AMD Z-01 socket: Socket FT1

What the Z-01 is

AMD Z-01 is a dual core Desna APU that AMD released in June 2011 for early tablets with soldered boards. It uses the Bobcat core design on a 40 nm process, running at 1.0 GHz with no turbo. The cache is 1 MB of L2 with 512 KB per core. Power is 6 W on TechPowerUp, matching the 5.9 W nominal figure AMD published for this cherry picked Ontario bin. Graphics come from AMD Radeon HD 6250 with 80 shaders at 276 MHz.

Desna is a low voltage Ontario bin for tablets rather than a new design, which is why clocks and graphics match the C-50 while power drops by a third. The single die integrates cores, graphics and the single channel DDR3 controller for thin fanless or small fan bodies. No turbo exists, so behavior stays fixed at 1.0 GHz.

At 6 W the Z-01 belongs to the early tablet group that preceded the 4.5 W Hondo parts. Boards pair it with soldered DDR3 and flash storage. The LGA, PGA and BGA: CPU package types explained guide explains why this soldered BGA part cannot be serviced.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The Z-01 solders to Socket FT1 with 413 balls and cannot be moved to another board. Tablet makers qualify each model with a fixed board and BIOS, so another Bobcat part is not a field swap. Boards use thin tablet layouts with soldered memory and storage.

The BIOS must list the exact Z-01 string. Power at 6 W allows fanless designs with a spreader. The CPU cooler compatibility by socket guide notes soldered parts have no desktop mount.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory support is DDR3-1066, single channel. Tablet boards solder the RAM, so size locks at purchase, commonly 1 GB to 2 GB. The single channel feeds cores and graphics together.

PCI Express lanes come from the APU for Wi-Fi and storage. Tablets have no expansion slots to consider.

Cooling uses a spreader sized for 6 W, often fanless. Fixed clocks need little airflow, but heat soak still slows sustained loads in sealed bodies.

Upgrade paths

There is no CPU upgrade path on soldered Socket FT1. The Z-01 cannot be removed, so a faster tablet means a new device. A later tablet comparison on the same package is AMD Z-60, though tablet boards never exchange models.

A platform move means a new tablet on a current mobile package. Recycle the old device through a proper e waste path once data is wiped.