14 DAY TRIAL // AMD has already made an impression with tis new APUs, but it took things further when it showed that the FM1 processor lineup has expended beyond 'just' units with integrated GPUs.
The past couple of days have been busy for the Sunnyvale, California-based processing and graphics product developer.
Not only has AMD unleashed a range of graphics specifically tailored for all-in-one computers, but it released both triple-core and quad-core APUs as well.
It turns out, however, that three new accelerated processing units are not all that the outfit can brag about having completed and sent out.
What AMD also did was add, to the very same range of FM1 products, a processor that is most definitely not an APU.
The unit in question is the Athlon II X4 631 and is not as efficient and versatile as the others, but does have a lower price point to show for it.
More specifically, clients will be expected to pay $79 if they choose to buy one (in 1,000-unit tray quantities at least).
The chip works on A75 and A55-based motherboards and has four cores, along with just as many threads and L2 cache memory of 4 MB (4 x 1 MB). The TDP (thermal design power) is 100W.
One thing this Athlon lacks is the Turbo Core dynamic overclocking technology, but its clock is higher than the base one of the three new A-Series.
In fact, the 2.6 GHz is surpassed by only the top Turbo Core setting of the A8-3800 (2.7 GHz).
Nonetheless, the newcomer will never truly be able to perform on the same level as the others simply by virtue of the fact that it lacks integrated graphics.
The 32nm manufacturing process was utilized in the creation of the Athlon II X4 631. More models, as well as Sempron CPUs, should join the ranks of FM1-supporting products soon.