Fm1 conversion to another socket. Socket FM2 plus vs Socket FM2: what is the difference between the new Socket FM2 plus and the old Socket FM2

AMD processors use different sockets than Intel-supplied models. Therefore, the choice of the processor itself is so important - it defines a set of additional components, like a motherboard, and at the same time can bind the user to one platform.

This is the connector that is designed for new group processors Phenom II, as well as Athlon II, Sempron and Opteron. It entered the market in 2009. The most important change was the introduction of support for the DDR3 memory controller. AM3 is not compatible with older versions, although the difference in design is limited to the addition of a single contact.

Socket AM3 +

Socket AM3 + is a new, modified version of its predecessor (AM3), prepared with AMD Bulldozer architecture based processors in mind. Unlike most Intel stands, AM3 + is AM3 compatible, which means that processors based on the new socket can be installed in an AM3 socket. The only prerequisite is to update the BIOS if the manufacturer decides to release it. new version... Keep in mind, however, that not every processor will run in an AM3 chassis. The design differences include the addition of a single contact. The new stand also introduces improved power regulation.

The processor families that can be installed in socket AM3 + are Phenom II, Athlon II, and FX.

In motherboards with socektem AM3 + also introduced the new 990FX and SB950 logic chips, which provide support for eight-core processors. Added support for HyperTransport technology version 3.1. In addition, the first of them introduces the possibility of combining video cards in SLI.

The FM2 socket is used in motherboards designed to serve desktop APUs based on the Piledriver architecture. These include the Athlon 2 and Athlon X4 processors. There was also a new chipset - A85X. Compared to the FM1 connector, several contacts have been removed, leaving only 904 of them.

Socket FM2 +

The new socket was created with the new Kaveri platform in mind. Contrary to the previous policy of the company, FM2 + is only partially compatible. This means that owners will not be able to install new processors, however, nothing prevents them from installing an old processor in the FM2 + socket. There is also a new chipset: A88X.

For gaming computers entry level AMD has developed processors called APUs. They combine average performance processor cores with very fast by the standards of embedded video. graphic cards... Modern APUs use sockets FM2 and FM2 +.

Processors with the FM2 socket first appeared in 2012, they were completely incompatible with the first generation APUs on the FM1 socket. have Trinity and Richland kernels.

They replaced FM2 in 2014. The new socket turned out to be compatible with FM2 as well, so when upgrading the system, you could first purchase a new one for use with the old processor, and then a new processor.

If you plan to use integrated graphics, then you should be careful when choosing a processor. For processor sockets FM2 and FM2 +, there are models without an integrated video core, which usually belong to the Athlon series. If you do not pay attention to this, then, despite the presence of video outputs on, the system will not start without installing a discrete card.

Let's turn to the characteristics of the processors. For comparison, let's select the Richland (FM2) and Kaveri (FM2 +) kernels:

Unlike most other processors with different sockets, AMD solutions usually work with the same chipsets, and for this reason it makes no sense to compare them. Here are the characteristics of the latest generation chipsets.

As you can see, the chipsets differ only in the number of SATA ports and the supported RAID levels.

Consider the performance of senior APUs for sockets FM2 (A10-6800K) and FM2 + (A10-7870K)

As you can see in the table, the processor performance has remained almost unchanged. The main difference between the platforms is the built-in video core. The results of their performance measurements in the 3DMark test are in the table:

The performance measurements show that the new ones are much better at coping with the complex DX10 and DX11 graphics, which are used in Cloud Gate and Fire Strike, showing a significant performance increase, but in the DX9 (Ice Storm) test the result is better.

When choosing a processor, you should pay attention, in addition to performance, also to its power consumption. The higher the power consumption, the higher the heating of the chip and, accordingly, the higher the requirements for the cooling system. We measured power consumption in two states: idle and full load.

The new ones have better energy efficiency, that is, with similar performance parameters, they consume noticeably less energy. In addition, support for the proprietary Mantle API has appeared here, which allows you to get a performance increase in games with this API support.

In order to choose the right processor, you need to know what type of socket your motherboard has. A socket is a processor footprint. If you buy a processor with the wrong socket, then it simply won't fit into your motherboard. Therefore, the first step is to find out the type of socket and only then choose a processor according to its technical characteristics. For example, the FM2 processor will only fit the corresponding socket. And under no other. Let's talk about the FM2 socket and the best processors for it. Let's consider the most popular models.

