AMD reveals full line of processors for 2013

By Matthew S. Smith January 7, 2013

Image used with permission by copyright holder

At CES today, AMD announced a stable of new mobile APUs for 2013. They cover a wide range of products from, high-end mobile workstations to low-power laptops (which AMD refers to as “sleekbooks”), as well as tablets.

The company lead with a refresh of its mobile APUs. These new parts refine AMD’s existing architecture to increase performance by up to 40-percent while also improving battery life. Like previous APUs, they meld a quad-core processor with a Radeon graphics component. Hardware manufacturers can add a second discrete GPU to further boost performance. Chips are already shipping to manufacturers and will show up in laptops over the next few months.

AMD’s also revealed the world’s first x86-based quad-core system-on-a-chip. It places all the critical functions of the hardware on the processor die to reduce power consumption and die size, two important traits for a mobile processor. Performance has increased up to 50% compared to the outgoing “Brazos 2.0” based chips and the power envelope has been reduced to 15 watts. That’s higher than Intel’s competitive low-voltage chips, but those products have only two cores. Sleekbooks based off this new SoC will be available in the first half of 2013.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming

Saving the best for last, AMD took the wraps off a new tablet part meant for “performance tablets.” It fits within a 5-watt power envelope, yet also offers four cores and Radeon discrete graphics. It’s also based off x86, not ARM, so it will be able run Windows 8 rather than Windows RT. A live demo featured the processor playing the racing game, Dirt 3, at 1080p and at an acceptable framerate. Availability is to be announced.

It appears that AMD is making good on its pledge to continue evolving all its products while shifting its focus towards laptops and tablets. Is it enough to ward off Intel? We’ll need some hands-on time before we can make that call.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

AMD
Laptops

Matthew S. Smith

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Matthew S. Smith is the former Lead Editor, Reviews at Digital Trends. He previously guided the Products Team, which dives…

Computing

Nice try, Intel, but AMD 3D V-Cache chips still win

A hand holding AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor.

Intel's freshly released Core i9-14900KS processor is advertised as the fastest CPU in the world, but does that mean AMD can never hope to compete, even with its flagship Ryzen 9 7950X3D? Not at all. Each CPU has its merits, and both are insanely powerful in their own right. At this price point and at this performance level, making the right choice is tricky.

Let's zoom in and find out how the Core i9-14900KS and the Ryzen 9 7950X3D stack up against each other, what they excel at, and which one is the better option to buy.
Pricing and availability

Computing

These are the best AMD laptops you can buy in 2024

A rendering of the two color options for the Asus Zephyrus G14.

Intel processors have historically dominated the laptop market, overshadowing AMD counterparts. Having said that, AMD's Ryzen family of mobile CPUs has made significant strides in gaining popularity. Consequently, an increasing number of exceptional laptops now boast AMD processors, challenging Intel's supremacy.

AMD-powered laptops are prevalent today across various segments of the market, offering respectable performance in gaming, premium, and productivity-oriented devices. Whether you're seeking a powerful gaming rig, a sleek premium laptop, or a reliable workhorse, AMD processors stand at the core of many cutting-edge devices. In this guide, we've listed some of the finest AMD laptops currently available that should suit your needs depending on your preferences.

Computing

Here’s a shocking reminder of just how far ahead Intel is in race with AMD

Intel Core i5-14600K processor inside its socket.

It's no secret that between Intel and AMD, it's Intel that holds the majority of the market -- but a recent market analysis report really highlights just how much Intel beats both AMD and Apple. While both Intel and AMD make some of the best CPUs, and Apple has its own excellent proprietary silicon, Intel's CPU shipments trump them both. The report tells us that Intel controls a whopping 78% of the PC processor market.

The information comes from Canalys, a PC industry research firm. It's worth noting that it excludes tablets, which would have bumped up Apple's numbers a bit, as well as Qualcomm's. But zooming in on the PC CPU market alone, including desktops and laptops, tells a different story. The research shows a 78% market share for Intel and 13% for AMD, while Apple accounts for about 8% or slightly more. The rest belongs to MediaTek, Qualcomm, and ARM.