It's true if only compared to it's predecessor, but compare to it's competitor max TDP is not even close. I'm in SE-Asia and most of us don't use AMD APU that much, except for Laptop, for desktop part we mostly used Intel Processor and despite that fact that we people don't worry much about TDP, all we care is how its perform in actual day-work.
I'm also in SE-Asia. AMD APU plays significant role in internet cafe in Thailand (except those hi-end cafe' that utilize top of the line CPU+GPU combination). It's cost-effective while still adequate running 3D games at reasonable framerate.
I was planning to do a build with A4-4000 for my parents as they don't need that much processing power.I am OK with the I/O selection, except for Single Channel memory. I should see this processors multimedia capabilities.
Ok I am confused (why does AMD make their product map such a confusing mess). Are these the sockets which will be used with the FX-6300,8300 etc CPU line?
I think more realistically the GPU-less processors are dead. If AMD releases a new FX-series part it will likely be based on an APU part either with less space allocated to the GPU or the GPU disabled.
Yep. It is very unlikely, that we see AMD CPU without GPU part any more! THE HMA and so on depends on the idea that CPU and GPU share resources and do more together! If we are lucky, we may see one day "high-end" AMD APU. If we are not, we only see middle power APUs in the future. So Flunk is very right in there. Only APU tactic is the only way AMD has any chance of competing in computer market.
Well, it depends on how high end gaming you are targeting for. AMD APU with 8 Excavator cores can be really nice gaming CPU. Not likely in the same level as Intel Skylake will be, but good enough!
I am also thinking the same, they are way behind Intel in single core performance. With Intel process advancements(3D transistors and 14nm/22nm), they wont be able to catch up. What's the point in wasting resources, in pursuing that. HSA and HUMA are very promising and I am actually excited about them. Once more and more applications start to use OpenCL, then APU's make more sense and they can beat out traditional CPU's.It may not be today, but definitely in future.
I'd have to disagree with you on that. Bay Trail and Kabini should be good enough for most use cases. If you're a video editor or 3D-modeler or some other extreme power user type, definitely get a better system.
Ian, is there any word on Linux support? These would make for great XBMC // HTPC boxes, but thus far AMD has done very little to get their Kabini/Temash SoCs and platforms friendly with the Linux kernel.
Have they mentioned a Mullins release date to retailers? AMD announced Kabini early last year yet it took nearly a year for them to become available.
exactly. And does is support ECC? the supported 16 GB RAM is pretty useless unless you use it for a freenas build. A cheap Avoton competitor (ECC and more than 16 GB of RAM) would be nice especially if it is upgradeable.
This paired with a mini-ITX motherboard would make a great entry level Steam Box. 720p gaming, entry level Steam Box. Yeah, I'd like to see that become a thing. Then they lock specs on a mid range build and an upper end build; maybe a multi-monitor/4K build a bit down the road. That'd be good.
What, really? The GPU in these processors is pretty abysmal, it's targeted at the low, low end. You wouldn't be able to do 720p gaming on anything but the lightest titles, unless you are willing to turn down the settings a lot. I regularly game on an intel HD 4600, and it is not great. That is supposed to perform about 40% better than Kabini.
Is single channel really confirmed? If you look at picture of MSI mainboard, in lower left corner, on the box, it is written "2 DIMMs, Dual Channel DDR3-1333 (OC)".
Single channel is confirmed. I noticed at Computex last year on the BGA versions, all the signs said dual channel and then later in the week that info was scrubbed out of the display. Our information is all single channel, and I confirmed it with AMD before writing this piece.
The single channel memory for the IGP hurts. If that isn't a typo on the description for that MSI board it would be nice. The CPU wouldn't benefit much from the duel channel, but the increased bandwidth could give these a good legs up over Bay Trail in the IGP department.
I'm kind of missing the important question: Will there be upgrade CPU's for this socket in the future? In other words, will Beema/Mullins APU's also be delivered in AM1 socketed format? After all an upgradable board is nice, but only if there are actually upgrades for it.
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fancylearar - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
This looks interesting since AMD Kabini series never truly available in desktop market but its power efficiency is amazingly good.keristerzt - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
It's true if only compared to it's predecessor, but compare to it's competitor max TDP is not even close. I'm in SE-Asia and most of us don't use AMD APU that much, except for Laptop, for desktop part we mostly used Intel Processor and despite that fact that we people don't worry much about TDP, all we care is how its perform in actual day-work.mr_tawan - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
I'm also in SE-Asia. AMD APU plays significant role in internet cafe in Thailand (except those hi-end cafe' that utilize top of the line CPU+GPU combination). It's cost-effective while still adequate running 3D games at reasonable framerate.R3MF - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
true, i use an A4-5000 kabini SFF system as a home server, and it is doing a stellar job considering the £150 price tag for an OS'less computer.saiki4116 - Friday, March 7, 2014 - link
I was planning to do a build with A4-4000 for my parents as they don't need that much processing power.I am OK with the I/O selection, except for Single Channel memory. I should see this processors multimedia capabilities.drezden444 - Wednesday, April 9, 2014 - link
a6 5200 is even better. I was surprised by it's calculation capabilities in 25W form. I even wonder what will happen if we rise the freq. to 45Wlurker22 - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
Ok I am confused (why does AMD make their product map such a confusing mess). Are these the sockets which will be used with the FX-6300,8300 etc CPU line?Homeles - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
No. Those are AM3+. This should be an SoC only socket.If AMD does end up launching a new line of FX processors, which likely wouldn't be until Excavator, they'd probably be on FM2+.
lurker22 - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
Thank you very much for the clarification. So it would be better to wait for the FM2+ as the AM3+ is a dead end now?Flunk - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
I think more realistically the GPU-less processors are dead. If AMD releases a new FX-series part it will likely be based on an APU part either with less space allocated to the GPU or the GPU disabled.haukionkannel - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
Yep. It is very unlikely, that we see AMD CPU without GPU part any more! THE HMA and so on depends on the idea that CPU and GPU share resources and do more together!If we are lucky, we may see one day "high-end" AMD APU. If we are not, we only see middle power APUs in the future.
