E3 sprouts rumours and facts about the next generation of consoles

Subject: General Tech | July 7, 2011 - 12:46 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ps4, xbox, Nintendo, consoles, amd, E3, cell processor

[H]ard|OCP heard quite a bit about the new generation of consoles via the grape vine at E3.  The big winner is AMD, who will be providing the graphical power for all three of the next generation of major consoles as well as being in the running for putting a Bulldozer APU inside Sony's next game system.  IBM is the other competitor for providing Nintendo's core with an updated Cell processor, which also will be running in the next generation XBox.  Nintendo is also going with IBM, though they are looking at a custom built 45nm CPU.  This is very good news for AMD, with a guaranteed presence in every console and a possible hardware monopoly with Sony.

"Guys talk, you hear things. And at this year's E3 HardOCP picked up a lot of information about the upcoming hardware in the next generation consoles. It will be interesting to see if our rumor mill churns up truth or fiction. We wanted to get this out the week after E3, but we had some I's to dot and some T's to cross."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Flashy Intel flash specs leak @ The Register
• Major ISPs agree to "six strikes" copyright enforcement plan @ Ars Technica
• Facebook adds Skype video chat @ The Inquirer
• Intel's Gallium3D Driver After Google's Work @ Phoronix
• Hackers booby-trap an Android racing game with malware @ The Inquirer
• Hobby Micro Distilling @ Make:Blog
• Revising Cinema for the Blu-ray age - Where to draw the line? @ Tweaktown
• Weekly Giveaway #5: Hearts Of Iron III Game Bundle @ eTeknix
• July Bjorn3D Folding @ Home Contest, Your Chance to Win a Gigabyte A75M-D2H
• Real World Labs And IN WIN Joint Contest

Video Perspective: AMD A-series APU Overclocking and Gaming Performance

Subject: Graphics Cards, Motherboards, Processors | July 6, 2011 - 08:15 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: amd, llano, APU, a-series, a8, a8-3850, overclocking

We have spent quite a bit of time with AMD's latest processor, the A-series of APUs previously known as Llano, but something we didn't cover in the initial review was how overclocking the A8-3850 APU affected gaming performance for the budget-minded gamer.  Wonder no more!

In this short video we took the A8-3850 and pushed the base clock frequency from 100 MHz to 133 MHz and overclocked the CPU clock rate from 2.9 GHz to 3.6 GHz while also pushing the GPU frequency from 600 MHz up to 798 MHz.  All of the clock rates (including CPU, GPU, memory and north bridge) are based on that base frequency so overclocking on the AMD A-series can be pretty simple provided the motherboard vendors provide the multiplier options to go with it.  We tested a system based on a Gigabyte and an ASRock motherboard both with very good results to say the least.  

We tested 3DMark11, Bad Company 2, Lost Planet 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and Dirt 3 to give us a quick overall view of performance increases.  We ran the games at 1680x1050 resolutions and "Medium"-ish quality settings to find a base frame rate on the APU of about 30 FPS.  Then we applied our overclocked settings to see what gains we got.  Honestly, I was surprised by the results.

While overclocking a Llano-based gaming rig won't make it compete against $200 graphics cards, getting a nice 30% boost in performance for a budget minded gamer is basically a no-brainer if you are any kind of self respecting PC enthusiast. 

Newegg Gears Up With New Llano Processors, Are You Ready?

Subject: Processors | July 6, 2011 - 04:41 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: llano, APU, amd

Newegg recently opened up its Llano inventory to consumers, with both the A6-3650 and A8-3850 now in stock.  The new AMD APUs represent a combination of AMD graphics and CPU, and are an interesting option for low cost systems on both the budget gaming machines using integrated graphics and small form factor HTPC systems.

Our you ready for Llnao?  Why not join the discussion over in the forums and advocate whether Llnao is deserving of Hardware Leaderboard status?

Llano's physical examination keeps on going on

Subject: Processors | July 6, 2011 - 12:53 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: llano, APU, amd

Llano is still very active in the news, as reviewers try to pin down exactly what the capabilities of a true APU are; what does it do well and what does it not do well.  Most reviewers have discovered that AMD's offering is relatively weak at current generation general computation and absolutely amazing as an integral GPU.  Part of the weakness in computational tasks seems to stem from the scarcity of programs that can take advantage of multi-core processors and the almost complete lack of GPU accelerated programs ... that are not graphical in nature.  X-bit Labs takes a very in depth look at the modified Stars core called Husky and the Sumo graphical portion which resembles Redwood.

