New AMD "A Series" Llanos Mobile and Desktop CPUs Shipping Out Now

AMD has finally started playing catch up with their rivals at Intel. A company cursed since the evolution of the Pentium 4, Advanced Micro Devices has now released it's newest line of uniquely designed APUs(Accelerated Processing Unit); a family of hybrid processors which debuted earlier this year. Now available in the form of the code-named Llanos CPU-GPU fused APU, the new "A series" processors are the first designed by AMD using the 32nm manufacturing process. Unique from ordinary CPUs, the APU design is the first to take what is essentially discrete radeon graphics and place it right onto the same silicon die as the CPU. The Goal? Achieve high graphical performance while maintaining the best possible power, cost, and hardware efficiency at the microprocessor level.

Although previously seen in netbooks as AMD's C and E series APUs, the latest results of AMD's bold new direction are the A5 and A8 processors which feature the equivalent of a low to middle range discrete graphics solution incorporated directly onto the CPU die. By combining the GPU and CPU, AMD looks to enhance GPU-CPU communication speeds and bypass many inefficiencies which result in wasted power on normal motherboards with a discrete PCI-E 16x GPU + CPU. The APU should decrease power consumption, boost graphical performance, and provide cheaper manufacturing when compared to similarly performing hardware. Early benchmarks have shown promising success in the mobile media and gaming market for Llanos equipped laptops, which I'm assuming the new tech was mainly designed for. After receiving moderate praise from their netbook-based APUs, AMD has progressed toward the more advanced laptop and entry-level desktop sector with surprisingly minimal sacrifices. In return for the coexistence of seemingly amazing battery life and moderate media/gaming abilities, general processing power unfortunately had to take a step down. The A8 has proven to be a regression in terms of raw processing ability in regards to a similar phenom II x4 or Intel i5 processors; however, the gains in media performance and energy efficiency under moderate stress tests make this minor performance hit very palatable at listed prices.

With the new APUs, AMD is proposing a future where the average consumer laptop costing $500-600 will be able to eliminate the age old choice between productivity/speed, battery life, and media/gaming needs. The A8 and other (specifically mobile) A series APUs make judicious use of their unique construction and maintain the ability to carry out a more-than-sa

tisfactory day of general use (document reading, web browsing and moderately intensive programs). The kicker is, when called upon for graphics, gaming or HD media, the APU's integrated Radeon series GPU can deliver a powerful punch with an anorexic's appetite for battery wattage. Preliminary benchmarks show mobile Llano APUs running modern games at medium settings and getting almost 2x the battery life of comparable Sandy Bridge i5/intel HD 3000 setups (about 1 hour for the i5 vs. 2 hours for A8); not to mention tests showing off AMD's Allday power plan actually working! The Allday power plan is designed to hopefully provide APU laptops with 8+ hours of standby time. A report on Tom's Hardware stated an A8 mobile system lasted over 7.5 hours on a laptop while browsing documents on lowest brightness settings.

Of course the new AMD Fusion APUs still don't come close the performance of a "desktop replacement" laptop or a PC housing any high end discrete AMD/nVidia GPU coupled with a powerful CPU. However, the A series does wonders for the future of mobile media and as technologically races forward, we may be seeing a lot more of the APU design platform. Imagine the possibilities of the future if the current A8 already has the ability to play Left for Dead 2 at 50+ FPS, and can view HD movies on a mobile platform without running your batte

ry to the ground in 30 minutes.

I'm sure many people can attest to the feelings of worry regarding the future of AMD. With struggling internal leadership issues and Intel's market success backed by their seemingly unstoppable chip advances, this recent tactical strike into the heart of mobile computing is exactly the type of out-of-the-box approach AMD needs to take the reigns from a confidentially coasting Intel Corp. Although not a an instant success by any means, I think APUs will aid in capturing at least part of the mobile computing market back and rebuild the trust lost with by selling inefficient, energy sucking products. The speed, power and ability of CPUs in general has raced ahead of software development over the past decade. While Intel processors and the computing industry as a whole have made amazing technological advances, the priority of CPU companies in recent years has always been more power and speed; the benefits of this are mostly appreciated in the production/business sectors where speed and efficiency equates to profit.

