Are old AMD APUs still relevant in 2021?
First, a little history. Until the beginning of the twenty-first century, absolutely all processors were produced without a built-in video core. Processing and output of images was carried out either by a discrete video card installed separately in the slot, or by a special graphics processor, additionally soldered on the motherboard.
Everything changed in 2006, when processor manufacturer Advanced Micro Devices (or AMD for short) bought graphics chip developer ATI Technologies. And already three years later, first in the mobile segment (laptops), and a little later in the “desktop” segment, AMD produces so-called hybrid processors.
A special feature of such CPUs is a fairly powerful graphics processor soldered on a plate next to the computing core. When using such hybrid CPUs, you no longer need either a discrete video card or a separate chip on the motherboard, which significantly saves money for the potential buyer. At the same time, AMD complies with the only condition - the graphics core of the processor, at the time of release, is capable of “running” current games only with minimally acceptable performance. On the one hand, such a CPU allows a gamer to normally play his or her favorite projects, and on the other hand, such a hybrid chip does not compete with full-fledged video cards.
We will not talk about the current generation of hybrid processors created by AMD for the AM4 socket in this article, since almost all IT publications write about the current models, including detailed tests and reviews. It is interesting to look at the possibilities of working in 2021 on CPUs that were released quite a long time ago and designed for sockets FM1 and FM2. How outdated are they for use today?
So, the FM1 socket was introduced by Advanced Micro Devices in 2010 and the first line of processors with a video core in the history of the computer industry was released for it. In total, there were seven models under FM1 (for the full list, see https://amd.news/obzor/spisok-processorov-socket-fm1/), carrying from 2 to 4 cores. These CPU lines were designated as A*-3**0, where the asterisks were replaced by numbers that displayed the exact name of the model.
Today, it hardly makes sense to use 2- and 3-core solutions for any tasks other than office ones. But 4-core CPUs (from A6-3650 and older) are still capable of something else. A computer with such a processor, if it has 4 gigabytes or more of RAM, can be used without problems not only as an advanced typewriter, but also as a fully functional entertainment center. Such a system will cope with surfing the Internet, movies and games from ten years ago. Of course, you shouldn’t dream about modern toys with any processor for the FM1 socket.
The situation with solutions under FM2 is somewhat different. Firstly, this model range includes several 2- and 4-core Athlon models without a video core (these are rejected A-series processors that turned out to have a broken graphics processor). Such CPUs still need a separate video card. But other “A-” processors, compared to FM1, turned out to be much more powerful, both in the computing and video parts. And if the younger 2-core models perform at the level of the 3nd and 2rd generation Core i3, then the older 4-core models have performance similar to the more advanced Core i5 and a fairly powerful video core.
On the CPU A8-A10 of the FM2 line, such hits as Tomb Raider 2013 and GTA 5 will run without problems, although with not the highest graphics settings. But almost all games released before 2016 will feel more or less comfortable on your PC. https://amd.news/obzor/spisok-processorov-socket-fm2/ you can look at the full list of FM2 processors.
As we can see, even not the youngest hybrid processors are quite capable of performing certain functions, which means that if you have such a PC, you can save good money.
Just don’t forget: all CPUs with a built-in video core work much faster if the RAM is in the so-called DUAL mode (when the memory sticks have the same size and are placed in pairs in slots of the same color).
