If you're looking to buy a laptop, chances are that eight or nine out of ten options have an Intel processor inside. The masterminds at AMD know they need to change that situation as soon as possible, and the chosen weapon is the new Carrizo processor series, based on Excavator cores, the latest generation of the famous Bulldozer technology.
The Laptop Market in Flux
The computer market is in a rather strange state. All indicators continue to register declines, but that hasn't prevented some acceleration in competition. New computers are more compact and powerful, not to mention that the increase in battery life makes them even more attractive. The feeling is that laptop computers are accumulating energy to strike a blow against the dominance of tablets, whose commercial development has been definitively stalled for several months now. This automatically brings us to the manufacturers, but the rules are much more defined there. Intel is a true monster among laptops, and although AMD's current alternatives are strong, they suffer from visibility and availability problems.
Carrizo Processors in Detail
AMD plans to change that pattern with the arrival of the new Carrizo processors. Technically, Carrizo chips use Excavator cores, the fourth and theoretically final generation of the Bulldozer architecture. Carrizo is one of three recent AMD launches. The first is the update of its desktop Kaveri processors, under the code name "Godavari", whose most prominent exponent is the A10-7870K (quad-core, 3.9 GHz, FM2+), and another is Carrizo-L, a cheaper variant about which very little is known for now. The three main Carrizo models (according to official images) were identified as A8-8600P, A10-8700P, and FX 8800P. Yes, AMD's strategy includes the launch of a mobile FX variant for high-performance laptops. Manufacturers will have the option to aim for extended battery life or greater speed, since Carrizo chips (A10-8700P and FX 8800P in this case) will be available with a TDP of 15 or 35 watts.
Key Features
Other aspects to consider about the new processors are HEVC hardware support (AMD anticipates 300 minutes of HEVC playback on a 50 Wh battery), nearly nine hours of H.264 video compared to Kaveri, acceleration of multimedia content under Windows 10 (everything related to streaming via Xbox One, Skype, and playback in Windows Media Player), and a small Cortex-A5 core focused exclusively on security, a detail that seeks to tempt the business market. Carrizo is expected to make an appearance in laptops priced between 400 and 700 dollars, and there are at least five brands (HP, Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba, and Asus) that will adopt them for their products.
