As a PC gaming enthusiast, I envision a day when mini-PCs like the Gigabyte Brix can rival the graphical fidelity of much larger game consoles like the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. I even fantasize about powerful embedded graphics chips that could drive an Oculus Rift VR headset without being tethered to a desktop. A new alleged benchmark for AMD's upcoming "Carrizo" APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) may indicate that day is closer than I previously thought. But is it believable?
APUs typically combine quad-core processors (CPUs) with lower-tier AMD Radeon graphics technology on a single chip. This is similar to -- but increasingly more powerful than --
Last time I checked in on Intel HD Graphics was via the Haswell-based Core i7-4700MQ, I found several games to be simply unplayable. The situation has slightly improved with Iris Pro, but core gaming via embedded graphics -- outside of Intel's excellent CPU performance -- is clearly not a focus for the company at this point in time.
Conversely, AMD was rapidly chasing down 720p playability during the same timeframe with their APUs. But in 2014 I tested demanding games like Tomb Raider, Sleeping Dogs, and BioShock Infinite, discovering that without the aid of a dedicated Graphics card, AMD's Kaveri APUs were hitting 30fps at 1080p (1920 x 1080) at medium quality settings. Beyond respectable for embedded graphics.
Now along comes a report that Carrizo, the next-generation of AMD's APU, may double that performance while tripling the performance of Intel's latest Iris Pro solution.
I'll emphasize that we're about to venture into 100% unconfirmed territory. The leaked benchmarks come courtesy of SiSoftware, and the importance behind them courtesy of WCCFTech, a site specializing predominantly in the reporting of rumors in the PC hardware and graphics space.
Sebastian Peak over at PCPer.com visually highlights the relevant and rather mindblowing results, above. See that processing score? As WCCFTech explains:
To put this into perspective this is what an R7 265 graphics card scores, a card that offers the same graphics performance inside the Playstation 4.
I tested the Radeon 265 last year and it posted impressive results. Sleeping Dogs produced 59fps on High quality at 1080p. Another shining example was Battlefield 4, kicking out an average 66fps on High quality at 1080p.
But as impressive as Kaveri APUs are, and logically leaving room for generational improvement, there's one problem I'm seeing: Carrizo is a mobile-only part (recently verified by AMD's James Prior to AnandTech) that only requires 35W.
"But wait," you're probably saying. "Didn't AMD develop the APU inside of Sony's PlayStation 4?" Yes, but it's a highly specialized part with custom technologies. To begin with it utilizes an architecture that, while similar to PCs in theory, simple doesn't exist in the consumer space yet. And if it did, it would be pricey. Either these numbers have been fudged, or we aren't seeing these benchmarks in the proper context.
Thin and light laptops and palm-sized mini-PCs like the Gigabyte Brix (above) are the ideal target... [+]
One thing I am certain of is that Carrizo will significantly improve upon Kaveri. Having these upcoming APUs inside of thin and light laptops and mini-PCs like that Gigabyte Brix will usher in console-like graphics capabilities even if they aren't directly equivalent to the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. As fast as PC technology advances, you can rest assured that while it may not be happening tomorrow, it'll be a reality sooner than you think.
And you know, this is purely a hunch, but if Carrizo was that powerful wouldn't AMD be screaming and hyping this loudly from every direction.
It's worth reiterating that the benchmarks circling the web are completely unconfirmed by AMD. But once AMD does release Carrizo APUs into the wild, I will be benchmarking their gaming performance, so stay tuned.