So Flunk is very right in there. Only APU tactic is the only way AMD has any chance of competing in computer market.
lurker22 - Wednesday, March 5, 2014 - link
So looks like have to buy Intel for gaming?haukionkannel - Thursday, March 6, 2014 - link
Well, it depends on how high end gaming you are targeting for. AMD APU with 8 Excavator cores can be really nice gaming CPU. Not likely in the same level as Intel Skylake will be, but good enough!saiki4116 - Friday, March 7, 2014 - link
I am also thinking the same, they are way behind Intel in single core performance. With Intel process advancements(3D transistors and 14nm/22nm), they wont be able to catch up. What's the point in wasting resources, in pursuing that.HSA and HUMA are very promising and I am actually excited about them. Once more and more applications start to use OpenCL, then APU's make more sense and they can beat out traditional CPU's.It may not be today, but definitely in future.
Homeles - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
Bizarre that AMD is calling this socket AM1. That's bound to cause some confusion.nunomoreira10 - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
Can it be overclocked :Pimagine 4ghz Kabini :D
MikeMurphy - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
I too would like to know whether it can be over clocked despite absence of AMD support. Would make for a very fun chip.Homeles - Wednesday, March 5, 2014 - link
It'd still be rather slow. Bay Trail and Kabini aren't fast enough for Windows PCs, IMO. Maybe next generation.saiki4116 - Friday, March 7, 2014 - link
But could be enough for a Lubuntu/Xfce based linux distroNamisecond - Sunday, March 23, 2014 - link
I'd have to disagree with you on that. Bay Trail and Kabini should be good enough for most use cases. If you're a video editor or 3D-modeler or some other extreme power user type, definitely get a better system.Homeles - Wednesday, March 5, 2014 - link
You probably wouldn't see 4GHz, even under LN2. Low power chips don't clock high.mrdude - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
Ian, is there any word on Linux support? These would make for great XBMC // HTPC boxes, but thus far AMD has done very little to get their Kabini/Temash SoCs and platforms friendly with the Linux kernel.Have they mentioned a Mullins release date to retailers? AMD announced Kabini early last year yet it took nearly a year for them to become available.
R3MF - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
i'm using an Acer A4-5000 SFF kabini system as a home server using Opensuse 13.1 and it seems to work fine.nafhan - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
Man... wanting to build a little home server, and either this or Bay Trail D would be pretty decent IF they just had 4 SATA ports.Computer Bottleneck - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
I noticed the two Asrock AM1 Mini-ITX actually do come with four SATA 6 Gbps ports.beginner99 - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
exactly. And does is support ECC? the supported 16 GB RAM is pretty useless unless you use it for a freenas build. A cheap Avoton competitor (ECC and more than 16 GB of RAM) would be nice especially if it is upgradeable.franzeal - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
"The bandwidth would be limiting, and as a result anything other than low-resolution/low-quality gaming would be possible."I think this statement conveys the opposite of what you're intending.
LauRoman - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
Great of AMD to pull a microsoft and call something one after two and three are out.wonderfield - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
Maximum of four PCIe 2.0 lanes is confirmed?jardows2 - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
Please, give us a thin version of the motherboards?Hrel - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
This paired with a mini-ITX motherboard would make a great entry level Steam Box. 720p gaming, entry level Steam Box. Yeah, I'd like to see that become a thing. Then they lock specs on a mid range build and an upper end build; maybe a multi-monitor/4K build a bit down the road. That'd be good.ssj3gohan - Wednesday, March 5, 2014 - link
What, really? The GPU in these processors is pretty abysmal, it's targeted at the low, low end. You wouldn't be able to do 720p gaming on anything but the lightest titles, unless you are willing to turn down the settings a lot. I regularly game on an intel HD 4600, and it is not great. That is supposed to perform about 40% better than Kabini.grndzro7 - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
To everyone complaining about single channel ram....This processor isn't fast enough to need more than 1 channel.The processor isn't fast enough to run anything more than the lowest end discrete cards.
With the price point you could put together a nice media server for around 100$ which is great.
Homeles - Wednesday, March 5, 2014 - link
Dual channel is generally not a big deal anyway. The only big exception for consumers being IGP performance.Carleh - Wednesday, March 5, 2014 - link
Is single channel really confirmed? If you look at picture of MSI mainboard, in lower left corner, on the box, it is written "2 DIMMs, Dual Channel DDR3-1333 (OC)".Ian Cutress - Friday, March 7, 2014 - link
Single channel is confirmed. I noticed at Computex last year on the BGA versions, all the signs said dual channel and then later in the week that info was scrubbed out of the display. Our information is all single channel, and I confirmed it with AMD before writing this piece.Mendoza - Thursday, March 6, 2014 - link
The single channel memory for the IGP hurts. If that isn't a typo on the description for that MSI board it would be nice. The CPU wouldn't benefit much from the duel channel, but the increased bandwidth could give these a good legs up over Bay Trail in the IGP department.Asrockrulez - Friday, March 21, 2014 - link
I'm kind of missing the important question: Will there be upgrade CPU's for this socket in the future? In other words, will Beema/Mullins APU's also be delivered in AM1 socketed format? After all an upgradable board is nice, but only if there are actually upgrades for it.