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.

ASUS augmented its socket FM2 motherboard lineup with the F2A85-V, a lite variant of the F2A85-V Pro the company kicked off its Trinity APU-compatible motherboard lineup with. The new F2A85-V trims down on a few things over the -Pro variant, such as simpler independent VRM and FCH heatsinks with no heat-pipe connecting them, fewer APU power phases, and a lighter expansion slot layout that isn't ideal for multi-GPU setups.

To begin with, the F2A85-V features a 6-phase APU VRM that draws power from a 4-pin ATX connector, compared to the 8-phase one drawing from an 8-pin EPS, on the F2A85-V Pro. The FM2 socket is connected to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting a maximum of 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory; and a single PCI-Express 2.0 x16. Other expansion slots include a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, wired to the A85X FCH), two PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and three legacy PCI slots.

In what could bring an ear-to-ear grin on DIY NAS/home-server builders, ASRock launched the industry's first mini-ITX motherboard with a total of eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports (of which one is eSATA 6 Gb/s). The new FM2A85X-ITX, as the name suggests, is a socket FM2 motherboard based on the AMD A85X chipset, in the mini-ITX form-factor. Everything on this board is just where you'd want it to be: the centrally-located APU socket is powered by a fairly strong 6-phase VRM, which along with ancillary phases, draws power from 24-pin ATX and 4-pin CPU power connectors.

The APU socket, which supports today's AMD A-series "Trinity" APUs, and likely tomorrow's A-series "Richland" APUs, is wired to two DDR3-DIMM slots supporting a maximum of 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 memory; and the lone expansion slot, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16. The AMD A85X FCH wires out seven internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports (with RAID 0/1/10 support), and an eSATA 6 Gb/s port. Display connectivity includes one each of dual-link DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. The board features a total of four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two by headers). Gigabit Ethernet, 8-channel HD audio, PS/2 keyboard, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports make for the rest of the connectivity. The ASRock FM2A85X-ITX is expected to be priced around US $110.

AMD's A-series "Trinity" line of APUs may have helped make the APU outsell CPUs in 2013, but it won't be long before they're replaced by the new "Richland" A-series APUs for desktops and mainstream notebooks. "Richland" is a tweaked version of "Trinity" which sees AMD stick to the 32 nm process, and retain the "Piledriver" CPU micro-architecture, but increase CPU clock speeds, add a faster DDR3-2133 MHz dual-channel IMC, and integrate a Radeon HD 8000 series Graphics CoreNext iGPU into the silicon. Desktop APU models will take up with A##-6000 series numbering scheme.

The series will be led by AMD A10-6800K, which features every component on the "Richland" silicon unlocked, which includes two "Piledriver" CPU modules amounting to four x86-64 cores, and all stream processors on the iGPU unlocked, with the highest CPU and iGPU clock speeds enabled in the lineup. The iGPU model for this chip is Radeon HD 8670D. The A10-6800K features unlocked multipliers, making overclocking a breeze. Trailing it is the A10-6700, which features all physical components unlocked, but with slightly lower clock speeds, and locked BClk multipler. It features the same iGPU as its bigger sibling, the HD 8670D.

At its 2013 International CES booth, Intel exhibited a side-by-side comparison of two systems, one running its next-generation Core "Haswell" processor's integrated graphics, the HD 4500 GT3 (all components enabled), and the other a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 GPU. A highly forgiving DirectX 11-generation title, DiRT 3, was made to run on both GPUs. Visitors noted that even if not as smooth as the GTX 650, Intel's Haswell iGPU did produce playable frame-rates.

Sources close to the company have been claiming a significant, in fact, 100 percent performance lead of the Haswell iGPU over previous-generation HD 4000 iGPU featured in today's Core "Ivy Bridge" chips. If true, Intel's graphics may have come perilously close to, or even caught up with, AMD's A-Series "Trinity" line of APUs, which feature the fastest integrated graphics processor ever made.

MSI unveiled a new entry-level socket FM2 motherboard, the FM2-A75MA-P33. Based on the AMD A75 FCH chipset, the board supports newer A-series "Trinity" APUs. The board uses a 5-phase VRM to power the APU, which is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory; and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and legacy PCI make for the rest of the expansion.

Storage connectivity on the FM2-A75MA-P33 includes six internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports, supporting RAID 0/1/10. The A75 FCH gives out four USB 3.0 SuperSpeed ports, which are wired out as two type-A ports on the rear-panel, and two ports by header. The board features headers for legacy connectivity such as LPT (parallel) and COM (serial). Display connectivity includes one each of dual-link DVI and D-Sub. 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports, and PS/2, make for the rest of the connectivity. The FM2-A75MA-P33 is expected to be priced around $70.

