HA]

Eh. This is an epically boring refresh. Where's Trinity?

 

[suraswami]

A8-3820 seems to be perfect for daily use (even for 24/7 server purpose).

Wondering if the sockets are different for the mobile and desktop CPUs, if not the low power mobile will be perfect for home server.

 

[TurdFergasun]

so this is batting practice for ati's next gen of console tech i wonder? i like where it's going regardless, have a cheapo c-50 netbook that is perfect for what i use it for and how much i paid for it. looking forward to building a very capable casual-gaming htpc in teh future out of one of these.

 

[Lionheart]

Give me an AMD quady @ 3Ghz with Level 3 cache + 800 stream processing units and then I would buy one ^_^

 

[btarunr]

I don't think even Trinity (socket FM2 APU with two Piledriver x86 modules (4 cores), 640 VLIW4 stream processors) has L3 cache.

 

[cadaveca]

Interesting. I wonder how teh removal of the L3 affects those, Piledriver still gonna have 2MB L2?

 

[seronx]

Interesting. I wonder how teh removal of the L3 affects those, Piledriver still gonna have 2MB L2?

Each Piledriver Module will have 2MB of L2, as rumors go...

A10, A8, and A6 might use the same die(Weatherford? die)
A4 and E2 might use the same die(Richland? die)

As far as rumours go...
A10 might have a L3 Cache of 4MB

2MB -> 1MB only gave a 2% speed boost so the bottleneck isn't the memory subsystem up to L2(<-- a rumor as well)

I don't think even Trinity (socket FM2 APU with two Piledriver x86 modules (4 cores), 640 VLIW4 stream processors) has L3 cache.

I swore it was 480 VLIW4 SPs giving enough room for some L3 cache

PowerColor AX5570 1GBD3-H Radeon HD 5570 1GB 128-b...
PowerColor AX6670 1GBK3-H Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-b...

HD5570 -> HD6670
400SP@650MHz -> 480SP@800MHz

A8 Llano -> A8 Trinity
400SP@600MHz -> 480SP@750MHz?