AMD Athlon II X4 750K Black Edition

This FM2 processor is the best in its class. It has very interesting technical characteristics. But the main thing is that it has an unlocked multiplier. This means that it can be easily overclocked. Although it is quite powerful as it is. So, specifications of this processor look like this. The number of cores is 4 pieces, which work in four threads. The nominal operating frequency is 4 gigahertz. Not bad for a processor that doesn't cost that much. Many of his "classmates" are much more expensive. The processor is made according to the 32 nm process technology and does not have any third-level cache at all. But this is not very good. Nevertheless, our hero can quite compare in performance with many modern "stones". Especially in a state of overclocking.

The processor comes in a black cardboard box, which immediately tells us that this gadget is intended for overclocking. Many AMD FM2 processors lack this useful option... But not this Athlone. This "stone" perfectly copes with high loads, supports high-frequency modules random access memory and behaves perfectly when running resource-intensive tasks (demanding games, specialized software for processing graphics and video, and so on).

Customers reviews for AMD Athlon II X4 750K Black Edition

Here the opinions of users are divided. Some owners consider it the best processor of all times and peoples for socket FM2. These processors, by the way, are not so widespread. And others, with crazy persistence, prove that this stone has long become obsolete and it is time to hand it over to scrap. However, the last statement is sinful of excessive radicalism. Undoubtedly, those who believe that this "old man" will still show are right. Its performance is at the level of modern processors in the middle price segment, it is inexpensive and compatible with all modern components. What else do you need to be happy? Not to mention it's lovely a budget option for those who are on a tight budget.

AMD Athlon X4 860K

This FM2 processor is made on the Kaveri yard and is somewhat different from our previous hero. Mainly by the fact that it is made according to the 28 nm process technology. This technology is slightly newer. Also, this processor does not have an unlocked multiplier, which means that it is in no way intended for overclocking. The maximum clock speed in Turbo mode is 4 GHz. There is still no third-level cache. There is no graphics core either. Which is very good. The processor has to do one task. And there is absolutely no need to spray. This processor has four cores that run on four threads. Standard characteristics for today.

This "Athlone" has sets of almost all instructions and is compatible with almost all modern components. And it costs even less than the previous FM2 processors with an intriguing label Black Edition... This is a really budget option that will suit many. The power of this "stone" is enough both for games (but not for the most modern ones) and for multimedia tasks. He can handle almost anything. That is why processors of this line were especially popular in their time. And even now they do not intend to surrender the positions they have won.

Company AMD introduced the second generation of hybrid processors for desktop systems... Chips Trinity are based on the improved Piledriver architecture and also have a powerful integrated video core. Mobile versions new generation processors from AMD have been offered in notebooks for almost six months. An attractive combination of consumer parameters allowed the company to increase its share in this segment. Let's see if Trinity's desktop options targeting the new platform are as successful. Socket FM2.

What are the new codenamed hybrid processors? Trinity? In the maximum configuration, these chips include a quad-core x86 computing unit with AMD's most advanced architecture at the moment - Piledriver... it further development Bulldozer architecture, which is used for the fastest AMD FX series chips. In addition, a graphics core is located on the die, which the manufacturer refers to as Radeon series HD 7000.

Trinity, although they are the successors of Llano processors, there is practically nothing in common between them. Both the computing part and the graphic part in this case are not just improved, they are fundamentally different. Perhaps the only thing that binds APUs of both generations is the 32nm process technology, which is also used for Trinity. Of course, a more progressive technical process would be preferable here, but the production facilities of GlobalFoundries are not yet ready for the mass production of chips using technology thinner than 32 nm.

The Trinity die is 246 mm² and contains 1.3 billion transistors, while the silicon wafer of the Llano chip is 228 mm² and carries 1.18 billion transistors (after a recent update by the manufacturer). The packing density remained about the same, the area increased by about 8%, while the number of semiconductors increased by 10%. Considering the timing of the development of the 32-nanometer process technology, let's assume that the cost of producing crystals, if increased, is insignificant.

