Reports say with AMD's new sixth-generation A-series processors, laptops in the $400 to $700 range could soon become far more capable.
Formerly code-named "Carizzo," the new chips will offer twice the gaming performance of Intel's Core i7, thanks to discrete Radeon graphics. And they'll also pack in up to 12 compute cores (four CPU and eight GPU), which basically means they'll be able to handle whatever you throw at them.
On why it's focusing on mainstream laptops, AMD notes that it's the largest segment of the PC market by revenue and volume sold, so it makes sense for a company that's traditionally focused on value to show it some leg.
Sources say AMD is basically gunning hard for the gaming and media crowd with its sixth-generation chips. Naturally, they include its dual graphics technology, which can summon the power of Radeon R7 graphics along their built-in graphics for a 42 percent jump in frame rates.
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Battery-wise, AMD says the new chips will last twice as long as their predecessors, even when watching video or gaming. They're also optimized for Windows 10 and Direct X 12, Microsoft's new gaming API which promises to be much more efficient than DX 11.
