The AMD A4-4355M is a mobile ultra-low-voltage (ULV) dual-core processor based on the Trinity architecture. Officially introduced in Q4 2012, it is the direct successor to the Llano A-series of APUs (Accelerated Processing Unit). The processing unit is manufactured in 32nm SOI and integrates a 1.9 GHz CPU (up to 2.4 GHz w/ Turbo Core) with a Radeon HD 7400G GPU alongside a dual-channel memory controller, video de- and encoders and a northbridge.
The CPU cores are based on a reworked Bulldozer architecture, called Piledriver. Although marketed as a dual-core processor, the A4-4355M includes only one module with two integer-cores and a floating-point core. As a result, the CPU is not a true dual-core processor.
When compared to previous Bulldozer cores, AMD has managed to improve upon the IPC (instructions per clock) performance of Trinity cores while allowing for higher clock frequencies. However, when compared to its Llano predecessor, the multithreaded performance of Trinity has only been slightly improved. The enhanced Turbo Core 3.0 feature functions well in speeding up single threaded performance, although it is still not on the same level as Intel’s Turbo Boost equivalent. Regardless, AMD has managed to include other features as well, such as the AVX extension (including FMA) and support for AES encryption.
In terms of raw general performance, the A4-4355M performs significantly faster than the E-Series (e.g. E2-1800) and competes with Intels Celeron and Pentium ULV processors. CPU performance from the AMD processor should be sufficient for all daily workloads like Office and Internet browsing, but will reach its limits in more demanding applications and multitasking.
The APU integrates a DirectX 11-compatible GPU called Radeon HD 7400G.
The power consumption of the A4-4355M APU is rated at 17 Watt TDP and is therefore comparable to Intels ULV-processors. Consequently, the A4-4355M is best suited for thin-and-light notebooks.