MSI, world leading in motherboard design, is pleased to announce the launch of 8 new AMD FM2+/FM2 socket based motherboards supporting the latest AMD Godavari APU. These new models are available in ATX, micro-ATX, and mini-ATX form factors and are backwards compatible with FM2 processors (Kaveri, Richland, Trinity, 6000 and 5000 series). MSI has packed these models with a rich blend of features and technologies, such as onboard LAN, PCI Express 3.0 x16, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.0 and multiple display support, offering the most stable and most cost-effective solution available.

Tipsters pointed us to a peculiar sounding new processor by AMD in the wild, and being distributed by certain OEMs, such as HP. Called AMD FX-670K, the chip is being sold by HP, pre-installed on its Pavilion 500-266ea desktops. Some digging around on specifications available point us to a chip that's essentially "Richland" APU with its integrated GPU disabled. So while it will run on socket FM2 motherboards, you'll have to use graphics cards. "Richland" integrates a dual-module / quad-core CPU component based on AMD's "Piledriver" micro-architecture. The FX-670K features CPU clock speeds of up to 3.70 GHz. So why did AMD choose the FX branding and not Athlon X4, like it usually does with iGPU-devoid APUs? Perhaps the "K" brand extension holds the answer. The FX-670K features an unlocked base-clock multiplier. The HP Pavilion 500-266ea features a socket FM2 motherboard based on the AMD A75 chipset, and discrete AMD Radeon R7 240 graphics. It's priced at CA $650.

ECS announced the A55F2P-M2, an entry-level socket FM2+ motherboard, that's ready for AMD's A-Series "Kaveri" APUs, and backwards-compatible with "Richland" and "Trinity" APUs. The narrow micro-ATX motherboard draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 4-pin CPU power connectors, and uses a 3+2 phase VRM to condition it for the APU. The socket is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory, a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, and a PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slot. A legacy PCI slot makes for the rest of the expansion area. Storage connectivity includes four SATA 3 Gb/s ports. Display outputs include DVI and D-Sub. Two USB 3.0 ports, 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, and PS/2 connectors make for the rest of the connectivity. Expect this board to go around the $50 mark.

AMD announced its 2014 A-Series APU for the desktop platform, code-named "Kaveri," after the southern-Indian river. Built in the new FM2+ package, the APUs run only on socket FM2+ motherboards based on the AMD A88X, A78, and A55 chipsets; while the socket itself can seat older FM2 APU families, "Trinity" and "Richland." In many ways, the socket transition is similar to that of socket AM3+. "Kaveri" sees AMD integrate two of its newest CPU and GPU micro-architectures, "Steamroller" for CPU, and Graphics CoreNext 2.0 for the GPU. "Kaveri" is also built on newer generation 28 nm silicon fab process.

"Steamroller" is an evolution of the same modular CPU core design as its predecessors, "Piledriver" and "Bulldozer." AMD promises a 10 percent improvement in performance clock-by-clock, per core, which falls in line with AMD's normal scheme of annual incremental performance updates on its CPU micro-architectures. A "Steamroller" module is a combination of two 64-bit x86 cores, which feature dedicated and shared components. "Kaveri" has two such modules, and so physically, it features a quad-core CPU.

AMD began selling the A10-6790K, a new socket FM2 APU based on the 32 nm "Richland" silicon. The chip is positioned between the A10-6700 and the A10-6800K, and is a notch below the latter. It comes with an unlocked base-clock multiplier, making overclocking a breeze. The A10-6790K features 4.00 GHz CPU clocks, with maximum TurboCore frequencies of 4.30 GHz, each a notch (0.5x base) lower than the 4.10 GHz core and 4.40 GHz TurboCore frequencies of the A10-6800K. Further, the maximum rated DRAM speed is lowered from DDR3-2133 MHz on the A10-6800K, to DDR3-1866 MHz on the new chip. It features the same Radeon HD 8670D graphics clocked at 844 MHz, and its TDP rating is the same 100W. Expect the chip to be priced about 15 percent lower than the A10-6800K.

