AMD launches super-affordable Windows 10-ready A8-7670K APU
Windows 10 will be available on July 29th, meaning it is just a bit more than a week until the world can start buying computers running the operating system. While Windows 10 will run fine on older hardware, a new version of Microsoft's OS can be a great time to upgrade your computer. System builders in particular may want to improve their build.
Understandably, you may be hesitant to spend money on new hardware; the economy is still bad for many. Don't worry, AMD has you covered. Today, the company launches the A8-7670K APU. Not only is it Windows 10-ready with DirectX 12 support, but it is insanely affordable too at a shockingly low $117.99. In other words, you may pay less than that at retailers.
"An APU is the combination of a processor (CPU) and a graphics card (GPU) all rolled into one convenient, albeit less delicious, chip. It provides excellent processing power for your everyday tasks, great graphics capability for eSports online gaming and a superb experience in Windows 10. All at an affordable price. The A8-7670K APU offers 10 compute cores: 4 CPU cores running at up to 3.9GHz, 6 GPU cores running at 757MHz, and 4MB of L2 cache. In addition, it supports Heterogeneous System Architecture for high levels of performance and efficiency", says AMD.
AMD further explains, "the A8-7670K APU also performs well in popular eSports gaming titles like Counter Strike: Global Offensive, DOTA 2, and League of Legends. We take gaming seriously at AMD which is why we put so many features into our APUs that make your gaming experience awesome, and that starts with improved gaming efficiency with support for DirectX 12. AMD FreeSync technology puts an end to choppy gameplay and broken frames. Eyefinity, multi-display technology, adds more realism and greater fields of view4. Virtual Super Resolution (VSR) improves image quality when gaming at lower resolutions. And native H.264 video encoding empowers AMD's Gaming Evolved application to effortlessly record your gameplay".
AMD shares the following ways this APU is a smart choice for Windows 10.
- Be prepared for the future; the AMD A8-7670K is designed to deliver a premium Windows 10 experience with ten compute cores (4 CPU + 6 GPU)
- Smooth video playback of movies and TV with hardware-based acceleration
- Boost performance in the new Microsoft Edge web browser with full graphics acceleration for HTML5 and WebGL
- Help protect sensitive data with hardware accelerated encryption and decryption when using Microsoft Bitlocker
- Easily stream Xbox One games to your PC
- Experience content streams without bumps and hiccups for smoother performance with AMD Quick Stream technology which allots more bandwidth to your highest priority applications
While this is not a top-of-the-line processor, it is more than fast enough for the average user. Heck, the on-chip R7 graphics are a legit casual gaming option. While you won't be able to play modern games at max settings, it should be adequate for a fun experience. To get a powerful CPU and a solid GPU for $117.99 -- or potentially less -- is a crazy value.
If you are looking to build a new computer, or just upgrade an existing machine, this would be a very smart way to do so. Of course, you will need to check compatibility with your existing FM2+ compatible motherboard. You may need to update your BIOS to add support. If your board is not FM2+, you could buy an inexpensive replacement -- your existing DDR3 RAM and other components should work just fine.