Thin and light new choice AMD quad-core Kabini APU book review

IT168 Review CPU and GPU from the separation to the later chip-level fusion, and then to the architectural integration, we see AMD's APU step by step to witness the process. Since the first generation of fusion products in 2011, Llano development to date, the processor's energy efficiency ratio and process technology has also changed many times during the two years. Among them, the code name Brazos has left a deep impression on users, as the first batch of low-power platform products, in the thin and light entry notebook, small motherboards, embedded systems and other aspects of the cumulative shipments of more than 50 million units, is a very successful product. The new 28nm processor with SATA is the perfect solution for this market. The combination of the new 28nm process and SOC solution further contributes to the faster development of the thin and light trend, so Kabini/Temash for ultra-thin platforms and tablet hybrids is of great significance to AMD.

" AMD's new generation of mainstream APUs

Kabini production

"Product Line:

▲APU Kabini product line

Here's a quick look at the new processor's technical features:

1. 28nm process production, which has been slowed down by the problems with GlobalFoundries' 28nm process. The process has been delayed because of GlobalFoundries 28nm process, TSMC's process is not very mature, but recently with the process upgrades, shipments have gradually increased, visible yields have not been a problem. 28nm process for reducing power consumption, reduce the size of the wafer (a single core 4.9 square millimeters down to 3.1 square millimeters), and cost savings have a great role.

2, SoC program, Kabini/Temash processor, all belong to the SoC chip, are integrated with the Jaguar Jaguar architecture CPU core, GCN architecture GPU core, memory controller, PCI-E, I/O, video output, USB3.0 master? SoC is the trend of computer chip development, the reason why it did not do because the process can not reach, heat dissipation and power consumption can not be balanced. But now it seems that these technical barriers are gradually breaking through, the future of the computer motherboard will be smaller, it is worth noting that this is the industry's first quad-core x86 architecture SoC chip.

▲Kabini core architecture

3. Jaguar's new core GCN architecture solo. Thanks to the new process, the dual-core and quad-core ?Jaguar? cores have a TDP of only 9W-25W, with DCE, UVD, VCE, NB and DDR P mode power gating. The internal HD8000 series GPUs support DirectX 11.1 technology, simultaneous dual-screen output at resolutions up to 4096 x 2160, faster real-time HD decoding, and support for multiple formats - H.264, SVC HDCP 2.1, and more. Additionally, Kabini supports next-generation AWD technology, an AMD wireless output technology that gives users a more free-flowing video experience without the feel of wires.

New visual identity system (logo) and new applications:

▲AMD enabled the new APU Logo

There is a point to be mentioned here, the A6 processor is different from the E1, E2, and A4 processors, in addition to having a stronger performance, but also at the same time, adding a new technology, AMD screen mirroring Screen Mirror, through the This technology makes it easy to stream low-latency video from your PC screen to any TV/monitor on your home wireless network. (This technology is only available through an inexpensive DLNA receiver?Digital Living Network Alliance?is a networked media solution that is supported by many smartphones or TV boxes.)

In terms of new experience, the Kabini series of mainstream APUs offer some improvements in HD playback, transcoding, web applications, power control, and more. According to AMD's data, the new Kabini processor relative to the previous generation of products in the productivity increase of 27%, graphics performance increased by 32%, energy saving 25%, etc., for our application experience to bring more surprises, the following we take a look at the specific performance of Kabini.

A4-5000 mainstream APU performance test

Light and thin products equipped with Kaini APUs are now starting to hit the market. We received a test machine as well, without a specific brand. Here we will do some basic tests on this A4-5000 (Kabini) APU.

AMD Kabini APU testbed

Parameter nameParameter specs

Processor

AMD Quad-Core APU A4-5000 Quad-Core Clocked at 1.5GHz

Chipset

AMD Yangtze, AMD K16

Memory

1?4GB DDR3-1600MHz

Graphics

AMD Radeon HD 8330 (Kabini)

Hard Disk

MQ-01ABD100H 1TB

Display

14-inch Mirror (1920 x 1080 resolution)

Battery

Specifications

11V 45Wh

Wireless Network Card

Qualcomm Atheros AR8161 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller

Wired Network Card

Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter

From the previous positioning, we can see that the A4-500 APU is positioned as an ultra-thin notebook, and it is the only quad-core SoC currently on the market that focuses on the entry/mainstream market, with an ultra-low TDP of 15 watts in line with the competitor's low-power processors that end in U. However, based on my personal experience, AMD's A4-500 APU is the only quad-core processor on the market that focuses on the entry/mainstream market. However, based on personal experience, AMD's platform is relatively cheaper, so we are still looking forward to the performance of the quad-core APU.