MSI is pleased to announce a full line-up of FM2+ Military Class 4 motherboards featuring the new AMD A88X/A78/A55 chipset and FM2+ socket. These motherboards not only support the current FM2 Trinity and Richland APUs but are also ready for AMD's upcoming 4th generation Kaveri APU. AMD APUs are known for their excellent gaming and multi-media experience and support a wide range of display solutions.

4K UHD Output
Thanks to the AMD Kaveri APU and the MSI FM2+ motherboard native HDMI 1.4 connector it supports 4K resolutions (3840x2160) which provide much sharper and life-like images in combination with a 4K monitor.

AMD's two low-cost socket FM2 APUs based on the 32 nm "Richland" silicon, the A8-6500T, and A10-6700T, began selling in the US. The two are priced at $108.59 and $155.91 a piece, respectively. Their biggest feature is the 45W TDP, compared to 65W on regular SKUs, and 100W on the factory-unlocked ones. Both are quad-core parts. The A8-6500T features CPU clock speeds of 2.10 GHz, with 3.10 GHz TurboCore speeds, Radeon HD 8550D integrated graphics with 256 stream processors, and 4 MB of L2 cache; whereas the A10-6700T features 2.50 GHz CPU clocks, with 3.50 GHz TurboCore speeds, Radeon HD 8650D integrated graphics with 384 stream processors, and 4 MB of L2 cache.

AMD's energy-efficient socket FM2 desktop APU, the A10-6700T, is expected to go on sale later this week. Its selling point is the 45W TDP, with no reduction in core-count, or other components. Based on the 32 nm "Richland" silicon, the A10-6700T features four "Piledriver" x86-64 cores clocked at 2.50 GHz, with TurboCore frequency of 3.50 GHz, and 4 MB of total L2 cache. It features a Radeon HD 8650D graphics core with 384 stream processors, and untouched clock speeds of 760 MHz core, and 844 MHz boost. The chip also features a dual-channel DDR3-2133 MHz integrated memory controller, and a PCI-Express gen 2.0 root complex. The A10-6700T is expected to be priced around $150.

A Finnish group of Overclockers who call themselves 'The Stilt' have managed to score a world record using AMD's newest Richland architecture based A10-6800K APU and using the Asus F2A85-V Pro motherboard. Back in June, The Stilt had managed to score 8000.48 MHz with a bus clock of 126.99 MHz and applying 2.008 volts to the CPU. The new world record, set by the same group, managed to score an applaud-worthy 8203.01 MHz with a bus clock of 130.21 MHz, multiplier set at 63x and a, believe it or not, lower core voltage of 1.968 volts. The recently discovered x87 patch was also applied, which allowed the poor A10-6800K to post better SuperPi scores.

ASUS today announced the new A88XM-A and A55BM-A/USB3 motherboards, the first from any manufacturer to support new Socket FM2+ APUs (Accelerated Processing Units) from AMD. The A88XM-A with AMD A88X chipset and A55BM-A/USB3 with A55 chipset are both Micro-ATX motherboards for existing AMD 'Richland' and 'Trinity' FM2 APUs, and are hardware-ready for upcoming AMD 'Kaveri' FM2+ APUs that support DirectX 11.1 and PCI Express 3.0 natively. ASUS is committed to supporting the latest in PC technology. The new FM2+ motherboards offer customers the very latest in motherboard design, with the added flexibility of both backward and forward compatibility with AMD APUs.

