facebook rss twitter

AMD launches first Fusion APUs

by Parm Mann on 4 January 2011, 11:06

Tags: AMD (NYSE:AMD)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qa3rb

Add to My Vault: x

It's been a long time coming, but AMD has today used the CES springboard to launch its long-awaited Fusion APUs.

A product of the merger between AMD and ATI in 2006, the Fusion Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) combines the CPU and GPU onto a single chip design to create what AMD calls "a new class of accelerated processor that combines more compute capabilities than any processor in the history of computing".

Arriving a day later than Intel's similarly-intertwined 2nd Generation Core processors, AMD's APU incorporates a multi-core x86 processor based on the new Bobcat core, a DirectX 11-capable graphics processor, a dedicated hardware video acceleration block and a high-speed bus.

At launch, the Fusion design is to be available in two unique product lines; E-Series APUs, formerly codenamed Zacate, and C-Series APUS, once known as Ontario. The former will target mainstream notebooks, all-in-ones, and small form factor desktops, whilst the latter will set its sights on HD netbooks and "other emerging form factors". Tablets equipped with Fusion APUs are expected to appear later this quarter, and AMD states that Acer, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba are all gearing up to announce Fusion APU-based systems at "mainstream price points".

Hoping to meet the requirements of mainstream computing, AMD claims the Fusion range will facilitate "big experiences", "sleek designs", and "all-day battery life". Support for DirectX 11, 1080p HD video and HDMI output will help deliver the required experience, and AMD is hoping to make big strides in longevity. The manufacturer claims the current range-topping AMD E-350 APU will provide over 10 hours of idle battery life or over four hours of 3D use. The netbook-orientated C-50 APU, meanwhile, is said to have managed over 12 hours when idle and a noteworthy 6.18 hours when using 3DMark '06 as an active metric.

Commenting on the launch, AMD senior vice president Rick Bergman had this to say: "We believe that AMD Fusion processors are, quite simply, the greatest advancement in processing since the introduction of the x86 architecture more than forty years ago."

"In one major step, we enable users to experience HD everywhere as well as personal supercomputing capabilities in notebooks that can deliver all-day battery life. It's a new category, a new approach, and opens up exciting new experiences for consumers."

The first four Fusion APUs are detailed in the below tables. A third Fusion product range - the 32nm A-Series, codenamed "Llano" - will includes up to four x86 cores and is scheduled to ship in the first half of 2011.

AMD E-Series Accelerated Processors (codename "Zacate")
Model Clock Speed Cores Process TDP L2 Cache GPU Shaders GPU Clock Speed DirectX UVD Memory Speed
E-350 1.6 GHz 2 cores 40nm 18W 1MB 80 500 MHz 11 UVD 3 DDR3-1333 
E-240 1.5 GHz 1 cores 40nm 18W 512KB 80 500 MHz 11 UVD 3 DDR3-1333

AMD C-Series Accelerated Processors (codename "Ontario")
Model Clock Speed Cores Process TDP L2 Cache GPU Shaders GPU Clock Speed DirectX UVD Memory Speed
C-50 1.0 GHz 2 cores 40nm 9W 1MB 80 280 MHz 11 UVD 3 DDR3-1066
C-30 1.2 GHz 1 cores 40nm 9W 512KB 80 280 MHz 11 UVD 3 DDR3-1066

HEXUS CES 2011 coverage

Click for more CES 2011 coverage




HEXUS Forums :: 6 Comments

Login with Forum Account

Don't have an account? Register today!
Looking forward to seeing the benchmarks on these chips! Should make for a nice, low power HTPC.
Go AMD! More quad-core laptops please!
“the greatest advancement in processing since the introduction of the x86 architecture”

I've heard that one before. Maybe they should have gone with:

“best thing since sliced bread” ;)
Yeah, but there are few companies who are free from marketing crap. It's the actual performance that counts at the end of the day.
Multi-core CPUs were > GPU on CPU IMO, in terms of advancement.

Having said that, lower power figures are always nice and more competition good too.