AMD has finally realized the average person's needs for a longer lasting battery and the ability to use their computers for recreation; whether it be music, moderate gaming or just browsing HD media. The general public just isn't in the business of rendering scenes for the next Toy Story, decompressing huge archives, or repeatedly running decryption on government messages. There is really just an astounding surplus of computing power available on the average, mid-range PC being used solely for Facebook updates. With the presence of advancing smartphone technology the consumer-level mobile computing world could see a major realignment, focusing on media and gaming capabilities more than ever. With the ability to become increasingly more productive each year on new pocket-sized devices, the advantages of a bulkier laptop or tablet may become more associated with exactly what the APU is designed to excel at.

One can only hope the future of AMD will see even further development and success with their designs. Here's hoping the intended performance of APUs coupled with the newly designed Bulldozer 32nm architecture, will put the 2nd largest microprocessor manufacturer back on the silicon map. Bulldozer will be the successor to the aging Stars architecture which is used in AMD's current lineup of desktop/mobile CPUs (including Llanos). Look for the first set of newly designed Bulldozer CPUs to be released in Q3 2011.

Here is a link to benchmarks and a full testing report on the Llanos A8 APU:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a8-3500m-llano-apu,2959-2.html

Another link which reports on A8-3500m benchmarks and testing:

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=amd_llano_linux&num=1

A Picture Dedicated to My Love of Matcha Green Tea

Jobs and College Students in America

Jobs are the bane of a college student's existence. Here you have a young adult who is willing to go the extra distance to further their education and society has the nerve to slap them in the face with a $15,000 (generally more) price tag and say "get studying." We all know there are simple answers to dealing with the cost of college, and that is to earn a scholarship, apply for financial aid, and work your ass off at a part-time job. The leading arguments against university tuition problems will say you should "work hard in high school and get a scholarship," or "you should qualify for a grant if you can't afford it."

So let's say for a second, a young 18-year old student gets a full scholarship to a state University. Congratulations, you have now acquired 10 more costs to balance out, not covered by your free money which goes straight to tuition. Many people fail to understand the expenses that sit outside the generalized cost of college curve on a student's financial graph.

---- Costs other than tuition while attending college/university (PER MONTH) ----

Transportation: $300+ (insurance + gas + car payment?) extremely variable per person

Food & Living: $100-$900+/month (varies based on home/rent and meal plan or eating habits)

Books: $100-$600/semester (depends on how well you budget, may require software, lab equipment, or other items based on area of study)

As a reference, here are my personal values for a Junior in college, living at home and commuting to a local state university approximately 15 miles away..

-----

Transportation: $300/month (for gas + insurance. Driving to work-school-home 5 days/week)

Food & Living: $75-$100 (eat at home 70% of the time and live there to avoid rent)

Books + Equipment: usually $400/semester (books generally need to be the latest edition, or are specific to my school. This makes it hard to buy used and save money)

Totals: $400/month + $400/semester.

1 semester = 5 months, so we can simplify everything by saying I pay roughly:

$480/month for all things relative to school and living.

Now, working part-time at a standard rate of $7.50/hour, I need to work 64 hours a month just to support my daily routine.

Now, I know my case can't even compare to what some people go through in the real world, and I might be coming off as negative or whiney; but to be taken out of a grade school environment where everything is layed out on the table for you, and get thrown into a non-stop train wreck of chaotic work is something I wasn't really prepared for. What I'm really getting at is:

high school doesn't prepare you at all for the real world.

If you step through a door like mine, you may find yourself scratching your head and looking up to see the floor. Later in life you'll start to feel a strange weight on your shoulders, and as you peer down at the scale of success you'll find it has become bloated by the burdens of stress and responsibility. Things that were so trivial months ago.... budgeting, work, money and time management (more like no-time management...haha) all become hinged on your back; looking into a mirror you watch your body mold and contort itself to sustain the breeding family of life's leeches. This is life. This is what forces children to mature into adults. This is the filter separating the educated from the ones without the magical piece of paper, the degree, the pass that somehow decides if you're qualified for a job where everything you really need to learn is gained through experience. One can't just expect to graduate high school and ride the interstate from sunshine to rainbows. The rigors of the real world and going to college full-time, really need to be pushed on older grade school students close to graduation; not to scare them from the idea of higher education, but to help ease them into a reality which they may have been unaware of, and ill-prepared for their entire life.