"Desktop Lynx platform that includes hybrid Llano processors has finally found its way to the consumers. Let’s take a closer look at it and find out how successful the combination of old Stars processor cores and a high-performance Radeon GPU actually is."

Here are some more Processor articles from around the web:

Processors

• AMD A8-3850 2.9GHz Llano APU Review @ Legit Reviews
• A8-3850 vs. Core i3-2100 CPU Review @ Hardware Secrets
• AMD A8-3850 (Llano) APU Video Performance Examined @ Tweaktown
• AMD A8-3850 Lynx APU Processor @ Benchmark Reviews
• Mobile CPU Comparison Guide @ TechARP

Always someone to ruin the parade, NVIDIA's response to AMD's Southern Island news

Subject: General Tech | July 6, 2011 - 12:36 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: southern islands, parade, nvidia, kepler, fermi, amd

As is common in the industry, when one company releases news their competitors have to do something to distract people.  Since in this case it was AMD's announcement of the Southern Islands release, it is NVIDIA who feels the need to hold a competing spectacle.  In this case it was news that their new Fermi based 28nm Kepler GPU has taped out ... maybe.  In this particular scenario we have an intentional leak from NVIDIA which was light on details and heavy on spin.  SemiAccurate takes a long look at some of NVIDIA's claims, from the doubling of transistors with no cost in TDP to the probable difference between Tesla branded Fermi and GeForce branded Fermi cards to NVIDIA's claims that switching from 40nm to 28nm is hard and that it is all TSMC's fault. 

"When SemiAccurate announced that AMD (NYSE:AMD) was aiming for September with Southern Islands (SI), you could almost set your watch to the Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) response. If you are new to the PR game, you will probably scratch your head wondering what we mean by Nvidia response, officially there is silence, but there definitely was a response."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• PowerPoint horror-slides @ Anti-PowerPoint Party
• Microsoft's Patriot Act admission has the EU up in arms @ Engadget
• Electronics tutorial two-fer: soldering skills and wires @ Hack a Day
• Nanomagnets Could Replace Transistors in Microprocessors @ Slashdot
• Nouveau Driver Power Management Against The NVIDIA Blob @ Phoronix
• Ipad 2 unlocked and jailbroken thanks to PDF exploit @ The Inquirer
• Industry Update: Gaming and Smartphone Stats in the Middle East @ t-break
• Contest: Thermaltake Level 10 GT Chassis @ Techgage

Step into the HTPC arena to witness the battle for iGPU dominance

Subject: Systems | July 5, 2011 - 05:33 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: htpc, llano, sandybridge; a3850; i3 2100, amd, Intel, APU

In one corner is the $140 AMD A8-3850 and in the other is the $135 Intel Core i3-2100T, with matching motherboards both about $100.  We have seen how the new Llano chips stack up in computation and gaming but their use in HTPC systems is also important and requires different benchmarks.  Bjorn3D takes a look at the two chips ability to properly render Blu-ray at the proper 23.976 fps naturally as well as taking advantage of Direct X Video Acceleration.  Take a look to see how AMD's new APU can handle a role as an HTPC.

"In addition to being a capable mainstream APU, the Llano and the new Lynx platform have the potential to be a perfect match for a more capable HTPC system. In this article we are taking a look at the HTPC capabilities of the A3850 and a Gigabyte A75 motherboard, and contrasting it to a comparable Intel system with a Core i3-2100T and an ASRock H67 motherboard."

Here are some more Systems articles from around the web:

Systems

• AMD A8-3850 : An HTPC Perspective @ AnandTech
• Veebeam HD Wireless Streamer Review @ Real World Labs
• A.C.Ryan PlayON!HD 2 FullHD Network Media Player Review @ Real World Labs
• Fractal Designs Define R3 Chassis Review @MissingRemote
• Streacom HDMI Audio Mix Cable Review @ eTeknix

Meet Hondo, AMD's soon to arrive 2W TDP Brazos chip for tablets ... and Apache servers?