What's new in Trinity? The dual-channel DDR3 memory controller officially supports operation in modes up to DDR3-1866, while it also became possible to use modules with a reduced supply voltage (1.25 V). As you can see, almost half of the crystal is occupied by the graphic part. The integrated GPU has the same architecture as the chips for discrete adapters of the family Northern islands... An important innovation is the AMD HD Media Accelerator video encoding / decoding unit. The functions of the northbridge of the chipset are of course now integrated into the processor. In terms of computing power, Trinity has a pair of dual-core x86 modules. Within each of them, the kernels are partially dependent, as they use some common resources, in particular, instruction prefetch and processing blocks real numbers(FP). Each module has a dedicated 2MB L2 cache segment. The cache memory of the third level is not provided here - this is the prerogative of the AMD FX series CPUs. For communication with external devices the processor has 24 PCI Express lanes at its disposal. Note the support for HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2 and DVI interfaces.

Trinity processors initially operate at fairly high clock speeds. If Llano chips have just approached the 3 GHz bar, then the older model from the new APU family operates normally at 3.8 GHz, with the ability to accelerate to 4.2 GHz. Trinity received the latest modification of the dynamic auto-acceleration mechanism AMD Turbo Core 3.0, which, depending on the nature of the load, can automatically increase the frequency of the CPU. Each processor model has its own range: from 200 to 600 MHz.

Integrated graphics

Introducing the term APU(Accelerated Processing Unit), the company initially wanted to emphasize the importance of the embedded graphics unit. Trinity integrated graphics core dubbed Devastator, uses architecture VLIW4 which was used for the Radeon HD 6900 of the Northern Islands family. Obviously, the developers have not yet been able to optimize the new GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture for the needs of the APU, which is used in the GPU for discrete video cards of the Radeon HD 7000 series.

Recall that the graphics part of the Llano chips has the VLIW5 architecture. The compute units that it includes can theoretically perform more operations in parallel than those with the VLIW4. However, in real tasks the latter are more effective. Besides stream processors VLIW4, other things being equal, can operate at a higher clock speed. It is rather difficult to draw parallels here, but some quantitative indicators are interesting. V full version the Llano graphics core contains 400 computing units, while the Trinity GPU has 384 of them, but in the latter case, the nominal operating frequency of the graphics unit is 800 MHz, and the predecessor has 600 MHz.

The Devastator core includes 24 texture units and 8 rasterization modules. AMD emphasizes that in this case the tessellation processing unit is noticeably accelerated. For working with video data, the hardware unit AMD HD Media Accelerator, which includes the most advanced UVD3 video decoding module inherited from the Radeon HD 6000/7000 processor. In addition, the processor contains an AMD Accelerated Video Converter video transcoding unit. It is functionally similar to Quick Sync, which Intel uses in its processors.

Overall, the Trinity graphics core has excellent functionality. It boasts full support DirectX 11 with Shader Model 5.0, OpenCL 1.1 and DirectCompute 11. At the same time, the new APUs allow you to connect up to four independent display devices, moreover, support for Eyefinity technology is also announced. Also worth noting is the support AMD Steady Video 2.0 which improves the quality of video, helping to get rid of the shake effects caused by hand-held shooting.

Like its predecessors, Trinity processors have the ability to work in the mode Dual Graphics by combining the power of an integrated GPU with a discrete graphics card. However, in this case, we are still talking about entry-level devices from the Radeon HD 6500/6600 lines.

To help the A10 chips, the manufacturer recommends using the Radeon HD 6670, for the A8 and A6 it offers the Radeon HD 6570, while for the A4 - HD 6450. In fact, there is the possibility of using the Dual Graphics mode, but under current conditions such combinations are interesting in cases where the potential owner of a Socket FM2 system already has a video card that can be used as an additional accelerator. The deliberate purchase of an adapter of the required class for use in Dual Graphics mode, although it has the right to exist as a variant of a delayed upgrade, however, in general, it loses to the idea of ​​acquiring a faster graphics adapter, which will cost a little more, but in games it will be noticeably more productive than the proposed bundle.

Piledriver architecture

The Piledriver architecture is an upgraded version of Bulldozer that is used for Zambezi (AM3 +) chips.

Improved branch prediction blocks, data prefetching, increased efficiency of working with L2 cache, increased L1 TLB size, also improved INT and FP load scheduler. In addition, the new F16C instruction sets are now supported, as well as FMA3, which Intel plans to add to its Haswell chips. AVX kits are now available for new APUs, which were not supported by Llano chips. In general, Piledriver does not fundamentally differ from the Bulldozer architecture; it is a modified version with a number of improvements and cosmetic optimizations.