Funny Starcraft Related Shirt!!

A little something I whipped up that was inspired by my years of SC and months of SC2.

http://6dollarshirts.com/submit_a_design.php?view=submission&id=1297549991

If it gets enough votes you'll be able to buy it for $6

Any comments or votes would be appreciated :D
Trying to get it accepted.

Review for PC Temperatures Part 1: COOLER MASTER RR-H101-22FK-RA

I recently put a new cooling system into my PC rig, it consists of 3 extra case fans and a new heatsync. I am one who is very careful of my temperatures and I like to check them via my bios readings and through applications in Windows 7 (Speedfan). But to those people out there who think they are getting 20C on your core temps, what is the temperature of your room? Room temperature is generally 21-25C and unless you're living in a refrigerator, or have a cooling system other than air, there is no way you can cheat the laws of thermal dynamics.

First up, my new CPU cooler.

COOLER MASTER RR-H101-22FK-RA

Compared to the stock cooler for an AMD Phenom II x4 955, this cooler is a slight upgrade. At a cost of only $15, it seemed worth an attempt to upgrade to something a little beefier for a possible overclock in the future (as of now my CPU is nowhere near being the bottleneck of my rig).

Note: These temperatures are read from Speedfan and not the bios. They are not the calculated Core temperatures Speedfan also gives, but the sensor readings from the board.

Stock HS&F Idle Temps:
32-35C
COOLER MASTER RR-H101-22FK-RA Idle Temps:
29-31C

Total Change: 3-6C cooler

(stress tested with Starcraft 2 and prime95)

Stock HS&F Average Load Temps:
45-49C
COOLER MASTER RR-H101-22FK-RA Average Load Temps:
41-45C

Total Change: 4-8C cooler

So, as you can see there was a small change between the stock heatsync and the new Cooler Master RR-H101. I would say, on average the difference was about 3-4C; which isn't too bad for only a $15 cooler. This particular cooler also doesn't fully cover the top of the larger Phenom II chips, but does fit more snugly on Athlon X2 and other AM2 chips. I would advise spending twice the money on a quality cooler to net you better performance. However, if you're just looking to extend the life of your CPU by shaving off a few degrees, or replacing a dead cooler, this is a nifty upgrade. I have also heard many people complaining about the abilities of the stock AMD Phenom II x6's cooler, and that this was a inexpensive solution to decent temperatures.

Next up for review is the new pride of my case:
The "Scythe DFS123812-3000 "ULTRA KAZE" 120 x 38 mm Case Fan"

Product website link: http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=2964

Need a Quick Proxy?

Need a quick proxy for checking that blocked website at work or school? Give some of these a try, this site has a whole list.

http://newproxysites.org/

Link: http://newproxysites.org/

Look Out 2011! Big Games Headed This Way

2011 looks to be one of the most entertaining video game years in quite some time. Over the course of this year we have seen very few smash hits in the gaming world aside from Starcraft 2, and a handful of other mildly successful titles; but next year developers look to change all that by releasing a library of highly anticipated sequels.

Here are just a few names you may have heard before. Look for all these titles to be released over the course of 2011.

Prototype 2


The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim


Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception


Batman: Arkham City


Mortal Kombat

Marvel vs. Capcom 3


Mass Effect 3


And that's only what has been announced so far! Look for more game trailers to be sprouting up around the net as the preparation for 2011 continues.

Movie Releases for December 2010

Sorry for the lack of posting, time has been really limited lately. Here are the upcoming movie releases for the month of December 2010. There's one I've been looking forward to for a long time (TRON :D)
I've listed my hype and interest levels in stars next to each movie. Rated 1-5 stars.


December 10th:

The Tourist * * *
Frank Taylor (Johnny Depp) travels to Venice to recover from a recent break-up, though he soon finds himself engaged by the beautiful and mysterious Elise (Angelina Jolie) -- who happens to be an Interpol agent with a dangerous connection to a fugitive criminal.

The Tempest * *
A power grab finds Prospera (Helen Mirren), the rightful Duchess of Milan, exiled to a remote island with her young daughter, Miranda (Felicity Jones). Asserting influence over the island, Prospera develops a new enemy: the slave Caliban (Djimon Hounsou), who looks to raise a rebellion against his foe.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader * *
Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace (Poulter) where they meet up with Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world.

