AMD Tablets – Where are they at?

this year we saw AMD’s first tablet prototype. The reference design was made by Cmpal and had an 11.6-inch screen, 1366×768 resolution, and packed the AMD Trinity A6 APU. It was a bit clunky and large but it was a good start. Tests indicated it ran smoothly enough, but that’s about all we heard after that. Ever since that time, all we keep hearing is about Intel and the ARM competitors as they prepare to launch several key Windows 8 and RT devices. Where is the AMD hardware? Sure, the company has always run a distant second- but the APU seems perfectly aimed at the tablet world, even if it isn’t the most low-power friendly device in town. Upon further investigation, I did find a link on AMD’s own website listed as “AMD Accelerated Processors for HD Tablets”. This APU is apparently the Z-Series and has the following specs: A 1GHz CPU clock speed, 2 coures, 1MB of L2 Cache, 80 Radeon Cores on Die, a GPU clock speed of 276MHz, Direct X 11 compatibility and DDR3 speed. The company has the offering, just not the marketing. More than likely, several AMD devices will surface shortly after the launch of Windows 8. I’m just surprised the company hasn’t attempted to market and pull excitement to its new tablet. If the new rumor of Intel’s Clover Trail getting delayed proves true, now is the perfect time for AMD to make a move in the tablet world. The company has also announced it will bring BlueStacks compatibility bundled to its tablets and devices- I just wonder where the hardware demonstrations and reveals are. As it stands, I found at least one reasonably capable Z-Series tablet on NewEgg running Windows 7- so they do in fact exist in some form already. The MSI WindPad has 4GB DDR3 and reasonable capabilities for just $499.99. Dual cameras, good (if not great) specs and the ability to run most older Windows applications, drivers and games without much issue. Honestly, not bad.

Is there a window of opportunity open for AMD?

AMD could potentially have game soon, I just haven’t seem them play it yet. Intel is repeatedly making mistakes: angering MS by bad mouthing them, and now the possible processor delay. Go for the kill AMD! Okay, so AMD couldn’t possibly take down Intel, but they could build themselves a bit more market share if they play their cards right. This is my opinion, of course. You have the right to your own. Are AMD designs are good as Intel? A huge disclaimer here: If you haven’t figured it out, I love AMD. I have owned both processors, but always feel that AMD provides more than enough power and at a cost that is all that much lighter. With that said, no they aren’t. For the most part, Intel processors are better. Still, AMD is much cheaper and still has great performance especially considering the lower price tag. So how about it? Even without any direct announcements from major brands about any AMD tablet offerings, does the idea excite you or not? Perhaps AMD is waiting a bit longer before surprising us with a big unveil of several key devices? Unlikely, but one can hope.]]>

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