APU Trinity lineup

At the time of the launch of the new platform, the line of chips Trinity includes six models. Two quad-core A10 and A8, and one each A6 and A4. As you can see, the number of x86 units is not reflected in the name of the APU series. At the same time, the dependence of the chip belonging to one or another line is traced, which is determined by the number of integrated graphics processing cores: A10 - 384, A8 - 256, A6 - 192, A4 - 128. This is another vivid example of how the manufacturer wants emphasize the importance of the graphic component.

The flagship of the line - A10-5800K- works at 3.8 / 4.2 GHz, its built-in GPU contains 384 computers and operates at 800 MHz. The L2 cache is 4 MB, and the declared power consumption is 100 watts. The second "ten" has the same characteristics, with the exception of the frequency formula. For A10-5700 the base ones are 3.4 GHz, and the dynamic auto-acceleration limit is 4 GHz. This turned out to be enough to bring the TDP down to 65 W. In A8 models, in addition to the reduced number of processing units of the video core from 384 to 256, its operating frequency is also reduced to 760 MHz. Formulas for x86 blocks: A8-5600K- 3.6 / 3.9 GHz, A8-5500- 3.6 / 3.8 GHz. The single-module A6 and A4 chips, in addition to losing two x86 blocks, have a shared L2 cache of only 1 MB. Quantity GPUs reduced to 196 in the case of A6-5400K, and up to 128 - at A4-5300.

As for the cost of new APUs, Trinity chips are actually in the same price segment as their predecessors - $ 50-130. At the same time, the pricing system is interesting. Both A10s are priced at $ 122 by the manufacturer. Both the model with an unlocked multiplier and a chip with a lower clock speed and a locked CU, which nevertheless has a TDP of 65 W, instead of 100 W for the flagship, have one recommended price. The situation is exactly the same with the APUs of the A8 line - both models are offered at the same price of $ 101. For some, values ​​have higher performance, for others, more economical options... And for those and for others suitable processors will cost the same price.

As is the case with Llano processors, as well as devices from a competitor, models with the "K" index have an unlocked multiplier. It is curious that now the most affordable model with such an opportunity costs only $ 67, while the price of the previous generation APU with a free multiplier started at $ 80. However, the A6-3670K is a quad-core model, while the A6-5400K is equipped with only one module with a couple of dependent modules.

Socket FM2 will also have graphics-disabled processors that will join the Athlon line of chips. Given the general concept of APUs, it is obvious that separate crystals will not be produced for such models (although, given the area occupied by the GPU, it would make sense), for such processors, first of all, chips with certain problems in the graphics part will be used, and if there are fewer of them than the market demands, then full-fledged crystals with a deactivated GPU will also be used.

Socket FM1 and Socket FM2 compatibility

Unfortunately for the owners of systems with hybrid chips of the first wave, the new APUs have neither direct nor backward compatibility with the Socket FM1 platform. The processor socket and, accordingly, the legs on the chip visually have a minimal difference (905 vs. 904), but the different arrangement of the "keys" does not even allow installing Trinity into the old socket.

(on the left - APU Trinity, on the right - APU Llano)

AMD has been giving evasive answers to questions about the compatibility of FM2 and FM1 sockets for quite a long time, so as not to indirectly reduce the demand for processors for the latter. This is no longer necessary. Considering that the new APUs fundamentally differ from their predecessors at the architectural level, it is not surprising that they have their own power subsystem features that were not taken into account in Socket FM1. It was this fact that forced AMD to change the platform.

Chipsets

Despite the fact that Socket FM1 and Socket FM2 are incompatible with each other, the chipsets used on the platforms of the previous generation are quite suitable for the new one. Chips AMD A55, and AMD A75 we will see in Socket FM2 motherboards. In general, there is nothing to be surprised at. Given the fact that key functions chipsets are being taken over central processing units, their role in modern platforms is largely reduced to service peripheral devices... Here, however, innovation does not happen very often. If the functionality of AMD A55 already has certain claims (lack of SATA 6 Gb / s), then AMD A75 cannot be called outdated. The latter became the first chipset in the industry and with an integrated native USB controller 3.0. And the rest of the "body kit" is quite up to par.