The Fighter * * * *
A look at the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his brother, Dick Eklund (Christian Bale), who helped train to become a pro fighter.

The Garden of Eden *
Based on Ernest Hemingway's posthumous novel and set in the jazz age, a successful young American writer David Bourne (Jack Huston) and his wife Catherine (Mena Suvari) on their extended honeymoon in Europe. Catherine's listlessness inspires her to fold the desirable Marita (Caterina Murino) into their relationship, raising the romantic and sexual stakes.


December 17th:

TRON: Legacy * * * * *
When Sam (Garrett Hedlund) investigates a signal sent from his father's old arcade, he's pulled into the digital world where his dad, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), has been trapped for 20 years. With father and son reunited, they team up with the warrior Quorra (Olivia Wilde) on a life-or-death journey across the cyber universe Kevin created.

Yogi Bear (-5 stars)
A documentary filmmaker (Anna Faris) travels to Jellystone Park to shoot a project and soon crosses paths with Yogi Bear (voice of Dan Aykroyd) and his sidekick Boo-Boo (voice of Justin Timberlake).

How Do You Know *
Feeling a bit past her prime at 27, former athlete Lisa Jorgenson (Reese Witherspoon) finds herself in the middle of a love triangle, as a corporate guy in crisis (Paul Rudd) competes with Lisa's current, baseball-playing beau (Owen Wilson).

Rabbit Hole
Life for Becca and Howie Corbett (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) spins off its axis after their son dies in a car accident.

Casino Jack * * *
Super lobbyist Jack Abramoff (Kevin Spacey) and his business partner Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper) build an empire by dealing and scheming with some of the world's most powerful people, until a plot with a mob-connected associate (Jon Lovitz) brings scandal, headlines, and a prison sentence.

December 22st:

Little Fockers *
The Focker and the Byrnes families brace themselves for the arrival of a baby.

True Grit * * *
A young girl recruits a tough U.S. Marshall to track down the man who killed her father.

Gulliver's Travels *
Shipwrecked travel writer Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black) finds himself transported to an island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, where he's a giant among the natives, the Lilliputians. Initially taken prisoner, Gulliver becomes a favorite of the court and schemes for a way in which the Lilliputians can outwith their rivals, the Blefuscudians.

Country Strong *
A drama centered on a rising country-music songwriter (Garrett Hedlund) who sparks with a fallen star (Gwyneth Paltrow). Together, they mount his ascent and her comeback, which leads to romantic complications involving her husband/manager (Tim McGraw) and a beauty queen-turned-singer (Leighton Meester)

December 24th:

Somewhere *
A hard-living actor (Stephen Dorff) holed up in the Chateau Marmont gets a reality check when he's visited by his 11-year-old daughter (Elle Fanning).

The Illusionist (Animated) * *
Set at the end of the vaudeville era, a stage magician finds his talents less and less in demand. Performing at a village pub off the coast of Scotland, he encounters Alice, an innocent young girl, who will change his life forever.

December 29th:

Biutiful * * *
Uxbal (JavierBardem) is a dour man but a devoted husband and father who, thanks to his ability to read the minds of the recently deceased, ekes out a living in Barcelona.

Another Year *
A look at four seasons in the lives of a happily married couple (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen), and their relationships with their family and friends -- who are all quite miserable.

December 31st:

Blue Valentine *
A look at the idyllic past and troubled present of working-class couple Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams).

I may make this a regular thing every month, look for more information in January!

(excuse the corniness of this comment)
All credit for this idea goes to my dream girl Ashley, who has worked at a movie theater for over four years and has opened my world to the theater. You're the best!

Apple Black Friday Deals

Yes, you heard right! Apple is actually running sales on their products. Here are some of the discounts you can find on their website.

8gb iPod Touch: $209 (original $229)
16gb wifi iPad: $458 (original $499)
13 inch Macbook Pro: $1098 (original $1199)
13 inch Macbook Air: $1198 (original $1299)
21.5 inch iMac: $1098 (original $1199)

And plenty of other deals at: http://store.apple.com/us

Pokemon Black and White Starters

Here are the new starters for Pokemon Black and White. The English names for all three were just recently released. Look for both versions to be released in the US around spring 2011. They sure have come a long way from charmander and squirtle...