Quad-Core AMD Llano APUs Shipping To Manufacturers

AMD has started shipping its Llano APU (accelerated processing unit) to OEMs, which means we should start seeing it for sale in systems in the coming months. What makes Llano special is that it’s one of the first quad-core processors from AMD to include both the processor and graphics chip on the same die.

Part of AMD’s Fusion processor line , Llano achieves the goal that the company set upon acquiring ATI Graphics: to create a chip that fuses processing and graphics onto one integrated chip, thus putting it on the same level as a processor and discrete graphics card solution, but for less money. It’s expected to easily surpass the performance we’ve seen so far from the Fusion processor in ultraportables like the HP Pavilion dm1z because its four cores are built for gaming and other multimedia applications. In the video below, AMD compares Llano with an Intel Sandy Bridge Core i7 quad-core processor and Intel HD graphics.

Although no computer manufacturer has released an official Llano ship date, we do know that it will appear first in laptops followed by desktop chips in the summer.

In the meantime, AMD has posted a video pitting Llano against a quad-core Core i7 processor. While Llano obviously outperforms the Core i7 chip in the video, we can’t wait to get our hands on a few systems and put them through their paces on our own benchmarks.

via AMD and Ars Technica