▲CPU ID screenshot

A4-5000, quad-core, TDP 15W, 1.5G, total L2 cache ****2MB, built-in fusion single-display model HD8330, GCN architecture, 128SP, 500MHZ, support for a single-channel DDR3L 1600, a lot of users are concerned about whether they can cross-fire, but in fact, for the SoC's In addition, the Kabini APUs are also designed to be able to support dual-channel DDR3L 1600, which is a great way to boost the performance of your PC and to reduce the amount of power consumption.

▲2013 APU ecosystem explosion

The built-in HD8330 is the latest GCN architecture is right, which is part of what AMD's APUs are most proud of, and this fusion-exclusive core is an entry-level performance, but it's fine to hold up our 1080p resolution and run some basic 3D games.

▲APU A4-5000 Quad-Core Ultra Low Power Win8 Platform Score

▲Four physical cores 2MB L2 cache

From the Windows 8 internal scoring, you can see that the APU A4-5000's performance is still relatively balanced, with a processor score of 5.1, which isn't quite as high as it could have been, but the Windows for Processors score of 5.1 is not. Above that, the product has been positioned into the mainstream, which means it can run daily office applications, audio and video entertainment are no problem. Here's a look at the actual multitasking test from the editors:

▲Multitasking quad-core CPU occupancy

Installing Office 2013 software while running QQ Player, playing 720p H.264 web video, opening multiple images, running 10 web pages, and mounting Ali Wangwang to log in at the same time. The system occupancy rate peaked at around 65~85%, and the video still ran smoothly, so editors feel that the multitasking ability of this Kabini APU A4-5000 is still good.

▲1080p HD playback

We tested a 1080p video with QQ Video, which was around 5.2GB in size, and we could see that the APU's occupancy rate was around 18 percent, and AMD's next-generation UVD decoding helped reduce unnecessary energy waste.

▲Compression speeds averaged 1,831KB/s

We used Winrar 5.0beta, which is now the latest version, and with the new algorithms and APUs, the test speeds went up to 1,831KB/s, which is about the same as the previous generation A6, the mainstream processor we tested. So it's still good enough to handle everyday file compression.

▲Musemage image processing test

Musemage is the world's first GPU-accelerated, full-featured image processing software, with a simple, easy-to-use, and very powerful user interface. Because of its GPU-accelerated filters, Musemage is much faster than similar programs, and the interaction is fast and friendly. The VISION logo can be seen when opening the software, and the APU A4-5000+HD8330 scored 2073.

▲Total score: 2223 If you add an SSD, the score will be even higher

PCamrk is one of the most comprehensive benchmarking software released by Futuremark, with a range of features such as: CPU, Graphics, Hard Disk Drive, and Audio. PCamrk is a comprehensive benchmarking program from Futuremark that covers CPUs, graphics cards, hard disks, audio, and more, and its results reflect the overall performance of the machine. The machine scored 2223 in this test, a relatively mainstream score that can meet the needs of home entertainment and learning life. Of course, if you upgraded the SSD, the score would be much higher.

▲New 3DMark tests

The new 3DMark supports cross-platform testing of mobile platforms, supporting Widows, Android, iOS, and Windows RT platforms, so it's more suitable for comparing the 3D performance of different devices. We tested this APU against CloudGate and scored 1919.

A4-5000 mainstream APU real-world testing

In terms of real-world testing, we tested the Kabini in three areas: gaming, power consumption, and cooling.

Game for mainstream games "Ghostbusters 5" and "Call of Duty" to try to play, in view of the positioning of the machine and the performance of the graphics card, so we used a low quality, 1360?768 resolution, the actual performance is not bad, can reach more than 30fps, to ensure that a lot of game playability.

▲Ghostbusters 5 game test average 34.42fps low quality can run smoothly

▲Call of Duty 8 game average frame rate 31.17fps low quality can be played

The positioning of the A4-5000 belongs to the entry level, so the game performance of the small I have not too much to pursue, but from the test scores, it since it can be played at 1366 Here's an edited recording of a test session with Ghostbusters 5:

Power consumption, cooling, and battery life:

The best part of the Kabini SoC platform is that it's energy-efficient, so here are the power consumption tests we ran with the laptop idle and fully loaded (CPU and GPU at the same time). We pulled the battery out for more accurate results.

