AMD Zen APU release date: Processor expected in Q4 2016; Simultaneous multi-threading capability revealed

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A lot of people are excited to see the upcoming AMD Zen processor due to its seemingly outstanding performance.

After all, according to PC Advisor UK, the previous series, called Bulldozer, was such a hit among gamers who are on a budget but would still want to have a fast-performing processor. As such, with the advent of these new Zen-based FX processors by the fourth quarter of 2016, more and more people are starting to get curious about its features and what it could offer.

This processor has an x86 Zen architecture built on a 14nm FinFET manufacturing process. What this means is that performance is greatly boosted while saving energy. The Zen processor will be released in order to replace the Bulldozer family, with its last code-named processor the AMD APU Excavator, which was released back in 2015.

With this, the newest AMD processors will possess different code names and are to be released on various dates in the future. Keeping in mind that the FX line of performance CPUs have always been the most popular, AMD will name its upcoming performance line as AMD Summit Ridge as a direct replacement to the current FX line.

The Zen APU caters to users that would want a CPU and a GPU in one chip, such as those who lack the funds or the capabilities to buy a discrete graphics card. Regardless of this, the Zen processors are made to be on par with the graphics performance of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, which is impressive given the fact that it is just one chip.

However, even if the APU is built around the new AM4 socket that has DDR4 memory capabilities, the Zen processor will have "Simultaneous Multi-threading" capabilities. This technology will allow a single core to support multiple threads, similar to the "Hyper-Threading" capability of the Intel Cor i7 processor.