The pervasive availability of smart handheld devices has contributed to the plummeting PC processor demand. However, PC is still considered a much better gaming platform than smartphones and tablets. To take advantage of this fact, AMD seeks to develop the laptop APU further. The company’s newest A-series chip is now codenamed Richland as a direct replacement of the Trinity. AMD promises that the Richland deliver up to 40% better performance than Trinity processor models.
Richland can also be used on detachable displays that work as tablets running Windows 8 OS. These chips will compete against Intel Core Ivy Bridge platform. There’s also built-in gesture recognition feature that allows users to control the PC through hand waves. The on-chip capability utilizes PC webcams to capture users’ movements, which seems to be quite similar to Microsoft’s Kinect. The mobile version of Richland APUs will be unveiled in May 7. The A10 and A8 quad-core chips are the top models, while the A6 and A4 dual-core models are destined for mid-range laptops. With 35W of power requirements, these chips can reach up to 3.5GHz.
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