Questions about APUs

Jackwebb1970 · Sep 30, 2015

I was at Fry's the other day and one of the sells guys was saying that if you put a discrete graphics card with a FM2 APU the thing would turn itself into just a regular ten core CPU. I thought the guy was full of it but then thought maybe he was right. So I put it to the best computer forum in the world do you get a way cool ten core CPU or a over priced quad core APU if you put a graphics card in it

trents · Sep 30, 2015

No, not a ten core CPU. That's an absurd statement. Adding a discrete GPU to the board will not affect the number of processing cores available. It will bypass the GPU on die cores, however so that only the CPU side of the APU will be doing work. AMD claims that the work load of the CPU cores is shared by the GPU cores in their latest APU products but that's more hype than anything else at this point. It is probably only true for certain very specialized tasks.

Bluefalcon13 · Sep 30, 2015

Trent's is right here. In certain applications, the CPU can use the iGPU as a GPGPU to execute programs that are tailored to doing this.

The key is that applications need to be written to take advantage of this feature.

Jackwebb1970 · Sep 30, 2015

Ha thought so thanks you so much.

rock on

Bluefalcon13 · Sep 30, 2015

It's a very cool concept, especially considering that the memory is truly shared between the CPU and the GPU in such a manor that they can access the same blocks of memory at any moment

trents · Sep 30, 2015

Be very careful before buying anything retail based on the sales clerk recommendation. The "technologists" at places like Staples and Frys often don't really know much (if the did they would be working somewhere else) and even if they do they want to sell you something. Come here first.

Bluefalcon13 · Sep 30, 2015

Dead on trents... retail employees should only point you where a product is IMHO. The APU's are VERY interesting... I am coming from a 955BE to an A10-7870k.

For performance reference:

Notice the 955 scores, and the FX4130 in relation to the A10 at various clock speeds.

chrisjames61 · Sep 30, 2015

Jackwebb1970 said:
I was at Fry's the other day and one of the sells guys was saying that if you put a discrete graphics card with a FM2 APU the thing would turn itself into just a regular ten core CPU. I thought the guy was full of it but then thought maybe he was right. So I put it to the best computer forum in the world do you get a way cool ten core CPU or a over priced quad core APU if you put a graphics card in it

If it was truly the case AMD would be doing much better business selling their cpu's.

trents · Sep 30, 2015

chrisjames61 said:
If it was truly the case AMD would be doing much better business selling their cpu's.

Ain't that the truth!

Sologuy · Sep 30, 2015

Well its the same old story with the computer world isn't it? I mean the hardware has to be there first before the software catches up.... HSA is great concept but how long before popular software actually uses it?

Bluefalcon13 · Sep 30, 2015

Sologuy said:
Well its the same old story with the computer world isn't it? I mean the hardware has to be there first before the software catches up.... HSA is great concept but how long before popular software actually uses it?

It depends if Intel can get behind this concept. Until the majority of mainstream computing gets behind a concept, it will forever flounder on the fringes.

Mandrake4565 · Sep 30, 2015

chrisjames61 said:
If it was truly the case AMD would be doing much better business selling their cpu's.

Indeed! I wouldn't mind a 10 Core Steamroller chip.

Questions about APUs

Jackwebb1970

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trents

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Jackwebb1970

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trents

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