APUs Make Up Nearly 75% of AMD's Processor Sales

[btarunr]

Despite losing in market share to Intel, AMD has reason to cheer as its APU gambit is beginning to pay off. According to the latest architecture- and core count-specific sales figures for AMD given out by Mercury Research detailing Q3-2013 in context of two preceding quarters, APUs make for nearly 75% of AMD's processor sales, and the company's recently-launched "Trinity" line of desktop and mobile APUs are off to a flying start.

The most popular chips in AMD's stable are its "Bobcat" Zacate series low-power APUs, which are being built into entry-level computing devices such as netbooks, nettops, and all-in-one desktops. The chips make up 39 percent of AMD's sales in Q3, followed by another APU line, the A-Series "Trinity", which is available in desktop and mobile variants, offers a combination of a fast integrated graphics processor with up to four CPU cores, and makes up 26.1 percent of AMD's sales. AMD's A-Series "Llano" can still be bought in the market, and makes up 7.4 percent of AMD's sales in Q3.



The picture is rather dull over at AMD's non-APU processor lineup, based on Bulldozer and K10/10.5 architectures. Vishera numebrs are not included in the research, as they are very recently launched. Despite being the older architecture, AMD's K10/K10.5 architecture, which makes up Phenom II series processors, outsold Bulldozer by nearly two times. Non-APU processor make up a little over a fourth of AMD's sales. Given this, it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that AMD is better off consolidating its resources to developing its APU line.



The research even included AMD's sales (in units, not revenue) across the desktop, server, and mobile lines. While the desktop and mobile lines are evenly matched, the server line has an insignificant 1.3 sales percentage. The finer numbers are tabled above.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Steevo]

Only cause Bulldozer blew a turbo.


I love my APU's, amazing chips for the money. Gimmie more.

 

[HumanSmoke]

APU giveth with one hand and taketh away with the other it would seem.

 

[NC37]

Is one way to increase market share. Include GPUs on all your CPUs. Just what Intel does.

 

[HumanSmoke]

Is one way to increase market share. Include GPUs on all your CPUs. Just what Intel does.

Adding a GPU doesn't seem to hurt Intel. Don't know about the increase market share part though - seems to be a work in progress.

 

[de.das.dude]

This is good news, but in someways sad.

 

[WaroDaBeast]

No wonder APU's are selling more. No one can tell that they were targeted at netbooks in the first place. They're really something for their price. That's why I advised a friend of mine to get a laptop with an E2-1800. She's been nothing but happy so far.

 

[lyncer777]

i guess "Bang for the buck" is the secret here, some of my friends did not like to build a high-end desktop and dont know how to build one, because they are only a casual gamer and because of the high price, i recommend and build this APU trinity to them and boy they are happier than ever, they really dont care about high-end GPU's, cause they only play MMO's and DOTA2. personally i am planning to build one for me and another one for my cousin... sorry my english is bad.

desktop trinity is really GOOD. they are selling pretty-well here in my country.

 

[PLAfiller]

Is one way to increase market share. Include GPUs on all your CPUs. Just what Intel does.

+1 exactly. As one rivewer said: "Why would you put a gpu on a mainstream to high-calss CPU, when you KNOW that person will be surely using a discrete card.....because he has to pay fot it- one way or another." (not quoting literary, but close enough)

 

[Jetster]

AMD does it right though. It smokes Intel APU and you can run it on a 90w PSU. So its a gaming option without a descrete GPU. You can build a whole system for about $350. Thays why is a big seller. Im an Intel guy but if someone wants a PC for around $400 and wants to do some mild gamming the Fusion chip is the way to go

 

[M3T4LM4N222]

Trinity is nothing short of amazing. A GPU w/ the power of a 6670 built into your CPU for $100 is a great deal. I advise just about anyone on a budget to go w/ a trinity based setup. AMD has put so much into "Fusion" after their purchase of ATI and it's finally paying off. If consumers where more educated I think there would be even more APU based systems being bought.

I built a friend a A8-5600K based system and he plays TF2, CS:GO, and L4D @ 1920 x 1080 no problem.

 

[Velvet Wafer]

well, at least Intel failed in producing anything slightly comparable to a APU, otherwise it would have been pretty bad for AMD... lets hope they put the money into developing nice dedicated GPUs, eh?

 

[Horrux]

well, at least Intel failed in producing anything slightly comparable to a APU, otherwise it would have been pretty bad for AMD... lets hope they put the money into developing nice dedicated GPUs, eh?

I don't think Intel can catch up to AMD in APUs. Not sure they want to either, but that's another story. All these years, AMD has been merging the CPU and GPU expertise, and now it's only starting to show results. They've taken huge hits, but this kind of tech takes years to develop. If Intel starts today, they may hope to match AMD's current APUs in a few years.