AMD's A-series "Richland" APUs are great to have in HTPC builds, but their 65W to 100W TDPs can be a put-off for some. The company is working on a pair of energy efficient socket FM2 APUs based on the silicon, with TDP rated at 45W. The first of the two is the A10-6700T, which features a significantly lower CPU clock speed of 2.50 GHz, with an unknown TurboCore speed; and GPU clock speed of 720 MHz. It's not known if the chip is dual-core or quad-core, but given that quad-core non-K A10-6700 rates in at 65W, it's not improbable for A10-6700T to be one, as well. Also unknown is the stream processor count. Moving on, we have the A8-6500T. Its CPU clock speed is further lowered, to 2.10 GHz, and GPU to 720 MHz, like the A10-6700T, its CPU and GPU core/SP counts are under the wraps.

BIOSTAR, maker of embedded/IPC solutions, graphics cards, and motherboards, has introduced their latest motherboard that supports AMD's FM2 APU family (Trinity / Richland), the Hi-Fi A85W 3D. It comes with BIOSTAR's own in-house audio technology called "Hi-Fi 3D".

The Hi-Fi A85W 3D is an ATX form factor board that features AMD socket FM2 APU support and 4 DDR3 memory slots. It includes the usual high-end motherboard features like USB 3.0, HDMI and PCI-E slots. Additional utilities from BIOSTAR including: Watch Dog, BIO-Relife, BIO-Flasher, e-Hotline, BIO-Watch, T-Overclocker, GPU (Green power uitlity), and Smart Speed LAN.

AMD's new A10-6800K "Richland" APU is turning out to be quite the chip for competitive overclocking. Finnish overclocker "The Stilt" cracked the 8.00 GHz mark with the chip. Skills aside, "The Stilt" relied on liquid-nitrogen cooling that kept the chip at -185°C, a core voltage of 1.992V, a base clock of 126.99 MHz (~127 MHz), and 63.0x BClk multiplier. All four cores were enabled during the feat. Other key components of the bench include an ASUS F2A85-V Pro motherboard, and 2x 4 GB dual-channel memory of an unknown make, running at 1692 MHz (DDR) Find details and validation links here.

AMD unveiled the first batch of Athlon X4 CPUs in the socket FM2 package, based on its latest Richland silicon. These chips stop short of being labeled APUs, for they lack integrated graphics. You need a discrete graphics card. Unlike its previous generation "Trinity" silicon-based Athlon X4 CPUs, AMD unveiled a few parts with high clock speeds, some even with unlocked base-clock multipliers, targeting consumers who want to build socket FM2-based gaming PCs, but don't intend to use the integrated graphics.

At the top of the stack is the Athlon X4 760K Black Edition (AD760KWOHLBOX). This chip offers 3.80 GHz of clock speed, and 4.10 GHz maximum Turbo Core frequency. Despite its lack of the graphics core, its TDP is rated on par with the A10-6800K, at 100W. In its consumer-friendly PIB (processor-in-box) package, the X4-760K Black Edition is priced around US $135. A variant of this exact chip, which lacks unlocked BClk multiplier, is named just Athlon X4 760K (the "K" here can be misleading), and is priced around $100. AMD has other quad-core and dual-core Athlon parts based on the "Richland" silicon planned for later.

AMD today announced its 2013 Elite A-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) for desktops, codenamed "Richland", which delivers a superior PC solution with increased computational performance, discrete-level graphics and an easy upgrade infrastructure. At COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2013, AMD showcased the complete breadth of its 2013 APU portfolio with the launch of the new Elite A-Series APU for desktops which power a diverse range of OEM systems and feature new generations of software and applications that harness the unrivaled compute power of the 2013 AMD APU product lineup: the fastest AMD APUs ever.

"The new AMD A-Series APU is ideal for desktop PC builders and mainstream gamers wanting outstanding performance for their money, and today AMD delivers an excellent new follow-on to the recently announced mobile lineup," said Bernd Lienhard, corporate vice president and general manager, Client Products Division at AMD. "The combination of high-performance, third-generation desktop APUs with our existing portfolio of low-power, mobile APUs gives us our strongest-ever lineup of products for our customers and our technology partners."

