4 Generations Of The AMD APU: How Much Progress Has Been Made?

Cast your mind back to mid-2011 when AMD released its first “APU”. Back then “APU” (Accelerated Processing Unit) was a term not many of us were familiar with, although the concept wasn’t alien as we’ve had it for quite some time: a CPU that also provides a GPU. Up until the first AMD APU most CPUs had pathetic onboard GPUs that were good for about one display, some video playback and that’s about it – that applies to both AMD and Intel CPUs. Now we have APUs that are capable of realistic 1080p gaming and that large shift has occurred in just three years – largely thanks to AMD’s APUs.

We have gone through four generations of AMD’s game-changing idea “the APU”, arguably something that has driven integrated graphics performance forward on both AMD and Intel platforms. The ball started rolling when AMD released its desktop “Llano” FM1 platform in 2011, this was followed by “Trinity” and the FM2 platform in late 2012. AMD then brought out a refreshed FM2 platform APU with “Richland” in 2013 and we have seen AMD’s latest “Kaveri” FM2+ APU platform this year in 2014. That’s three years of the APU across four generations of product releases – even if Trinity to Richland was more incremental than generational. What we want to look at today is examining the all important question: how much progress has been achieved with the APU? It’s a fairly simple examination we will be doing, we will be testing AMD’s four APU flagships from each generation to see how performance has changed over the generations and over time. In testing today we have the A8-3870K (Llano), the A10-5800K (Trinity), the A10-6800K (Richland) and the A10-7850K (Kaveri). We will be putting all these APUs through the same selectionof tests with fully updated drivers, benchmarks and operating systems to give a conclusive look at the APU’s progress since its first inception.

Best Desktops for Under a Grand

Following up on last week's Best Budget PC Guide, today we have midrange systems with roughly twice the cost. Of all the systems types to configure, the midrange market can be the most difficult. With budget systems you're often limited in what you can do by price constraints while at the high end the best components are usually pretty clear cut choices; for midrange builds there are many factors to consider. One of the core questions you always need to answer is: what do you want to do with the system? Office PCs will often have a different goal than something for a student, and there are many ways to adapt a particular system to fit the needs of the user. We have two configurations again, one AMD and one Intel, with optional graphics cards for those who want a system capable of handling the latest games.

BitFenix Flo Premium PC Headset Review

Back in the old days the only people i knew who used full sized closed headphones were either in the music/radio industry or they were audiophiles who just wanted to listen to their favorite tunes without having to worry about what people around them would say (yes usually at very high volume levels). Now well things have changed a lot since people use headphones and headsets for all sorts of things from listening to music while at home or on the road and answering and making calls from their smartphones up to watching movies and playing their favorite games. As a matter of fact the market for headphones and headsets is so large right now that even several PC case manufacturers have decided that they too want a piece of it. One of them is BitFenix and since their PC cases always seem to hit the bulls eye between price and features i hope the same applies for their latest Flo Premium PC Headset.

Focused on combining superior design with the latest advances in technology, BitFenix creates state-of-the-art computer hardware and peripherals that blur the line between man and machine. Users shouldn't have to adjust themselves to the way their hardware works. So, we strive to put the user in complete control of his hardware, so that it functions as an extension of his will, and not as another variable he has to compensate for. In the heat of battle, the user should not have to worry about the state of his equipment, which is why BitFenix products are engineered to perform under even the most extreme conditions. No matter how taxing the situation, users can rely on the strength of BitFenix products to perform as they are intended. Finally, BitFenix is about performance. In the top levels of competition, the difference between first and second place can be razor-thin, which means that every advantage counts. BitFenix is about making high-performing products that give users an edge. BitFenix is the result of the collaboration of several veterans in both the technology and gaming industries. From the same minds behind some of technology’s most venerable products, our goal is to create products that grant the user the utmost control, strength, and performance to complete their computing tasks. We understand that some of the most innovative and novel concepts come from the community itself, which is why we take great steps to listen to the needs of our users and develop optimal ways to integrate their ideas into our products. By working closely with the global community, BitFenix is able to engineer solutions that directly address the needs of our users. Combining a deep understanding of gaming and other high-demand computing applications with superior engineering and design know-how, the BitFenix team is dedicated to creating the go-to computing products and peripherals for those who refuse to quit.

Unlike other manufacturers BitFenix took steps in creating a headset that people would instantly know it was made by them (well at least people who are aware of their products) so aside the usual company logo placed on the exterior of both earcups (something which everyone does) the Flo also features a nice SofTouch surface coating much like the one we've seen used with their PC cases. Specs-wise the Flo wears two 40mm neodymium drivers featuring a frequency response of 20Hz-20KHz with 68 Ohm impedance and 96dB/1mW sensitivity. A removable rubber microphone is also part of the Flo but BitFenix doesn't really say much about it aside the fact that it's flexible so not much info here. The Flo also comes ready with cables for both PC (an in-line volume controller is present here) and mobile use although i can't imagine anyone using the removable microphone for calls while on the road. So the time has come to see whether or not the first attempt in the audio peripherals market by BitFenix is a success.