Subject: General Tech | July 5, 2011 - 12:06 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: windows 8, ontario, low power, hondo, brazos, APU, amd

Thanks to a leak from AMD, we have new information on their plans for tablets and ultra mobile platforms.  Hondo will be a member of Brazos-T, the planned improvement to the current low power version of Brazos which goes by the name of Desna.  This is not so much a new chip as a refining of Brazos and the Ontario APU, the 1GHz APU will still be made on a 40nm process and sport a DirectX 11 GPU at 276MHz also optimized for lower power consumption and heat production.  The Hudson controller is also being tweaked in the same way, with the chipset's TDP sitting at 1W compared to the ~4W the APU will consume.  It should be capable of playing 720p videos at that power setting, though you can expect a bit more power draw if you are streaming the movie wirelessly.  You can read more about the future of the new fanless APU from AMD at The Inquirer.

Image from donanimhaber

"CHIP DESIGNER AMD is planning to refresh its Brazos platform in time for Microsoft's Windows 8.

AMD launched its Brazos platform last year, though actual products tipped up earlier this year featuring a dual core processor and a DirectX 11 GPU. However with Windows 8 coming out in 2012, it is a little surprising that leaked slides point to AMD planning a refresh of Brazos, codenamed Hondo. According to the slides, Hondo is designed to operate with passive cooling, and have 2W "app power" usage, about half that of the current Brazos chips."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Retailer Calls Rivals' Bluff On "HDMI Scam" @ Slashdot
• Unlicensed: Are Google Music and Amazon Cloud Player illegal? @ Ars Technica
• Facebook's 'awesome' plan to hook up with Skype? @ The Register
• Top level domain explosion could wreak MAYHEM on NET @ The Register
• Nanolayers improve performance of phase change memory @ Nanotechweb
• Imation Link Wireless Extender Review @ t-break

Podcast #160 - Lenovo ThinkPad X1, OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2, Crysis 2 DX11 update, Llano preview and more!

Subject: General Tech | June 30, 2011 - 02:50 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: podcast, X1, Thinkpad, revodrive, ocz, nvidia, llano, Lenovo, Intel, dx11, crysis 2, amd

PC Perspective Podcast #160 - 6/30/2011

This week we talk about the Lenovo ThinkPad X1, OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2, Crysis 2 DX11 update, Llano preview and more!

You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.

The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!

• iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
• RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
• MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file

Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath and Allyn Malventano

This Podcast is brought to you by MSI Computer, and their all new Sandy Bridge Motherboards!

Program length: 57:49

Program Schedule:

1. 0:00:45 Introduction
2. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
3. http://pcper.com/podcast
4. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
5. 0:02:16 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Review: Thin is In
6. 0:03:08 Samsung Nexus S 4G Review: Google Bliss.
7. 0:05:04 Super Fast PCI Express Cable Capable of 32 Gbps Announced By The PCI SIG
8. 0:08:37 OCZ RevoDrive 3 x2 480GB PCIe SSD Review - Seriously Fast Storage
9. 0:24:23 This Podcast is brought to you by MSI Computer, and their all new Sandy Bridge Motherboards!
10. 0:25:00 Crysis 2: DirectX 11 free update released
11. 0:31:45 NVIDIA Releases GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, Brings Optimus to Hardcore Gaming Laptops
12. 0:34:10 Badaboom, the once NVIDIA only transcoding accelerator, now works with Sandy Bridge
13. 0:38:40 Llano's dance card is available, pick a date with your favourite new AMD APU tomorrow
14. 0:41:05 Just Delivered: Cost effective AM3+ Boards.
15. 0:42:30 Show and tell: Llano CPU and MB
16. 0:44:26 Free games?
    1. http://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/Meet-Medic-Uber-Update-and-TF2-itself-are-freed
17. 0:48:20 Quakecon Reminder - http://www.quakecon.org/
18. 0:50:45 Hardware / Software Pick of the Week
    1. Ryan: Bitcoins?  Ken is testing a LOT of GPUs for this!
    2. Jeremy: I guess I'll shout out to Might & Magic entertaining me for 25 SMEGGING YEARS!
    3. Josh: Eyefinity!  It is a lot of fun.  Surprising capabilities from many modern applications.  Even a lot of older ones...
    4. Allyn: RevoDrive 3!
19. http://pcper.com/podcast   
20. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
21. 0:56:35 Closing