AMD A8-3850 processor: specifications, comparison with competitors and reviews

In June 2011, AMD launched the first line of APU (accelerated processor devices) series A based on Llano, which in one chip combined the K10 architecture with the Radeon GPU. But, unfortunately, those who would like to use the new product, its first launch with components, code-named Husky, was aimed at manufacturers of laptops and PC manufacturers. Thus, anyone who wants to create their own personal computer based on Llano, should have been waiting for its turn to gain access to new AMD processors. With the official launch of desktop versions of APU series A Llano, code-named Lynx, this expectation is over.

AMD A8-3850: Architecture Overview

Like the low-power accelerated AMD E-based Brazos, released by AMD in February 2011, the Lynx architecture marked a shift in the manufacturer's strategic direction towards a more integrated approach. The company said the A-series is the first line of processors that, along with a 4-core CPU, offers a built-in graphics chip in the hope that the market will come to terms with low-performance hybrid chips that will be in offices and budget PCs. AMD began this revolution with the release of 4 APUs belonging to the A8 and A6 series. They differed, both clock speed, and built in devices of processing of a drawing. A pair of A8 cores has 400 stream processors of the Radeon HD 6550D graphics chip, and A6 - 320 in the HD 6530D. In this case, the first APU runs faster than the second, since it has a higher core frequency of 600 MHz compared to 443.

The ruler is further subdivided into models with different clock speeds. Two 4-core accelerated processors of the upper price range of A8 and A6 series, APU AMD A8-3850 and A6-3650, use clock speeds of 2.9 and 2.6 GHz respectively (although these values decrease in the standby state thanks to Cool'n'Quiet ), And have a rather impressive power consumption of 100 watts.

Two younger representatives of the line, A6-3600 and A8-3800, also support Turbo Core technology. This means that their performance dynamically changes depending on the requirements imposed on them. The A8-3800 uses a clock speed of 2.4 GHz, raising it to 2.9 GHz with Turbo Core enabled, and the A6-3600 at 2.1 GHz, bringing them up to 2.4. Both these hybrid processor devices consume much less power - only 65 watts.

The cores that provide such a floating frequency are based on the design with the rather pretentious name Stars. In fact, it's just an improved 32-nanometer version of the 45-nm Phenom II. This means that the CPU in the AMD chip is still based on the outdated architecture of the K10, which in the past was not very competitive with Intel Core. However, the accelerated Lynx processor offers a function that is different from competing Intel chips. This is the speed of interaction with RAM. Each of the series A models supports DDR3, operating at a frequency of up to 1866 MHz, and not 1333 MHz, as required by Intel's budget chips. Since this memory is distributed between the central and graphics processing units, it can provide an easy increase in graphics performance due to the use of faster RAM.

Also, the architecture of Llano includes a dedicated unified video decoder UVD, which allows you to unload the CPU and GPU when playing video without accelerating the acceleration of DirectX video.

In addition to the release of A8 and A6, AMD offers a pair of chipsets for motherboards called A55 and A75. Each of them supports RAID and hard drives larger than 2.2 TB, but the premium A75 chipset also allows 4 USB ports 3 and 6 SATA connectors running at 6 Gb / s.

In the graphical part of the APU 400 stream processors perform operations at a frequency of 600 MHz and are divided into 5 SIMD blocks with a common register and a tessellation block, as well as 20 texture processing units and 8 ROPs.

Features of architecture

The high-end AMD A8-3850 processor with a cost of $ 135 makes direct competition to the 2-core i3-2100. The chip includes 4 Star cores, which operate at a frequency of 2.9 GHz. They are made on 32-nanometer technology, which provides a 6-percent increase in the useful area of the crystal compared to the 45-nm process of the previous generation Athlon II. Each core is allocated 128 KB of L2 cache and 1 MB of L2. The third, a larger level in the APU is missing.

A series specifically created the 905-pin connector FM1 AMD A8-3850, because there was a need to output video from the processor to the connectors DVI, VGA and HDMI motherboard. Of course, there can be no question of any backward compatibility of previous AMD CPU models. Despite the change in the socket, the specifications for the removal of heat have not changed. All existing coolers should remain compatible, as they correspond to the estimated thermal power of the chip.

In addition, under the integrated thermal diffuser there is a graphics processor Radeon HD 6550D, operating at 600 MHz. It looks rather weak compared to the 850 MHz used by HD Graphics 2000 in the i3-2100. However, the GPU of AMD is equipped with a huge number of stream processors (400) and texture units (20) in comparison with 6 small executive modules from Intel. The A8-3850 also outperforms the i3-2100 in terms of capabilities, since the first chip provides full support for DirectX 11, while the latter is only compatible with the 10th version.

