You are right according to newest preview of Carrizo at CES by Anandtech today --
http://anandtech.com/show/8855/amd-demonstrates-working-carrizo-laptop-prototype
I agree, that it's very underwhelming, but remember, they only got the silicon a few weeks back (much later than comparable Kaveri chips a year ago), so they haven't had much time to do prototypes.
AMD apparently only received initial silicon back from the fab a few weeks back, and they already have a laptop up and running with the early hardware. In fact, not only did they have a functioning Carrizo laptop but they also had several other working Carrizo systems running Windows. Of course, last year AMD had Kaveri up and running and that launched about five months later, so were a bit earlier than that for Carrizo but its coming along nicely.
One of the features of Carrizo is full support for H.265 decoding, and as an example of why this is needed they had an Intel system running next to the Carrizo system attempting to playback a 4K H.265 video. While the AMD system was easily able to handle the task without dropping any frames, the Intel system was decoding at what appeared to be single digit frame rates. The 4K content was essentially unwatchable on Intel. Of course thats easy enough to remedy by adding an appropriate GPU that can handle the decoding, but AMDs point is that their APU on its own is able to do something that a high-end Intel CPU cannot do without additional hardware.
From the Anandtech article -> "AMD also indicated that their eventual goal is to have the prototype laptop equipped with a discrete GPU for Dual Graphics support, but that isn’t in the current prototype."
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-carrizo-carrizo-l-notebook-apu,28345.html
AMD has thin and light prototype systems jointly developed with Shuttle Inc. and is showing them off at CES. According to Kevin Lensing, Senior Director, Product Management, AMD, "It's a 'Carrizo'-based system sporting an upcoming mobile discrete GPU and it delivers exceptional, unprecedented gaming performance in a thinner and lighter platform than previously possible due to the energy efficiency and performance focus we have in 'Carrizo.'"
Very surprised to see the AMD Carrizo prototype with discrete graphics.
Shuttle new notebook ecosystem is a brand new standard for notebook design that can make the notebook industry more like the desktop industry, enabling smaller LOEMs and brand names to get into the notebook market and enhancing the competitive advantage of LOEMs to compete with MNC (multi-national companies)....
1) Choose display size --> 2) Choose chips --> 3) Choose look --> 4) Choose ship date
So for lower end gaming laptops: Carrizo is fine.
But for higher performance gaming laptops (that AMD thinks needs stronger graphics), we need a chip that is different than Carrizo. A chip that has two more cores and is cheaper to produce than Carrizo.
You are right according to newest preview of Carrizo at CES by Anandtech today --
http://anandtech.com/show/8855/amd-demonstrates-working-carrizo-laptop-prototype
From TH article, AMD and Shuttle co-developed new type of mobile systems with Carrizo APU, with some models equipped with discrete GPU.
At Shuttle special design website, they have more info about "New Notebook Ecosystem" --
http://spa.shuttle.com/main/index.jsp
Combined with AMD Carrizo/L motherboard, parts ands assembly/test unification, Taiwan PC manufacturers like Shuttle look like they are making it possible for small OEMs anywhere around the world to create more customized notebooks that better fit customer and market needs and demands.
Thats the kind of business innovation that can potentially really make a difference to the market. But Intel can do just the same if its a success. But its interesting non the less.
H265, this and other smaller things to differentiate is all the right way instead of this stupid head on battle with Intel that is bound to fail.
Nice first and h265 is very important but skylake will do the same about 4 month later; h265 encode and decode.
So for lower end gaming laptops: Carrizo is fine.
But for higher performance gaming laptops (that AMD thinks needs stronger graphics), we need a chip that is different than Carrizo. A chip that has two more cores and is cheaper to produce than Carrizo.
With new games coming out that have quad core cpu and GTX 660 as minimum requirements, APUs in the desktop or laptop again are going to be far behind the curve if you want to play all games, including resource intensive current ones, at any kind of decent settings. This is why I have never been a fan of trying to game on an igp. Yes, they are improving, but it is a constantly moving target. For sure in a desktop, apus make no sense to me for gaming. In a laptop, maybe. You will still have to make a lot of sacrifices, but since you cannot add a discrete card and intel/nVidia units with a discrete card are so expensive, I can see it as an acceptable compromise in a laptop if you are willing to not play some of the more intense games.
Yes, a laptop is a much lower power platform (and will come with compromises because of this).
So I think if a person is going to make an attempt at playing the more modern games, the cpu needs to be a separate die from the GPU.
Okay, now with that out of the way, if a OEM wants to use discrete CPU can AMD offer a better value than Intel?
They might offer a better value for the gpu than nVidia, for the cpu, I am not so sure. I am sure they could offer one cheaper, but whether the performance is there is open to debate. I think one of the gaming laptop manufacturers offered an AMD APU with a top of the line discrete gpu at one point, and the price was great, but it was badly cpu limited.
AMD has no plans to offer Carrizo as a socketed chip for desktop PCs.
Did you want to buy Carrizo?
http://techreport.com/news/27652/amd-carrizo-will-face-off-with-broadwell-u-wont-land-in-desktops
Keeps getting crazier and crazier.
So does this mean there isn't going to be a upgrade path for Fm2+ socket?? if this is the case please some one let me know now cause I just purchased a motherboard and a 7850K from newegg and have yet to open it. I can still return it and get something intel based. I just dont want to be stuck on A 7850k With no upgrade options.
Except for cheap cat core laptops though, AMD has been very poor in getting design wins. Lets see if Carrizo has any compelling features that can change that.
What had you expected in terms of upgrade path that makes it so important compared to the 7850K?
Arcording to techreport there is no upgrade path.
All I use my pc for is emulators and ripping and encoding dvd's and blu-rays.so dont know if intels camp has more to offer for this in the el-cheap-o department.Also I never turn my pc off so power saving is a plus for me too.
If people are looking to buy an AMD "APU" desktop chip as an upgrade from RIchland or Kaveri, the only thing worth mentioning is Zen parts that *should* arrive next year (if AMD doesn't screw up those also).