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AMD Launches Carrizo Mobile APU With Excavator CPU Cores, Integrated Southbridge

Posted by samzenpus on from the looking-at-the-numbers dept.

MojoKid writes: AMD previously only teased bits of detail regarding their forthcoming 6th Generation A-Series APU, code named "Carrizo," as far back as CES 2015 in January and more recently with AMD's HSA (Heterogenous System Architecture) 1.0 spec roll-out in March. However, the company has officially launched the product today and has lifted the veil on all aspects of their new highly integrated notebook APU. Carrizo has been optimized for the 15 Watt TDP envelope that comprises the bulk of the thin and light notebook market currently and it brings a couple of first to integrated notebook chip designs. AMD's Carrizo APU is the first SoC architecture to fully support the HSA 1.0 specification, allowing full memory coherency of a shared memory space for both CPU and GPU up to 32GB. It's also the first integrated chip to include full support in hardware for H.265/HEVC HD video decoding and finally, Carizzo is also the first AMD APU to have a full integrated, in silicon, Southbridge controller block. So, with its CPU, GPU, memory controller, Northbridge, Southbridge, and PCIe 3.0 links, Carrizo is truly a fully integrated System On A Chip. The company is claiming a 39% CPU performance lift (combination clock speed and IPC) and up to a 65% in graphics, versus their previous generation Kaveri APU. AMD notes laptops from major vendors will begin shipping in the next few weeks.

46 comments

  1. Does it run Linux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sorry, have to ask. AMD fired quite a few Linux developers over last few years, so I'm not sure if this APU is even fully supported on Linux.

    I don't just mean graphics, I mean OpenCL support, peripheral support, etc. etc

    1. Re:Does it run Linux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      more importantly. will it run apk's HOSTS program?!

    2. Re:Does it run Linux? by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 1

      > AMD fired quite a few Linux developers over last few years,

      What? Link, please? Thanks!

    3. Re:Does it run Linux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. The upcoming AMDGPU driver will support Carrizo (it allegedly will not support Kaveri). AMD's HSA software stack is only available on Linux. Yeah, they've cut a lot of software personnel, which has taken its toll. But AMD continues to push out a lot of their bleeding-edge stuff on Linux.

    4. Re:Does it run Linux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope, by default it enforces UEFI SecureBoot with a Microsoft-provided keystore, and therefore will only run Windows 8 or better. Versions of the chip licensed to run any OS will be available later this year, with a modest price premium.

    5. Re:Does it run Linux? by DigiShaman · · Score: 1

      Unless things have changed, BIOS (UEFI) options have always existed to disable SecureBoot. Simply put, if you're competent enough to install and configure Linux, it's assumed beyond a reasonable doubt that he/she knows how to modify BIOS settings as well. So that said, BFD if it's enabled by default.

      --
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  2. What's an APU, precious? by countSudoku() · · Score: 0

    No worries, mate. G-wiki-oogle-pedia has got you covered(in ants?): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A...

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    1. Re:What's an APU, precious? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As it turns out, there are limits to what you can learn on your own from searches. I for one learned a valuable lesson trying my own DIY project. I learned: anal bleaching is best left to professionals. Ouch, that's still tender.

  3. APU? More like APP! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's an APP that runs apps!

    Apps!

  4. Dream laptop. by harrkev · · Score: 1

    Right now, my dream laptop is a Carrizo with a 1080 panel and a DisplayPort output for around $600 or so. That would let me do some casual gaming, as well as drive a 30" monitor for productivity stuff. I am not holding my breath, however. Just about the only machines with DisplayPort are gaming machine (at least $1000), or business-class machines sporting Intel (with integrated Intel graphics which suck for gaming).

    Come on, HP or Asus. Make my dream come true.

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    1. Re:Dream laptop. by CajunArson · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Everytime AMD comes out with a new mobile part we see the usual requests for products revolving around a wish for the "cheap" AMD parts to be coupled with high-quality cases/displays/RAM/storage/cases/etc./etc. to get a premium product that's super cheap.

      It never happens.

      Instead, the OEMs look at AMD's advertising of "cheap cheap cheap!" and run with it for the rest of the components in the system.

      It's not just a conspiracy either, because while AMD parts are cheaper than (some) Intel parts, when you factor in the overall cost of a system, it could turn a $1200 notebook into a $1000 notebook (maybe) but it ain't gonna turn a $1200 notebook into a $600 notebook.

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    2. Re:Dream laptop. by harrkev · · Score: 1

      But.... if you want a machine with reasonable gaming performance without the expense of a separate graphics chip, AMD is the only game in town. I don't want the best. I just want something reasonable.

      You can get an HP Envy with an AMD FX processor right now. If they throw a Carrizo FX in there (likely to happen) and add a DisplayPort interface (rather less likely), I would be quite happy. I am just bothered that DisplayPort is relegated to the expensive machines only. 30" monitors are downright cheap today compared to what they were three years ago. 4K monitors are well under $1000 now. Why are mainstream laptops limited to HDMI?