To brighten up Socket FM2's announcement, AMD has also unveiled a new chipset that will be used for this platform - AMD A85X... One of its key differences from the A75 is the ability to split the PCI-E x16 bus into two devices (x8 + x8), and, as a result, the ability to create CrossFire configurations with a pair of discrete video cards. In addition, the A85X supports 8 rather than 6 SATA 6 Gb / s ports and allows you to create disk arrays RAID 5. It also provides FIS-Based Switching channel separation. In terms of support and configuration USB bus no changes: 4 USB port 3.0, up to 10 USB 2.0 ports and up to two USB 1.1 ports.

The Socket FM1 platform did not provide an opportunity to use two graphics adapter... Such configurations are the lot of the rather keen gamblers or experienced crunchers. Obviously, in the case of Socket FM2, AMD wants to make the most universal platform that could interest users with different needs in terms of performance and functionality.

Upgrade prospects

Considering the experience with the release of the platform for the first generation APU, AMD hastened to assure potential buyers new solutions is that Socket FM2- this is serious and for a long time. At least one more generation of hybrid chips will use this connector, and, accordingly, they will be able to be installed on motherboards which will now go on sale.

The lack of upgradeability and the very short lifespan of Socket FM1 are important reasons for the generally restrained enthusiasm for the previous generation platform. Yes, one can agree that this is not the segment in which the issue of modernization is paramount. However, for users who pay money for a new solution, the prospect of an upgrade is often important even if in reality the need for it does not arise until it becomes completely obsolete. Socket FM2 should be fine in this respect. It will remain relevant for at least 2-3 years.

All motherboard manufacturers have already presented their solutions with Socket FM2 connectors. It is curious that vendors have focused on models with different chipsets. Someone presented a whole set of devices based on the most affordable AMD A55 and several boards based on the top-end AMD A85X, without attracting the A75 at all, while someone, on the contrary, relied on the latest chipset, diversifying their proposals based on it as much as possible. All this suggests that the range of devices for Socket FM2 will be very wide, so it will be easier for users to choose a device in accordance with their requirements. As for the prices, in our opinion, the range here will be only slightly wider than in the case of motherboards for Socket FM1 - ​​$ 50–120.

AMD A10-5800K processor

The top model of the new Trinity APU line got to us for testing - AMD A10-5800K.

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-F2A85X-UP4

To study the Socket FM2 platform, we used an older model in the current line of motherboards from Gigabyte - GA-F2A85X-UP4 based on the new AMD A85X chipset.

The board meets the latest specification Ultra Durable 5, assuming the use of high-quality energy-efficient components. Eight-phase power stabilizer (6 + 2). The power circuit uses powerful IR3550 assemblies as well as ferrite core chokes. A digital controller is used to control the VRM parameters.

The layout of the expansion card slots is optimal. Three PCI-E x16, the same number of PCI-E x1 and one PCI. The latter does not require an additional controller, since support for this bus is still implemented in AMD chipsets... Considering the number of PCI Express lanes, the nuances of using slots cannot be avoided. The first slot works in full speed mode by default. When using two video cards, the first and second slots are switched to x8 + x8 mode. The third full-format PCI-E x16 has a bandwidth of x4, while, if the nearest PCI-E x1 is involved, the lower PCI-E x16 will also provide data transfer rates at the x1 level. Gigabyte GA-F2A85X-UP4 allows you to fully realize the advantages of the A85X chipset - the model allows you to create a configuration with two video cards based on AMD chips that will work in CrossFireX mode.

On board Gigabyte GA-F2A85X-UP4 there is a gentleman's set of overclockers - Power, Reset, Clear CMOS buttons, as well as a status LED. The board is expected to be equipped with two BIOS chips, and as a UEFI shell, a graphical version of the 3D BIOS is used, conceptually already well known to us from previous motherboards from the manufacturer.

Of the interesting features of the model, we note the technology Dual Clock Gen... The board has a microcircuit with an additional clock generator (the main one is in the chipset). According to the manufacturer, it allows you to achieve stable operation at higher bus clock speeds (~ 135-150 MHz), which may be of interest to owners of APUs with locked multipliers who want to boost their processor. Although, of course, given AMD's pricing policy for Trinity chips, enthusiasts should initially look towards models with the “K” index.

The board has a full range of video outputs: DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort and D-Sub. In this case, you can simultaneously connect up to three display devices with any combination of interfaces. Note that the DVI port operates in Dual-Link mode, allowing you to use monitors with resolutions up to 2560 × 1600.