The AMD A8-3850 APU features are supported by a number of unique features, including Dual Graphics technology. Like CrossFire for additional power, it allows the integrated graphics processor to integrate with other compatible discrete graphics cards from the manufacturer. This function is activated in the BIOS ASRock by default, so just insert the video card, and the motherboard with AMD A8-3850 drivers will do the rest. There are some limitations. The technology works in games that support DirectX 11 and 10. With DX9, Dual Graphics functions, but in this case performance is not optimal. With the architecture of Llano, the manufacturer also demonstrated for the first time asynchronous multiprocessing rendering, which allows to distribute various workloads between the central and graphics processors. Compatible only with low-performance AMD GPUs, including HD 6670 1 GB, HD 6570 1 GB, HD 6450 512 MB and HD 6350 512 MB.

Overclocking AMD A8-3850

As you can see, Lynx architecture is not aimed at high performance enthusiasts. As a result, the overclocking capabilities of the AMD A8-3850 processor are also limited. For example, users were delighted to learn that the design of Intel's built-in generator was copied. This means that all clock frequencies are connected to each other across the board. As it was possible to see in Sandy Bridge systems, this setting, in fact, makes it impossible to overclock at base frequencies (or reference ones, if we talk about APU Llano), since their increase by more than 5% can lead to instability in SATA and USB subsystems . Given the fact that the CPU of the A series is blocked by the CPU multiplier, there is little hope that the speed of the AMD A8-3850 will exceed 2.9 GHz based on the 100-MHz reference clock and the multiplier of 29x.

But users were intrigued by the fact that the motherboard ASRock A75 Pro4, which they used for testing, allowed to increase the multiplier to 36x, which resulted in a total frequency of 3.6 GHz. However, despite the CPU-Z's message that the above value was achieved, in fact the multiplier did not change. The test results were identical to the performance indicators at 2.9 GHz. Attempts to overclock the AMD A8-3850 were almost fruitless, as users managed to achieve only an increase of 5 MHz, which led to an increase in the processor frequency to 3.4 GHz, and the GPU to 630 MHz. According to the manufacturer, this is due to the fact that some of the motherboards have the ability to block SATA and USB to allow more overclocking. The same source claims that in some cards there are invisible dividers that are turned on for SATA and USB on certain reference clock speeds. This could mean, for example, that 133 MHz results in stable overclocking of the AMD A8-3850 processor, whereas at 120 MHz this can not be achieved simply because a larger reference clock initiates the use of a higher SATA / USB splitter.

According to user feedback, this overclocking information was not very useful, since the motherboard resolutely refused to boot at any reference frequency above 105 MHz.

Cinebench R11.5

This test uses Maxon's Cinema 4D to render a very complex photorealistic scene with reflections, volumetric light and procedural shaders that significantly stress the CPU. Since it involves real-world objects that occur in such films as Spider-Man and Star Wars, Cinebench R11.5 can be considered as a test of the real environment. According to user feedback, the processor scored 3.33 points at 2.9 GHz and 3.51 points at 3.04 GHz. Competitor Core і3-2100 at the same time scored 3 points.

WPrime

This is a multi-threaded test of mathematical calculations with the counterintuitive use of square roots, rather than prime numbers. In the standard test, a set of 32 million numbers is used and the square roots of each of them are calculated with a recursive Newton method call as an evaluation function. WPrime perfectly scales across several cores of the central processing unit and can download them completely by 100%. The result of calculations is expressed by the amount of time spent on finding the square root of the entire set of 32 million numbers. The lower the score, the higher the productivity. According to user feedback, the result of the AMD A8-3850 is 14.443 s and 13.635 s (at 2.9 and 3.04 GHz). Core і3-2100 counts longer. Intel spends 18,090 s on all calculations.

Left 4 Dead 2

According to user feedback, the launch of this game at 1280 x 720, 0x AA, 16x AF and high image quality settings makes it possible to achieve a minimum of 54 and an average of 76 k / s at 2.9 GHz of clock speed and, respectively, 60 and 80 fps at Overclock to 3.04 GHz. The Core i3-2100 processor provides a frame rate of 13 and 22 fps.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

According to user feedback, the game was tested with the maximum detail setting in the game menu. Since the maximum frame rate is limited by default to 91 fps, the configuration file had to be increased to 250 fps. Running a 90-second fragment of the multiplayer game played through an excellent built-in player, with settings similar to the previous test, showed the slowest screen refresh rate of 30 fps, and its average value was 54 fps. For the overclocked processor, these figures increased to 33 and 60 fps, respectively. Competing processor Intel Core demonstrated unacceptable 11 and 20 fps.

Power Consumption

For all performance tests conducted by the CPU users, all energy-saving technologies were disabled so that you could get adequate results and provide the best performance, even though technologies like SpeedStep Intel need microseconds to run, which in some cases can Tell. However, in order to evaluate the performance of the AMD A8-3850 processor in the field of power consumption, all the functionality was fully utilized, so that using an external wattmeter it was possible to determine the actual power consumption, so the results represent the total power of the system, not the power consumption of the CPU itself. A separate measurement of the consumption of any individual component of the PC is practically impossible.