▲Standby power consumption of just 13.7W

With the entire notebook consuming just 13.7W in standby, it's hard to imagine this is a quad-core processor product. The 28nm Kaini APU is a real powerhouse, consuming only 24.1W of power even when fully loaded! Even at full load, the overall power consumption is only 24.1 watts, which is about 19.1 watts for daily use, making it energy efficient.

And in general, a single chip with low power consumption is better for heat dissipation, so let's take a look at the heat dissipation situation:

▲The front panel was at a maximum of 37.7 degrees Celsius, almost no heat at all

We did our temperature testing at 23 degrees Celsius in the room, with AIDA 64 3.0 for 30 minutes, and measured by the FLUKE temperature tester. The specific temperature performance is not bad, the highest temperature of the keyboard surface is under the right palm rest, that location should still hard disk. The highest temperature was 37.7 degrees, which is about the same temperature as a human hand, so you can't feel the heat. The entire back of the machine also does not have a large area of heat accumulation, the hottest place is the bottom of the CPU cooling part, 43.7 degrees to copy the machine for half an hour is also considered to be OK. AIDA64 shows a full-loaded copy of the core temperature is only about 50 degrees, which is at least 10 degrees lower than the average traditional processor! So Kabini's stability is still guaranteed.

▲POWERMARK 5 hours 15 minutes

POWERMARK is a professional graphical user interface capable of 32-bit color imaging and fluid user-friendly mouse navigation, delivering the ultimate in graphics performance for gaming enthusiasts who demand the highest frame rates without compromising on resolution. customizable test options are provided. We ran the test with WIFI on, balanced power mode, and default brightness, and the final score was 5 hours and 15 minutes, which is pretty impressive.

Summary: SoC will make ultra-thin and light notebook more popular

Speaking of ultra-thin and light notebook?Ultrathin, have to talk about the thin and light trend of the notebook now, remember that a few years ago, the thickness of our notebooks are still in the 32mm or so, no matter what brand, basically cut the thinning of the size means that the streamlining or performance has been sacrificed. But in recent years, with the improvement of the process, the chip TDP power consumption decline, so that the laptop in the heat above the input can be slightly reduced, and slowly appeared some of the size of a slightly thinner product, in the 22 ~ 30mm or so, the weight of 2Kg or so of the thin and light notebook is gradually recognized by users. Especially in the past two years, thin and light products and fission out of the two new product camps? Intel-led Ultrabook and AMD's Ultrathin Ultrabook. In fact, no matter what kind of product, the user experience is constantly improving, and users are concerned about heat dissipation, battery life, performance and other aspects of the birth of the new processor has become more interesting.

▲KABINI engineering machine is only 21.24mm thin, weighing 1.745Kg

In terms of thinness and lightness, the engineering machine we got can already reach 21.24mm, 1.745Kg, in terms of portability has done a good job, than the ordinary laptop to be lighter than the 700g or so, suitable for going out to carry. I believe that with the addition of OEMs, the thickness of the product can be further reduced, because after all, the Kabini APU is a SoC design, the motherboard space is more affluent, 21mm is only a conservative thickness.

In terms of cooling, as we saw earlier, the Kabini platform we tested consumes only about 14W (standby), so if you're just using the machine on a daily basis, it's cooler, no more than 37 degrees on the front, and your hands don't get warm when you put them on the keyboard. This is true for long hours of work, browsing the web, and watching videos, as heat dissipation is no longer a problem with the new 28nm process!

Long battery life, low power consumption and energy saving, the battery life is naturally longer, PowerMark's battery life in 5 hours and 15 minutes, this achievement is already enough to illustrate the advantages of low-power platform battery life (this is still a 45Wh battery life).

Performance, A4-5000 positioning entry-level, in terms of specifications, the biggest success of this APU is the introduction of quad-core for the first time into the SoC design, four Jagura architecture CPU cores in the multitasking effect. In addition, the new low-power Kabini APU integrates the south bridge to bring the physical distance between the chips closer, which is conducive to improving data throughput speed. And the new GPU also upgraded GCN architecture, stream processor up to 128, gaming performance as you can see, can play some basic 3D games. Of course, limited to the positioning, we should not be too harsh on this APU, A4-5000 for daily life applications, audio and video entertainment is completely enough.

In summary, we believe that the AMD Kabini A4-5000 is a SOC that can fulfill people's daily applications, and at the same time, has some 3D performance, excellent battery life and power control. In fact, in the game between performance and power consumption, the importance of power consumption control has been rising year by year, how to make a balance in the middle of the market and user acceptance, AMD's APU has been in the valuable new attempts, Kabini let us see some surprises, for the next Temash products and the next generation of APUs, we will wait and see.