The disk subsystem will allow you to connect 8 SATA 6 Gb / s drives: seven internal and one using eSATA. As for the peripherals, the user has six USB 3.0 ports. Four of them are implemented using the chipset, for two more, an additional Etron EJ168 controller is used.

On the whole, the board leaves a pretty good impression. A decent set of functions for an older solution, nothing superfluous and at the same time a good start for the future.

Performance

To assess the possibilities AMD A10-5800K, we have selected worthy opponents for him. First of all, it is the processor AMD A8-3850... This chip differs from the older model of the previous generation APU line (A8-3870K) only with a 100 MHz lower clock frequency and a locked processor multiplier, while the integrated graphics part is used with the maximum performance - Radeon HD 6550D. A model of the same price category is presented from the main competitor - a dual-core processor Intel Core i3-3220 from the new line of 22nm Ivy Bridge chips. First of all, let's check how the CPU block works.

The performance of the computing part of Trinity is on average slightly higher than that of Llano (+ 5-10%), although, given the noticeable architectural differences, the difference may vary depending on the applications used. In some cases, a first-generation APU with four full cores may even be faster than a pair of dual-core modules operating at a significantly higher frequency. In applied tasks, Trinity is not lost against the background of dual-core Intel Core i3, offering quite decent performance for its price. In single-threaded tasks, the Intel processor will definitely have the advantage, the phenomenal efficiency of the Intel Core architecture makes itself felt. But in multi-threaded tasks, the number of computational units decides a lot, and here AMD's quad-core CPUs have an advantage. Of course, Intel processors with the same number of cores are even more productive, only they are significantly more expensive.

During the test of the new APU, we also decided to evaluate the effectiveness of the bundle. CPU + GPU in applied problems, using for these purposes graphics editor Musemage, which uses the resources of the graphics core to perform various operations. The list of stages included the SVPMark benchmark, which also knows how to connect graphics for video processing.

The range of programs interspersed with heterogeneous computing is gradually expanding. Moreover, this is not only synthetic software for tests, but also applied applications. The pace, of course, leaves much to be desired, but it is hoped that such developer initiatives will be encouraged in every possible way by hardware manufacturers. This is the rare case when the interests of both competitors coincide. Intel also places more emphasis on the performance and capabilities of its integrated video with each successive architectural iteration. The Ivy Bridge chips have noticeably excelled here in comparison with their predecessors, and in the expected Haswell, the graphics core should receive an even more significant performance gain. In the meantime, AMD has noticeably stronger positions here.

In 3D synthetics, Trinity has a very solid performance gain of 40–45%. Of course, the increased performance of the x86 block is also taken into account in the overall standings, but this is not a bad thing. 6000 points in 3DMark Vantage is almost the level of the Radeon HD 6570, that is, a discrete graphics card, which is now offered for $ 50-60. The performance of Intel HD Graphics 2500 looks much more modest against the background of AMD's built-in devices.

Intel offers select processor modifications equipped with Intel graphics HD Graphics 4000. In the case of the dual-core models of the Ivy Bridge line, this is the Core i3-3225. It also has a working clock speed of 3.3 GHz, like the Core i3-3220, but it is equipped with a full-fledged graphics module with 16 computational units (the HD Graphics 2500 has only six), although it costs $ 20-25 more. At the time of preparation of the material, we did not have such a model, however, in order to include in the review not only the results of Intel HD Graphics 2500, but also the indicators of the most powerful integrated graphics solution from Intel at the moment, we used the Core i7-3770K. It only appears in gaming tests with embedded video. This will allow a more balanced assessment of the current position and potential of the integrated GPUs of both companies.

V real games The A10-5800K is again very confidently ahead of the A8-3850. The advantage is no longer as great as in the case of Futuremark's tests, but an increase of 25-35% can also be considered excellent result... In addition, an average 30 fps at a resolution of 1920 × 1080 already allows not only viewing pictures in not the most simple games.

Intel's solutions are expected to be less rushed, especially in the case of a lightweight GPU. It would seem that Intel HD Graphics 4000 has only just managed to remotely approach the Llano performance, when Trinity chips again make this mission impossible. Hopefully, with the release of Haswell, there will be some intrigue here again.