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    3. Re:Dream laptop. by binarylarry · · Score: 1, Funny

      Actually, in my experience, an AMD GPU can easily turn a $1200 laptop into a $600 laptop.

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    4. Re:Dream laptop. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      PC makers run on such razor thin margins that any market efficiency is ruthlessly exploited. If AMD's products really do perform as well as you hope then the laptops will show up.

      Thats a big IF. AMD has a recent history of showing up at trade shows with products that look aazing. Great 3D performance from an integrated CPU, low cost, etc. .. But when it comes to getting design wins, and getting products to market they fall flat. They don't perform as well as advertised, associated costs drive the price up to the point where Intel's offerings are more attractive. AMD has a big hill to climb because Intel, for all their faults, puts out a VERY nice product.

      You have to realize that these promises of a "cheap gaming laptop with integrated graphics" are probably completely unrealistic. AMD cpus have terrible performance/watt. AMD GPUs, integrated or no, are also way behind in efficiency compared to Intel and Nvidia. (Nvidia's Kepler, and Kepler refresh are a full 2 gens ahead of AMD) - The thermal/power footprint alone makes this ideal laptop completely vaporware.

    5. Re:Dream laptop. by Blaskowicz · · Score: 1

      You might faintly hope for some USB 3 type C shit there, where they can wire Displayport to.

      I'd want a 1600x900 panel though, as 1080p is just stupidly thin.

    6. Re:Dream laptop. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      THIS.

      I was not alone in this universe.

      Furthermore, the fact that graphics performance from these APUs are greatly affected by the memory speed is completely ignored. It irks me greatly whenever I see these A-series APUs coupled with DDR3-1600.

    7. Re:Dream laptop. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1920x1080 >1600x900

    8. Re:Dream laptop. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Intel's high-end integrated graphics are competitive with AMD's integrated graphics, and the most recent actually out-perform AMD's. You pay for it in dollars, but AMD is *not* "the only game in town".

    9. Re:Dream laptop. by guacamole · · Score: 1

      You can get something like this from HP. And HP Envy is available with AMD FX APUs. Changing the screen to 1080p is a $50 option, and you still should end up with under $600 laptop. Personally though, I would prefer to configure a laptop with a mobile Intel Core i5 and a $50 optional dedicated GPU. This combo may cost $100 more, but will slaughter AMD system in every respect.

      You should also take AMD's claims with a grain of salt. I recall the disappointment that was the Kaveri parts once they hit the test labs, and with Kaveri, AMD really made a "paper release" of the mobile units, with a long lag of something like a year before people saw Kaveri laptops.

    10. Re:Dream laptop. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That comes down to a whole lot of things that this new APU won't necessarily have. Everything seems to be integrated into this new APU, Southbridge, Northbridge, PCIe controller, GPU. The only thing motherboard manufacturers have to worry about now is tacking on the I/O ports and the memory chips/slots. That should help ensure the stability and performance of the system.

    11. Re:Dream laptop. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea no kidding. I thought the new APU was supposed to support the new HMB memory?

    12. Re:Dream laptop. by ooshna · · Score: 1

      That's not going to happen until their graphics cards with HBM ship.

    13. Re: Dream laptop. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1080p? Yeah. Keep dreaming big...

    14. Re:Dream laptop. by DigiShaman · · Score: 1

      It's all about marketing. When you focus on pitching a product as cheap, it really is "cheap". When comparing similar products in the same quality class, price typically wins out. AMD in my opinions needs to pull a 180 and focus on their products being premium to OEMs. Give them runtime and performance stats. Brand their product proudly while not being obnoxious at the same time. A consumer should be able to walk into a store, see a bunch of laptops or computers with an AMD sub-theme to them, and marvel and the quality. And when comparing to the standard Intel verity, they notice a huge price reduction. THAT is what will seal the deal; low cost. But you have to sell them on the idea that the product is either premium or at least *not* inferior in any way. I know it sounds like a hard sell when it's ultimately up to the OEMs to build the product, but Intel managed to pull off a very effective marketing campaign.

      --
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    15. Re:Dream laptop. by armanox · · Score: 1

      Last I heard there were no plans for a new FX chip.

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    16. Re:Dream laptop. by TsuruchiBrian · · Score: 1

      Even if I buy a "high end" laptop, I would rather have better integrated GPU than a better CPU. To me it's just a bonus that the AMD parts are so much cheaper. But as you say, it's nearly impossible to get a high end laptop with an AMD chip in it.

    17. Re:Dream laptop. by TsuruchiBrian · · Score: 1

      Where AMD currently shines is in laptops without dedicated graphics. IGP performance is much more of a bottleneck than CPU performace is (where AMD doesn't currently shine).

      So if you take an AMD laptop with an IGP, it will beat the core i5 with dedicated graphics in size, power consumption, and price.

      What sucks is that not many manufacturers make laptop models with AMD chips, and when they do they are usually coupled with terrible components.

