AMD Fusion Hits Retail: Zotac and Gigabyte E-350s
Multimedia Playback
To test video decode and playback capabilities of Zotac and Gigabyte E-350 APU-based systems, we attempted to play back a 1080p H.264-encoded QuickTime clip, along with 1080p Blu-ray movie content, a 1080P MKV file, and HD Flash video. We then fired up Windows Task Manager take a look at CPU utilization in all instances.
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1080P MKV File Playback
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1080P YouTube Flash Video
Flash video is another story, however. Throughout the review process, AMD has been sending updates regarding support for Flash video acceleration. With current drivers and the latest official Flash 10.2 release, CPU utilization is very high and dropped frames are common with full-screen HD video. Lower resolutions also have high-CPU utilization, but the experience is much better. With that said, different versions of the plug-in seem to offer varying levels of support, and Adobe and AMD are working on optimizing performance. We expect Flash video acceleration to be much better in future driver and plug-in releases.
