Its not all about raw power anymore

[cosmogenesis]

I know here at OCUK its always been about games and hence big juicy rigs but AMD/ATi might have it right here about the ability to give the masses powerful competent all round APU/CPUs.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/AMD-llano-husky-apu-radeon,news-35203.html

I cant help thinkin that after being in IT for 25 years or so this really matters for most of us.

 

[Brumboy]

Aren't these APU's designed for laptop use? If so I can see why it would be appealing to the masses however for desktop gamers who want "raw power", these wouldn't be suitable. How can they compete with regular CPU + GPU combo's? There's just no competition. The graphic power wouldn't be enough for modern games I assume (I could be wrong). It will be like the built in Intel Graphics with the Sandybridge CPU's. They're good for video encoding and watching HD films but cannot compete even with basic graphic cards for games.

But for laptops they would be useful, I'm assuming they'll be great for power consumption and battery life which are key factors when people look at laptops. Most laptop owners don't use them for gaming so these chips will be popular and hopefully good value for money.

 

[d_brennen]

Aren't these APU's designed for laptop use? If so I can see why it would be appealing to the masses however for desktop gamers who want "raw power", these wouldn't be suitable. How can they compete with regular CPU + GPU combo's? There's just no competition. The graphic power wouldn't be enough for modern games I assume (I could be wrong).

99% of computer users aren't hardcore gamers. A lot of people do want to play Flash games, watch HD video and have nice eyecandy effects in Windows though

 

[Phatzy]

Not all people on here want Fast powerful hungry computers. I'm thinking of going for a AMD E-350 media server, It's cheap and does what it says on the tin. AMD is going the right direction with the APU.

 

[Brumboy]

99% of computer users aren't hardcore gamers. A lot of people do want to play Flash games, watch HD video and have nice eyecandy effects in Windows though

Yeah you are right, I'm just talking about for gamers. But nowadays you can grab a decent graphics card for a very modest price, but most computer users probably don't have the computer knowledge to realise that, but I guess they wouldn't need one anyway if they're using their computer for really basic flash games and tasks.

I've been looking to buy a good laptop but I'm waiting to see what these APU's will be like before I choose a laptop. Intel laptops are quite expensive for what they are so hopefully AMD will offer something better for me.

 

[sculptor]

Deleted.
Sorry wrong post.

 

[marms]

At up to 100w TDP i don't think these will be in many laptops. There's a different low power range designed for laptops.

 

[Phatzy]

At up to 100w TDP i don't think these will be in many laptops. There's a different low power range designed for laptops.

Them on that chart seem's to be desktop versions.

The one in the video is a A8-3510MX which isn't listed in that chart.

Guessing by the MX means mobile edition.

 

[Lakeland]

Once we get to a stage where we don't need the extra power from new components, the masses will be pushed onto cloud based computers to keep their business' profitable.

That's my take on it anyhow.

 

[~REALiTY]

Is this even out yet?

 

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The quad core Llano CPUs have a 320 to 400 shader IGP!! This means it will probably run most modern games at lower settings. This would be great for casual gamers.

 

[olivier renault]

Pure power is not AMD's market. Competing with Intel monster hexacores and octocores would be a money drain and risky for them. As long as they are in the race with manufacturing tech, they'll be all right, as they can compete on other fronts (die size is a big deal for Bulldozer) and be competitive.

AMD is focusing more on value and consumer markets, especially in the laptop department. Besides, these are mobile chips, therefore a well integrated graphics and CPU solution is desirable (can't upgrade either). And the focus there is more on power consumption and heat than pure speed anyway. That's what laptop users want in a large majority. Decent battery life, good power, good multitasking, and good graphics (not just games, but accelerated graphics such as HTML 5 and HD content). If I have my facts right, A HD5870 mobile is about the power of a HD5770 desktop, so really there is no competition there. No point making a 200W graphics card on a laptop.

The Sandy mobile have much better IGPs than the older generation as well (although not as good as AMD, if the video is to be believed).

We'll have to wait for the desktop components to surface to judge AMD on pure performance, but I have a feeling they won't be arm wrestling Intel on that front. But if they can be competitive without trying too hard... I'd take that.

...I thought this was discussed already.

 

[Legion]

The quad core Llano CPUs have a 320 to 400 shader IGP!! This means it will probably run most modern games at lower settings. This would be great for casual gamers.

This is the holy grail for a lot of people on these forums,myself included.
Gen2 low TDP Llano APU's (Bulldozer derived) will probably be the first APU's to pull this off to a standard that suits the platforms I want it for.

The first iterations of Llano are Phenom II based,and while it will certainly change the landscape when it hits,the bulldozer based next gen is going to be the where the real action is!