An APU is the combination of a CPU and GPU on a singe die, meaning your core and graphical processing is done on the same chip. The AMD Fusion family of APUs combines multi-core CPU (x86) technology with discrete-level graphics.

APUs are becoming more and more popular these days as miniaturisation technology continues to expand, with the company also launching its E-Series and C-Series APUs earlier in January.

While the E and C-Series chips were mostly targeted at netbooks and tablets, the new A-Series APUs, codenamed “Llano”, will be catering for the more mainstream PC market from notebooks to desktops.

The powerful A-Series chips utilises the combination of a speedy quad-core processor (4 x86 CPU cores) alongside discrete DirectX 11 graphics for excellent HD viewing and even gaming.

These APUs also increase battery life, with AMD claiming over 10.5 hours of battery life for notebooks equipped with an A-Series APU. In notebooks the A-Series APU will have 400 gigaflops of performance, while desktops will be able to utilise 500 gigaflops.

The A-Series APUs also feature AMDs VISION Engine technology which combines hardware and software to provide the best experience for videos and gaming. AMDs Steady Video feature also helps ensure smooth video playback and enables 3D gaming and 3D Blu-ray playback.

In addition, the A-Series APUs supports a wide range of connection standards including HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.1 and USB 3.0.

The A-Series also supports discrete AMD Radeon graphics options if you really want to get your game on, with switchable dual graphics enabling a 75% boost in graphical performance according to AMD.

AMDs new Llano A-Series APUs are set to appear in more than 150 notebook and desktop PCs throughout Q2 of 2011.