Corsair Voyager Air 2 Review

Corsair's initial foray into the burgeoning wireless-storage market arrived in the form of the Voyager Air last year. Housing a 1TB, 2.5in drive inside a chassis that also incorporated a LiPo battery and WiFi card - good for about six hours of mobile streaming usage - Corsair was up against some established competition from the likes of Seagate.

Good wirelessly-connected storage is more than just about picking the right hardware. Rather more important is the software interface and quality of applications present on the Apple iOS, Google Android and Amazon Kindle ecosystems. So while the original Voyager Air was good from a features point of view, the basic interface, though perfectly serviceable, lagged behind rivals'.

Corsair introduced a second-generation model, Voyager Air 2, a couple of months ago at the Computex trade show, a year on from the original release. It is now housed in a smarter chassis and bundled with overhauled software.

Kingston HyperX Fury HX318C10FK2/16 2x8GB DDR3 RAM Review

If you ask me about the word fury, a few things come to mind. First is Colonel Nicholas Joseph Fury, better known as Nick Fury, the former director of the Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D. for short. Of course, most of you probably just think he is still the director, but in fact this is not so, and I will let Marvel tell you the actual details of what happened. Anyways, when I think of Nick Fury, I see a controlled and prepared person. Unlike his last name, he does not seem to lash out; but rather keeps it in check. In fact, in the Original Sin Vol. 1 #5, he describes himself as an “invisible monster who keeps the other monsters at bay”. Nick Fury does not generally show much for his super powers in the Marvel movies, but he definitely has powers, such as being immortal, as well as having mastered the art of Tae Kwon Do and Jiu-Jitsu. He is quite a bit more brains than brawn, but he still has the ability to pack a good punch. Conversely, the other thing I think of is the literal meaning of fury, a wild or violent anger. Rather than the comic book character, it is a great descriptor for intensity, a storm, or an outrage. In essence, we can see Nick Fury and the meaning of fury is at opposite ends. While one is able to hold together, the other is completely out of control. And that brings me to the Kingston HyperX Fury. When Kingston first announced this DDR3 RAM line, aimed at budget users, I could only imagine how they even came up with a name like “fury” to describe their product. Is this an unruly product Kingston provided for us users, or is it a bit more manageable? Read on to find out!

Leef Supra 3.0 and Ice 3.0 16GB Flash Drive Review

Today we’ll be looking at a couple USB 3.0 Flash drives by Leef Technology, the Ice 3.0 and Supra 3.0. Leef Technology might be a brand name you are familiar with, but the company was created in 2010 with the goal of making memory products that people want to own. Leef isn’t going after the high-end consumer market with their products, but rather the everyday user that they hope to win over with a solid products, stylish designs and very competitive price points. Read on to see how these USB 3.0 Flash drives perform when put to the test.

LUXA2 GroovyW bluetooth Speaker Review

Mobile phones have become indispensable to most of us in recent years. What started as a mere communication tool has now blossomed into the way many of us consume information, through news, media and social interactions. However, one aspect of contemporary smartphones that cannot beat the traditional (speaker) solution, is their ability to produce audio.

Mostly that is to do with space. There is only so much a speaker can do when it is limited to a size that is measured in millimeters rather than inches. But fortunately there are alternatives to having lackluster, loudspeaker audio – portable speakers, like the new GroovyW from LUXA2.

ZOTAC ships its Zbox mini PCs with Windows 8.1 with Bing

To provide buyers "an instant out-of-box computing experience". ZOTAC has started to ship a quartet of its mini-PC models including Microsoft Windows 8.1 with Bing pre-installed. We have covered a few releases of ZOTAC's Zbox mini PCs here on HEXUS over the last couple of years. These very compact PCs are often sold as barebones or fully kitted out 'PLUS' models including RAM and a fixed storage device. Now, thanks to Microsoft's Windows 8.1 with Bing 'promotion' it looks like ZOTAC will be able to ship "an instant out-of-box computing experience," without the usual Windows installed price premium one might expect.

The four models initially shipping with Windows 8.1 with Bing are shown in the specification table below. You will notice that these are all 'everyday computing' targeted mini PCs. Some if not all are fanless designs and there isn't an Intel Core processor in this bunch. Also they are all supplied with just 2GB of DDR3 RAM and 64GB of SSD storage to get you started. Probably this is more or less the best spec ZOTAC could manage to qualify for Windows 8.1 with Bing free (or reduced) pricing from Microsoft.