 

[Xzibit]

I don't think Intel can catch up to AMD in APUs. Not sure they want to either, but that's another story. All these years, AMD has been merging the CPU and GPU expertise, and now it's only starting to show results. They've taken huge hits, but this kind of tech takes years to develop. If Intel starts today, they may hope to match AMD's current APUs in a few years.

Timing has a lot to do with it aswell.

In the 90s when GPUs where establishing themselves. There were tons of companies much like now how there is so many companies doing ARM. The herd of the GPU companies started thinning out and the stronger companies started buying up the weak ones.

Intel had the foresight and bought Real3D in 1999 but the GPU wasnt as mature at that time. When AMD made ATI a offer they couldnt refuse in 2006 the GPU was well established in the direction its currently headed.
Fortunately AMD is benefiting for getting into the GPU market at a later date but unfortunately it made a big dent in its pocket-book.

Samething between AMD & Intel is taking place now but in the server/hpc market where both are buying companies and IPs to up one another in the future and squeeze the competition out of the future market.

 

[Velvet Wafer]

I don't think Intel can catch up to AMD in APUs. Not sure they want to either, but that's another story. All these years, AMD has been merging the CPU and GPU expertise, and now it's only starting to show results. They've taken huge hits, but this kind of tech takes years to develop. If Intel starts today, they may hope to match AMD's current APUs in a few years.

lets hope it never comes to that, and that maybe, one sacred day, AMD will be able to not only compete in price/perf and that especially in the APU sector, but rather, release a performance processor again... i know i know... they officially stopped, but one can dream, eh?

 

[xenocide]

Lets not get ahead of ourselves, the reason they sell so well is because they are super cheap. Simple as that. Someone walks in and sees some $400 AMD laptops, and a dozen $450-500 Intel ones. More than likely he'll snag the AMD.

 

[Velvet Wafer]

Lets not get ahead of ourselves, the reason they sell so well is because they are super cheap. Simple as that. Someone walks in and sees some $400 AMD laptops, and a dozen $450-500 Intel ones. More than likely he'll snag the AMD.

and by that, they even got the superior graphics... i know why i only tell people that want to get a new rig on the cheap, to get APUs

 

[Aquinus]

Wow, really? Bobcat is that much? That says that AMD is doing relatively well for low priced netbooks in comparison to all the other markets within AMD.

 

[Dent1]

but rather, release a performance processor again... i know i know... they officially stopped, but one can dream, eh?

I'm confused. Bulldozer and Piledriver are performance processors.

Steamroller will be a performance processor too.

 

[Horrux]

I'm confused. Bulldozer and Piledriver are performance processors.

Steamroller will be a performance processor too.

Not really, according to AMD. They stated they will not try to compete on performance anymore, but only price/performance in their chosen market segment (midrange or so).

Performance processors are the i7 3770k and up. AMD has nothing in that segment. I am wondering, however, how a quad-channel APU would fare. Especially if the memory controller is able to do single-, dual-, tri-, and quad-channel... That would totally rock.

 

[dj-electric]

A lot of things about AMD are bothering the community. Mine is why FM2 does not support 2666+Mhz memory modules, something that actually matters alot

 

[Dent1]

Not really, according to AMD. They stated they will not try to compete on performance anymore, but only price/performance in their chosen market segment (midrange or so).

That doesn't mean they won't have performance processors. I think people are confused. Yes they are competing at a lower price, but that doesn't mean everything is midrange and mainstream.

Both Bulldozer and Piledriver were marketed towards enthusiasts. Normal people don't need hexacores and octocores or motherboards with crossfire.

Performance processors are the i7 3770k and up. AMD has nothing in that segment. I am wondering, however, how a quad-channel APU would fare. Especially if the memory controller is able to do single-, dual-, tri-, and quad-channel... That would totally rock.

Piledriver competes with the i7 3xxxk, on par and beats often too. Maybe not in gaming but in almost everything else.

Piledriver is definitely not midrange.

 

[Atom_Anti]

AMD APUs are really good, the problem is OEMs are not building good laptops for it! For example Dell do not even have a single Trinity laptop!

 

[faramir]

"While the desktop and mobile lines are evenly matched, the server line has an insignificant 1.3 sales percentage."

I wouldn't call that insignificant - server hardware always composes the minority of stuff sold, however it commands the highest margins. I mean, every company is going to purchase a couple opf server CPUs for dozens (or even hundred or more) desktop/mobile CPUs. Home users aren't going to purchase server CPUs at all, they will go for desktop/mobile products only.

 

[darkangel0504]

Research detailing Q3-2013 in context of two preceding quarters,

????