AMD today launched three new additions to its 2013 A-Series and E-Series Mobile Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) lineup -- delivering solutions ideally positioned to address today's evolving PC market with dramatically increased performance and power efficiency, as well as a portfolio of unique user experiences, and superior gaming and graphics:

• The 2013 AMD Elite Mobility APU (formerly codenamed "Temash") -- the world's first 28nm, quad-core x86 system-on-a-chip (SoC) APU designed for touch small form-factor notebooks, tablets, and hybrids 13-inches and below;
• The 2013 AMD Mainstream APU (formerly codenamed "Kabini") -- the first and only quad-core x86 SoC solution for entry-level and small-form factor touch notebooks;
• New, low power versions of the 2013 AMD Elite Performance APU (formerly codenamed "Richland") -- offer the best graphics and compute in a performance APU for premium ultrathin notebooks.

Computex is Asia's largest high-tech event and will run from June 4th to to 8th, 2013 in Taipei, Taiwan and BIOSTAR will be showcasing their embedded/IPC solutions and graphics cards products as well as their line of Intel and AMD based motherboards in the Nangang Exhibition Hall at Booth M0402. The theme of their exhibition this year is their Hi-Fi Puro integrated products, including Intel's next generation Haswell based boards and their FM2 motherboards that support AMD's new Fusion "Richland" CPU. Continuing the tradition of their own in-house audio technology called "Puro Hi-Fi Technology"; Biostar is going to present the 2nd generation of this technology, called "Hi-Fi 3D".

Targeting audiophiles, HTPC enthusiasts and high-end gamers alike, Puro Hi-Fi features an integrated independent audio power design with a built-in amplifier. The technology utilizes audio components with an independent power delivery design for a significant reduction in electronic noise producing superb sound quality. The unique noise-blocking multi-layer PCB layout is conducive for an exceptionally clean signal. That design feature, together with a sampling rate of 192 kHz/24-bit, delivers high quality audio through an analog connection to your home theater system, multi-channel speakers or high-end headphones, allowing you to enjoy true high-definition 7.1-channel surround sound.

Desktop variants of AMD "Richland" APUs in the socket FM2 package, will arrive this June. Three of the first models to be released to the market, the A10-6800K, the A10-6700, and the A4-4400, could already be in stock with certain retailers, and were pictured. The A10-6800K (AD680KWOA44HL) features four x86-64 cores based on the "Piledriver" micro-architecture, 4.10 GHz core clock speed, 4.40 GHz maximum Turbo Core frequency, and Radeon HD 8670D graphics, clocked at 844 MHz. It features an unlocked base-clock multiplier.

The A10-6700 (AD6700OKA44HL) features the same graphics core as the A10-6800K, but features 3.70 GHz CPU clock speed, 4.30 GHz maximum Turbo Core frequency, and an upwards locked base-clock multiplier. The A4-4400 (AD4400OKA23HL), on the other hand, is an entry-level dual-core chip with 3.70 GHz core, 3.90 GHz Turbo Core, and Radeon HD 8370D graphics.

AMD (NYSE:AMD) today announced revenue for the first quarter of 2013 of $1.09 billion, an operating loss of $98 million and a net loss of $146 million, or $0.19 per share. The company reported a non-GAAP operating loss of $46 million and a non-GAAP net loss of $94 million, or $0.13 per share.

"Our first quarter results reflect our disciplined operational execution in a difficult market environment," said Rory Read, AMD president and CEO. "We have largely completed our restructuring and are now focused on delivering a powerful set of new products that will accelerate our business in 2013. We will continue to diversify our portfolio and attack high-growth markets like dense server, ultra low-power client, embedded and semi-custom solutions to create the foundation for sustainable financial returns."

TechPowerUp released the latest version of GPU-Z, the popular graphics subsystem information, diagnostic, and monitoring utility, which gives you in-depth information about installed graphics hardware, and lets you monitor various parameters in real-time. With version v0.7.0 of GPU-Z, we focused on adding and improving support for new GPUs.