MSI's FM2-A85XA-G65 breaks world records again! Featuring MSI's new DigitALL power design with Military Class III components, the FM2-A85XA-G65 reached an astounding 2844MHz memory frequency and 170.5MHz BCLK with an AMD A10-5800K processor. The combination of MSI FM2-A85XA-G65 and AMD A10-5800K scores over 10000 Marks in 3DMark Vantage P mode. It shows that MSI FM2 series has great overclocking potential and brings better gaming experience to users.

AMD's new A10-5800K Trinity APU is a powerful solution that combines excellent CPU performance with unprecedented integrated GPU performance. MSI's FM2-A85XA-G65 is the excellent companion for AMD's latest series of APUs as it combines great performance features with a keen eye on power consumption. With the push of a button, OC Genie II will boost your APU and GPU performance. Graphics performance is boosted with both AMD CrossFire and Dual Graphics.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced the record highest clock speed 7.86GHz on AMD's A10 5800K APU using the GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 motherboard.

Attending an AMD Extreme OC show on 20th Nov. in Taipei Taiwan, GIGABYTE's overclocking team, The Killers (featuring HiCookie, S.Dougal and John Lam), took part in an overclocking demonstration achieving two new records on AMD's new Vishera and Trinity platforms. The GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 motherboard was able to push the AMD 5800K to an incredible 7.86GHz, more than twice the 3.8GHz stock clock. The AMD FX8350 processor was pushed to 8.47GHz using a GIGABYTE 990FXA-UD3 board.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just introduced a new family of mini-PCs based on the latest Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) technology from AMD, codenamed Trinity. The SAPPHIRE Edge VS series delivers fantastic performance and stunning graphics in a small format for a wide range of applications, whatever the environment.

At home, the compact, beautiful design can be sited anywhere, replacing older bulky PCs - yet it will breeze through almost any task. In fact scores of top applications have been optimized specifically for the technology in the SAPPHIRE Edge VS. In addition to easily handling home office applications, it delivers flawless, stutter-free HD video playback and streaming, and faster and better Internet browsing.

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.

MSI Computer Corp, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, unveils their newest AMD powered gaming notebook, the GX60. Armed with state of the art components, including AMD Trinity A10 Quad Core processors, AMD Radeon HD 7970M GPU, Killer E2200 Game Networking and Steel Series Gaming Keyboard, the GX60 is the ideal choice for gamers seeking a high-performance, yet affordable unit.

The GX60, part of MSI's award-winning G Series of gaming notebooks, delivers exceptional gaming experience through a combination of high-performance components and proprietary technology. MSI's exclusive TDE (GPU Overclocking) Cooler Boost Technology delivers one-touch performance boost while AMD's Eyefinity, a stereoscopic 3D technology, allows users to run multiple independent display outputs simultaneously.

According to a VG 24/7 report, Sony began shipping development kits of its upcoming game console, PlayStation 4, codenamed "Orbis" to developers. The kit is described as being a "normal sized PC," driven by AMD A10 "Trinity" APU, and 8 or 16 GB of memory. We've known from reports dating back to April that Sony plans to use a combination of APU and discrete GPU, similar to today's Dual Graphics setups, where the APU graphics core works in tandem with discrete mid-range GPU. The design goal is to be able to play games 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, with 60 Hz refresh rate, and with the ability to run stereo 3D at 60 Hz. For storage, the system has a combination of Blu-ray drive and 250 GB HDD. Sony's next-generation game console is expected to be unveiled "just before E3," 2013.

In late-2011, ASUS set itself a target of shipping 25 million PC motherboards in the following year. Contributing to its optimism were three new platform launches - Intel Core "Ivy Bridge" (7-series chipset), AMD "Trinity" (socket FM2), and AMD Vishera; and Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system, prompting PC upgrades. Falling demand in US and Europe, and weaker-than-expected shipment growth in China forced ASUS to trim its 2012 target down from 25 million to 22.2 million. In 2011, the company shipped 23.2 million motherboards.

In the first three quarters, ASUS shipped 16.7 million motherboards, and expects to ship no more than 5.5 million; down 5% sequentially, and flat year-over-year. The company faced severe competition from Gigabyte, which shipped 14 million motherboards in the three quarters thus far, and expects to ship 4.5 million in Q4, totaling 18.5 million for the year. The third biggest motherboard vendor, ASRock, is astray from its 2012 goal of 9 million shipments, and is hoping for a more conservative 7 million units target for 2012.