According to user feedback, in standby mode, when nothing on the PC screen except Windows 7 desktop with Aero activated, the total system consumption based on AMD A8-3850 Quadcore is 47 W, and Intel Core і3-2100 - 40 W. The analysis of the processor's energy efficiency, when both the CPU and the GPU are under load, for the tested model gave a result of 92 watts. At the competitor the given indicator has appeared much less - only 66 Wat.

Performance Analysis

To compare the results of the AMD A8-3850 testing, we used a Core і3-2100 processor sold at a similar price, as well as comparable motherboards chosen so that the total cost of the system for the two test benches was approximately the same. Performance testing for the evaluated model started well, as its estimate in Cinebench 11.5 (3.33) was 0.33 ahead of the competitor Intel. A similar situation arose in the WPrime 32M test. The processor A8-3850 with the time 14.443 s is much ahead of the competitor, the result of which is 18,090 s. The reason for this lies in the doubling of the number of nuclei. It is in these tests that additional power gives the maximum advantage.

A more rigid check in the form of processing multimedia files takes advantage of multiprocessor calculations, but also rewards processors that perform more instructions per clock. Chip і3-2100 dominates exactly in this area, because the Sandy Bridge architecture is capable of processing much more data than the aging K10 architecture.

The test for image editing was rated AMD A8-3850 2 90 GHz in 888, and i3-2100 - at 1331 points, which was 49% better. The same was repeated in other tests, with the A8-3850 lagging behind by 28% in video encoding, which usually rewards processors with additional cores. The overall score of the A8-3850 was 1,059 points, which lags far behind 1,476 points from the Intel processor.

However, the main advantage of APU Llano, according to users, is its improved performance in 3D games. Can it become the basis for a cheap gaming PC? Or are entry-level graphics processors doomed? The answer to both questions will be a decisive "Yes!".

With a screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels from 0x AA, the AMD A8-3850 APU in L4D2 provides a minimum frame rate of 54 fps with all settings set to high. This is an excellent result, which means that now it is finally possible to build a home theater system that allows you to play at 720p without having to install a separate graphics card. For comparison, the minimum frame rate of the i3-2100 processor at 13 fps with the same settings is almost impossible to play. In the game L4D2, the A8-3850 works just as well with a higher image clarity. At a resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels, the APU provides a minimum frame rate of 33 fps, which makes it comfortable to play even during a zombie invasion. This makes the Llano-based system truly competitive if you select graphically less demanding games at a standard 22-inch display resolution . Game COD: Black Ops also demonstrates acceptable results in the resolution of 1280 x 720 without AA, although with a large number of pixels the processor can not cope anymore.

A more subtle difference between the chips of competing companies is traced as an image when evaluating 3D performance. The graphics processor Intel i3-2100 in games could not cope with some soft shadows that can be seen in the AMD system, despite the fact that all the game settings are the same. The loss of these shadows immediately strikes the eye, as they add depth and realism to the game environment.

DRAM speed

The technical characteristics of the AMD A8-3850 processor were estimated using DDR3 memory with an operating frequency of 1333 MHz. Due to this, the comparison of results becomes fair. Nevertheless, it is interesting to check whether the performance of the A8-3850 will increase from the use of faster RAM. Moreover, the graphics processor divides RAM together with the central one. The use of a faster memory device should be comparable with its overclocking in a discrete graphics card.

This was confirmed in practice. According to users, the increase in the frequency of DDR3 to 1.6 GHz significantly improved the performance of 3D. The minimum frame rate at the same time increased by 6 fps at a resolution of 1680 x 1050 points in L4D 2 and 3 fps in Black Ops, which slightly increased its quality. Interestingly, the increase in the frequency of RAM to 1600 MHz affected more than the meager overclocking of the processor.

Conclusion

It is impossible to resist the positive characterization of AMD A8-3850, as with its appearance, fully integrated graphics, capable of providing reasonable performance, were finally available. The APU proved its consistency in gaming tests at low and medium resolutions, even if all other settings are set to maximum. This makes AMD Series A processors a welcome acquisition for those who need a low-power media center or a budget gaming station for pairing with a small monitor. An interesting solution is also asymmetric CrossFire, which allows to achieve higher performance on an inexpensive hybrid processor with a discrete graphics card base level, although the restriction only for games DX10 / 11 is a significant deterrent. It seems that the A8-3850 made the most of the base segment of the graphics processor market redundant. And this is the result that users are most pleased with.

Unfortunately, not everything is so radiant. As the low performance of the AMD A8-3850 processor in multimedia tests shows, the model lags far behind the analogous Intel chip і3-2100 in price. Obviously, this will be a problem when editing images or encoding video. Nevertheless, according to users, a compromise between improved graphics performance in exchange for moderately worse media performance is in most cases justified, especially if such systems are distributed in the future.

Buyers who need an inexpensive PC, just an office computer or home theater, capable of becoming a gaming station if necessary for a short while, will find an ideal option in the A8-3850, since the processor will cost much less than the system based on the i3-2100 with a discrete GPU. The AMD chipset has more than enough power to provide high performance and has the advantages of a discrete graphics processor, which is enough to support the necessary 3D performance.