To begin with, it features support for AMD Radeon HD 7990 "Malta" dual-GPU graphics card, along with support for Radeon HD 8550M, HD 7340, HD 7290, and HD 8670D "Richland" on the AMD front; and GeForce GTX 680MX, GTX 675MX, GT 218, and 9400 GT (rare GPUs), on the NVIDIA front. Voltage monitoring is improved on Radeon HD 7790.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.7.0 | GPU-Z 0.7.0 ASUS ROG Themed

The change-log follows.

AMD is ready to launch the next generation of company's APUs in June, 2013, codenamed "Richland". The new Fusion S-Series "Richland" CPU Series will have an updated graphics code which turns out to be HD-8000 series graphics and support native DDR3-2133. Today, BIOSTAR full range FM2 motherboards are ready to support the new "Richland" series; users just need to update BIOS and Drivers which are available at BIOSTAR homepage.

FinalWire announced AIDA64 v2.85, the popular system diagnostic and benchmarking suite is updated with 64-bit benchmarks optimized for AMD's "Richland" APUs, improved support for "Kaveri," "Kabini," and "Temash" APUs; and Intel "Haswell" and "Valleyview" CPUs; early support for AMD "Beema" APU, Intel "Avoton" SoC, "Crystalwell," "Ivy Bridge-E," and "Haswell-E" CPU, "Haswell-ULT" SoC; preliminary support for DDR4 and GDDR5 system memory types; and GPU support for AMD Radeon HD 8000 series and NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan.DOWNLOAD: FinalWire AIDA64 v2.85 Installer (EXE), Archive (ZIP)

In an effort to clear inventories of its current-generation A-series "Trinity" desktop APUs, creating room for next-generation "Richland," AMD is preparing a string of price-cuts for April. APUs including (but probably not limited to) A8-5600K, and A4-4000 series could be part of these price cuts.

In addition to its APUs, AMD is also planning early price-cuts of some of its socket AM3+ CPUs, such as the FX-8320, FX-6300, and FX-4300, which is probably preemptive to Intel's June launch of Core "Haswell" desktop processors. AMD recently launched the mobile variants of its A-series "Richland" APUs, its desktop variants could be launched some time in Q2 2013, beginning with high-performance parts such as the A10-6800K and A8-6600K.

AMD today announced the first availability of the AMD Elite A-Series Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), codenamed "Richland." The new AMD Elite A-Series APUs deliver innovative user experiences like facial log-in and gesture recognition, improved graphics1 and compute performance over the previous generation, and enhanced power management capabilities on a single chip.

"The high performance AMD A-Series APU continues to impress with its ability to deliver stunning graphics and immersive experiences with even more battery life. Our engineers have done a superb job of increasing processor performance while decreasing power consumption," said Bernd Lienhard, corporate vice president and general manager of AMD's Client Business Unit. "With the capabilities built into our 2013 AMD Elite A-Series APUs, including new software for gesture control, facial recognition, rich entertainment and more lifelike gaming, we are delivering an ever richer experience to end users and our customers."

AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced today that Bernd Lienhard, 48, has joined the company as corporate vice president and general manager of its Client Business Unit, reporting to Dr. Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager, Global Business Units. In his role, Lienhard will apply his 22 years of experience in the semiconductor industry to lead AMD's client business as it expands its product lineup to include differentiated system-on-chip (SoC) solutions targeted at high-growth mobility and traditional client markets.

"A pivotal part of AMD's ability to win in high-growth markets is having the right leadership team in place with a diversity of semiconductor industry knowledge. Bernd's track record and experience translating business strategy into operational execution across large teams makes him the ideal leader for our client business," said Dr. Su. "Bernd's deep background of growth across a wide range of markets will accelerate our client business as we bring our strongest-ever line-up of APUs and first SoCs to market in 2013 and continue our expansion into ultraportable and ultra low-power form factors."