ECS, the world's top motherboard maker, now announce its "ECS Trinity Challenge" Online OC Competition with FM1/FM2 platform motherboards on HWBOT. Meanwhile, ECS is proud to announce its second cooperation with HWBOT for online OC competition globally. ECS would like to take this chance to introduce a series of new FM2-based motherboard to enthusiast community through this competition.

The competition starts from November 1st, runs until November 30th. There are two competition stages for overclockers. First stage- AMD FM1 platform: It is open to all overclockers with ECS brand motherboards only and the benchmark is: 3DMark06. Second competition stages- AMD FM2 platform: It is open to all overclockers with all brands of motherboards in the market, and the benchmark is: 3DMark Vantage. HWBOT general benchmark validation rules apply to both stages.

Biostar is currently preparing the launch of two lower-cost motherboards supporting AMD's 'Trinity' APUs, the A55MD2 and A55ML2. Seen below, both models are powered by the AMD A55 chipset and feature a micro ATX form factor, two DDR3-1866 memory slots (supporting up to 32 GB of RAM), four SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, one PCI-Express x16 slot, one PCI slot, four USB 2.0 ports, 5.1-channel audio, and a D-Sub output.

The A55ML2 also has 10/100 Ethernet, while the A55MD2 boasts Gigabit LAN and adds a DVI port. No word yet on prices.

Biostar is currently preparing the release of two more motherboards supporting AMD's FM2 (codename Trinity) APUs, the Hi-Fi A85S2 powered by the A85X chipset and the Hi-Fi A55S2 equipped with an A55 chip. Since they are part of the Hi-Fi Series, both models feature an integrated independent audio power design and built-in amplifier, as well as a noise-blocking multi-layer PCB layout, the goal being to deliver a higher quality sound.

Both boards have an ATX form factor and pack 100% X.D.C solid capacitors, two DDR3-1866 memory slots, one PCIe x16 and two PCIe x1 slots, three PCI slots, Gigabit Ethernet, 5.1-channel audio, plus D-Sub and DVI outputs. The A55S2 also includes six SATA 3.0 Gbps ports and four USB 2.0 connectors, while the A85S2 comes with eight SATA 6.0 Gbps ports, two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 plugs, and an HDMI output. No word yet on pricing.

Following the announcement of its second-generation A-series desktop APUs earlier this month, AMD is set to reduce prices of its older A-Series desktop APUs in the socket FM1 package, according to a DigiTimes report. Prices of the entry-level A4-3300 dual-core APU, for example, are expected to go down from US $46 to $30; and A4-3400 from $48 to $35. AMD also decided to cut price of its "Trinity" A4-5300 dual-core socket FM2 APU from $53 to $30, making it an attractive lure to the new platform, stepping up competitiveness against Intel Celeron. This information comes from sources among Taiwan-based motherboard makers, there's no word on when the new pricing could take effect.

Beating their own OC record of 7.384 GHz set earlier this week, overclocker alvinkenzo took the $122 AMD A10-5800K APU all the way up to 7446.41 MHz, achieved with a base clock frequency of 120.1 MHz and 62.0x multiplier. The core voltage was set at 1.992V, and one of the two modules were disabled, a discrete graphics card was used. Memory speed wasn't tinkered with, at DDR3-1600 MHz, a pair of G.Skill-made modules were used in dual-channel configuration. Seating it all was MSI FM2-A85XA-G65 motherboard. The CPU-Z validation for the feat can be found here.

TechPowerUp released the latest version of GPU-Z, the popular graphics subsystem information and diagnostic utility. Version 0.6.5 features the biggest complement of changes this year. To begin with GPU-Z can now reliably extract, save, and upload BIOS from NVIDIA GeForce Kepler family of GPUs. Boost clock detection for GeForce Kepler family is improved; and real-time memory clock monitoring for GeForce Kepler GPUs without Boost is fixed. A working ASIC-quality calculation method is implemented for GeForce Kepler GPUs.

GPU clock and temperature readings are improved for AMD "Trinity" APUs, and stability increased. Support is added for a large number of new GPUs, including AMD Radeon HD 7450A, HD 7730M, HD 7700M, FirePro M4000, W5000; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti, GT 635M, GT 620M, GeForce 610M, GT 620 (GF119), GT 640 (GF118), Quadro 7000, Quadro K2000M; and Intel 4th Generation Core "Haswell" graphics. Release date and die-size measurements were added for a large number of GPUs. A large number of outstanding bugs were quashed.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.6.5 | TechPowerUp GPU-Z 0.6.5 ASUS ROG Edition

The change-log follows.