Integrated video capabilities are heavily dependent on the performance of the memory subsystem. Let's see how in the case of the A10-5800K throughput RAM affects game performance.

If we compare AMD processors under such conditions, then, as we see, in most cases, the A10-5800K has a slight advantage (2–5%). Mafia II, in which the system with the new APU received a 10% increase, can rather be considered an exception. In addition, the opposite situation is possible, as evidenced by the results in Lost Planet 2, where the A8-3850 outperformed the newcomer by almost 5%. However, in any case, the rivalry is only between AMD chips. The results shown by a PC with a dual-core Core processor i3-3220 are out of reach for them. The gap from the pursuers is 7-18%. Even in spite of the smaller number of computational units, the dual-core Ivy Bridge chip turns out to be extremely efficient in games, and even a doubled number of computational units cannot help AMD processors. On the other hand, the difference does not look depressing and the main weather here is done by a discrete video card.

In general, the increase in computing performance Trinity is relatively small and is on average at the level of 5-15%. Despite the fact that full-fledged Llano cores in some cases are still preferable to double modules, due to internal improvements in architecture, as well as higher frequencies, Piledriver-based chips manage to outperform their predecessors. The possibilities of the integrated graphics are more pleasing. The 30% advantage over its predecessor, which before Trinity was a kind of benchmark in terms of the capabilities of the integrated GPU, is encouraging.

Energy consumption

Having received a general idea of ​​the performance of Trinity APUs, we were also interested in assessing the power consumption of the new AMD processors... The declared TDP parameter for the A10-5800K is 100 W, let's look at the real performance in typical tasks.

During the load on the computational units (rendering in Cinebench), the consumption of Llano and Trinity is approximately at the same level. But the increase in the power of the graphics core did not pass without a trace. In games, where it is the GPU that is to a greater extent loaded, the power consumption of the A10-5800K is 18 W higher than that of its predecessor. The manufacturing process remains the same, but higher clock frequencies make themselves felt. At the same time, it should be noted that in idle mode, in which the processor is often found most of the time, the energy efficiency of new APUs is higher. However, here it is worth making an allowance for the fact that different motherboards are used for both processors, which can affect the absolute performance.

The dual-core Intel Core i3 generally demonstrate exemplary efficiency. The CPU consumes a minimum of energy for computational tasks, but when evaluating performance in games, one should take into account the significant difference in the performance of solutions.

Outcomes

Platform Socket FM2 and processors Trinity are quite an interesting option for building powerful enough multimedia PCs. Compared to their predecessors, the performance of compute units with the Piledriver architecture has not increased significantly, while the capabilities of integrated graphics are improved by a third, reaching the performance of discrete entry-level graphics cards. On this moment this is a significant advantage of AMD solutions. At the same time, the range of Trinity chips is exactly the same as that of Llano. Considering the balanced price, they will look very organic as part of inexpensive universal solutions “for everything”. And although recently, for such tasks, more and more often acquired mobile systems, new desktop APUs will also find their customers.

All motherboards with FM2 + and FM2 connectors are fully compatible with Socket FM2 processors(AMD Trinity and Richland, APU Ax-5000 series. Ax-6000 and AMD Athlon X4 7x0 / X2 3x0) and CPU with Socket FM2 +. But the processors themselves with Socket FM2 + ( AMD Kaveri Ax-7000 and Athlon X4 8x0) can only be installed on motherboards with the same socket, but they will fail to run on FM2 boards.

Specially Socket FM2 + motherboards were developed for AMD Kaveri solutions based on AMD A58, A68, A78 and A88 chipsets. They remain compatible with Socket FM2 processors, so we recommend buying them for a possible further upgrade (if you have already decided to go this way).

Is it worth building a computer on Socket FM2 +?

Yes, is it worth doing such things at all? Now it is May 2016, when Intel released high-performance Skylakes, and AMD is preparing to introduce completely new AMD Zen and APU Excavator for Socket AM4. New platform should be some revolutionary step, as marking time has led AMD to surrender market positions in both processors and video cards. Therefore, we do not recommend buying those processors that are being sold now, since the competition towards the end of the year will be able to dot the i's, and also lower the price tags to the proper level. If you really want to update your desktop in the near future, and in the future replacing the processor with a more powerful one is not included in your plans, then you can take a closer look at Socket FM2 +. But we are waiting for AMD Zen ...