    18. Re:Dream laptop. by rdnetto · · Score: 1

      Last I heard there were no plans for a new FX chip.

      It's a little unclear if it'll be part of the FX lineup, but apparently AMD will be releasing a new line of CPUs next year under the codename Zen. The core count will go up to 16, so it sounds like it'll definitely be a spiritual successor to the FX line, even if it's not part of it. (That is, it could actually be competitive against an i7.)

      Source: http://www.fudzilla.com/news/p...

      --
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  5. Could be a decent chip by Chirs · · Score: 4, Insightful

    We'll have to see what the benchmarks look like, but it has potential at least.

    1. Re:Could be a decent chip by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      Intels broadwells integrated graphics cream this

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    2. Re:Could be a decent chip by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And those cost how much?

    3. Re:Could be a decent chip by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      No, Intel's broadwell Iris Pro graphics CAN cream this, in desktop form factor. The weaker Gen8 graphics incarnations most certainly do not beat Carrizo or Kaveri, and certainly not at the same price point.

      The only incarnations of Broadwell Iris Pro I've seen to date that clearly beats AMD's offerings are the i7-5775C and i5-5675C. You won't see those in many laptops.

    4. Re:Could be a decent chip by Kjella · · Score: 1

      Whenever a company "launches" a computer part without any reviewers getting a sample, that's at least one strike against it. It tells me they'd rather you read their marketing material than an actual review. Do you think they don't have any ready? Of course they do. So add 2+2... Or maybe a counterpoint, when was the last time you were really impressed by a paper launch? If you got it, you're not afraid to show it off. AMD is really good at Powerpoint, but it's easy to look good on paper.

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  6. Integrated GPUs suck for 3D gaming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Marketing claiming a 65% improvement in graphics performance is pretty silly when everyone else knows that just means they went from 3 to 5 frames per second, and it's still completely useless for 3D gaming. Let me know when these things finally hit 300 GFLOPs (i.e. on par with 9-year-old previous-gen consoles).

    1. Re:Integrated GPUs suck for 3D gaming by Red+Herring · · Score: 1

      Here's letting you know...

      They don't list AMD cores in the first link that I happened to choose on Google, but here (http://kyokojap.myweb.hinet.net/gpu_gflops/):

          Previous gen consoles:
            PS3: 228.8 GFlops
            XBox360: 240 GFlops

          Current Intel integrated GFX: (Broadwell-U GT3): "Up to 844.8" GFlops
          Assuming this AMD part is faster than the Intel graphics, and we're at 3X your required performance level, at least. Even if you assume worst case, thermal limited, etc., current integrated graphics is at least as good as last gen consoles.

          And the Adreno 430 in the Snapdragon 810 is listed at 324~388, which means you can just use your cell phone.

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    2. Re:Integrated GPUs suck for 3D gaming by random+coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      Previous A10-5750 is 560GFLOPS. Maybe you've only looked at the low end ones?

    3. Re:Integrated GPUs suck for 3D gaming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not the number of GFLOPs, it's how you are able to use it....

    4. Re:Integrated GPUs suck for 3D gaming by SQL+Error · · Score: 1

      Fastest Carrizo model (the FX-8800P) is 819GFLOPS.

    5. Re:Integrated GPUs suck for 3D gaming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah and the A10-7850K is 856 GFLOPS.

    6. Re:Integrated GPUs suck for 3D gaming by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      I'd rather have fps listed for fallout 3 or something rather than gflop ratings from Intel on GPU performance(since they've had a habit of lying about what you can actually do with their gpu's since.. well since they started making gpu's really).

      on paper their next chip always is better than ewwrytwhing.

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    7. Re:Integrated GPUs suck for 3D gaming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At what Wattage? Carrizo power profiles are optimized for 15 Watt operation. Buy a desktop Kaveri or Godaveri if you want flat out GFLOPs and pay the power/heat/efficiency penalty.

    8. Re:Integrated GPUs suck for 3D gaming by Wootery · · Score: 1

      I agree that theoretical numbers are uninteresting, but I wouldn't want any one game to be the sole benchmark. Maybe a figure which incorporates performance on a cross-section of modern titles, using various game-engines.

  7. AMD...! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    bringing epic levels of "meh..."

  8. H265 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My God! I can see starz!

    But yeah, intel won't be doing COMPLETE h265 decode in chip until AFTER skylake, so maybe two years out.

    A big deal if you want 4k video and not a screaming fan.

  9. Care to provide the citation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... and the most recent actually out-perform AMD's ...

    A citation would be greatly appreciated!

    1. Re:Care to provide the citation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i7-5775C and i7-5675C are actually faster than AMD's top-of-the-line A10-7870k in iGPU tests. You won't see any of those parts in laptops, though.

      But Broadwell Iris Pro CAN outperform R7 Spectre, even the 512-shader variants. Though it will be interesting to see how that battle shapes up in the notebook/laptop space (if at all) since Kaveri chips like the 7870k do not have color compression (Carrizo does) to overcome bandwidth bottlenecks.