MSI, a world leader in overclocking graphics cards and mainboards is pleased to announce that their brand new FM2-A85XA-G65 has just set a stunning new world-record CPU speed for AMD's new A10 APUs. Featuring MSI's new DigitALL power design with Military Class III components, the FM2-A85XA-G65 was able to smash the current limit and set an astonishing 7.384 GHz clock speed. This all was made possible with high-tech liquid nitrogen cooling of MSI's the newly released processor from AMD and outstanding engineering work on the FM2-A85XA-G65 mainboard.

Apparently, AMD wasn't exaggerating with its 6.50 GHz over LN2 claim for its A10-5800K APU. Overclocker GASBK_TW achieved 7317.74 MHz clock-speed for the A10-5800K, with a base clock of 118.03 MHz, multiplier of 62x, and a staggering 1.956V core voltage. The APU was cooled by liquid nitrogen. Other key components include Biostar Hi-Fi A85X motherboard, 4 GB of G.Skill DDR3-1600 MHz memory, and discrete Radeon HD 7700 series GPU. The CPUID validation can be found here.

AMD Japan teamed up with ASUS to display a concept 100% fanless (silent) HTPC build to buyers at Tokyo's Akihabara electronics shopping district. The build uses Streacom FC5 chassis with a CPU base modified for socket FM2. The base conducts heat from the processor using four copper heat pipes to the aluminum chassis, which doubles up as a heatsink. The build utilizes AMD A10-5700 APU, ASUS F2A85-M Pro micro-ATX motherboard based on AMD A85X chipset, 8 GB of AMD-certified DDR3-1866 MHz memory, and Corsair Force GT SSD. The concept build shows buyers that AMD's "Trinity" APUs are ready, willing, and able to power silent HTPC builds.

ASRock unveiled a new line of motherboards for socket FM2 AMD A-Series "Trinity" accelerated processors. Spread across three chipsets - AMD A55, AMD A75, and AMD A85X; and three form-factors - ATX, micro-ATX, and mini-ITX; ASRock's lineup includes a total of six models. Leading the pack is the FM2A85X Extreme6 (ATX, A85X), followed by the FM2A75 Pro4 (ATX, A75), FM2A75 Pro4-M (micro-ATX, A75), FM2A75M-DGS (micro-ATX, A75), FM2A55M-DGS (micro-ATX, A55), and FM2A75M-ITX (mini-ITX, A75).

The FM2A85X Extreme6 comes fully-loaded with a 10-phase CPU VRM, 3-way multi-GPU support (x16/NC/NC; x8/x8/NC; x8/x4/x4), DDR3-2600+ memory support, seven SATA 6 Gb/s + one eSATA 6 Gb/s ports, and a suite of ASRock XFast technologies. The board eyes a price tag around US $149. The only other ATX socket FM2 model in ASRock's lineup, the FM2A75 Pro4, features a simpler 6-phase CPU VRM, single PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (the other long slot being electrical x4), with just about all the features accommodated by the AMD A75 chipset. The FM2A75 Pro4-M is a slightly miniaturized version of this board, which retains most of its features, with fewer PCI-Express x1 and legacy PCI slots.

SAPPHIRE Technology, a leading manufacturer and global supplier of graphics, mainboard and multimedia solutions has just announced a new mainboard developed to support the latest Trinity family of APUs from AMD.

The SAPPHIRE Pure Platinum A85XT is a full ATX sized board that supports the latest generation AMD APU A10/A8/A6/A4 series Trinity processors using socket FM2. It includes full implementation of the A85X chipset features, including USB 3.0, SATA 6G, PCI-Express expansion and extensive I/O support.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today launched its latest FM2 series motherboards supporting next generation AMD A-Series APUs. The GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4, the flagship of the GIGABYTE FM2 series, incorporates GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 5 technology, digital power delivery and other exclusive features that guarantee you're getting the most from AMD's new 'Trinity' technology.

"A number of new features and technologies make their debut on the AMD platform, including Ultra Durable 5 technology, Dual UEFI 3D BIOS, Digital Power delivery, triple display support and Lucid Virtu MVP," commented Tim Handley, Deputy Director of Motherboard Marketing at GIGABYTE. "These new FM2 series motherboards offer outstanding value for any DIY builder looking to harness the improved performance of AMD's Trinity APUs."