The AMD A8-3500M APU Review: Llano Is Unleashed

Benchmark Results: F1 2010

Now for our second game that has alternate DirectX code paths: F1 2010. Codemasters was kind enough to provide us with a copy of the new DiRT 3, but we had some problems getting the command line benchmark to work properly. F1 2010 remains a very attractive title with a DirectX 11 code path, so we’re happy to use it instead. Let’s begin with DX9:

Medium detail looks great in this game, and the A8-3500M can handle it all the way up to 1920x1080. The Core i5-2520M does surprisingly well also, probably because F1 2010 is known to be CPU-bottlenecked. Nevertheless, the A8-3500M APU wins again.

Overall, the discrete Radeon HD 6630M takes another win though, and Dual Graphics has no effect in this DirectX 9 mode.

Now we’ll try DirectX 11 mode to see if Dual Graphics can deliver increased performance:

Not so. In fact, performance dips below the A8-3500M APU. And what’s more, Dual Graphics causes overt flashing anomalies. Once again, it looks like the Dual Graphics driver needs work (Update: AMD supplied a new BIOS that eliminates the flashing anomalies and provides smooth performance in F1 2010 in Dual Graphics mode). Not that we’d consider Dual Graphics a necessity here. Even the A8-3500M achieves 31 FPS on average at 1920x1080 with nothing but it’s on-die GPU.

The Core i5-2520M has no DirectX 11 capability, so we can’t compare it in this scenario.

  • _Pez_
    HO ! GOD FINALLY I am the first to read this !! Im feeling a Nerdgasm !! :D :D !!
    Reply
  • oneblackened
    I now really want a laptop with Llano. Also first.
    Reply
  • fstrthnu
    AMD is kind of in a fix here, the more enthusiast gamers won't even bother looking at the Llano computers while this is kind of overkill for casual gamers. MAYBE money-pressed college students or something, but most people will just skip this and either buy a regular gaming computer or build their own using one of the guides from this very site! Going for good graphics in cheap desktops is kind of a futile exercise, the people who will care will just get the more expensive stuff anyways. Notebooks are more understandable, but the prices on the decent gaming desktops are just too good for Llano to be very competitive (and also, the CPU portion will be a letdown for the average person. Noticeably slower than the comparable Intel Core i5.)
    Reply
  • vz7
    Do you know when the desktop review for llano will be out?
    Reply
  • stingstang
    Good job, AMD. You finally made a better cpu/gpu combo than intel in terms of graphics power.
    ....big win there...
    Reply
  • vz7
    After reading the desktop benchmarks on anandtech I can't say I'm impressed. The top of the line a8 3850 manages to scratch the best intel integrated graphics, which doesn't say much. Its CPU power seems to be a toss up with the i3. I think this hardly justifies the +70 premium (over an i3) that you'd have to spend to get it.
    Reply
  • billj214
    This APU being somewhat low power and good graphics almost deserves to be in a tablet PC since CPU processing is not critical in tablet PC's and graphics is something that can help with media and games.

    Ditto on the "Good Job AMD" definitely on the right track.
    Reply
  • cangelini
    vz7Do you know when the desktop review for llano will be out?
    The NDA is up on the 30th.
    Reply
  • niceview
    two things:

    1) What happened to the Game Charts results for the Radeon HD 5570, when the games were benchmarked? I thought you made a point to say you were going to compare the APU's 6620G with a discrete card (that has the same number of SPs and same clock). So much for that, unless you thought only comparing the two with a synthetic test was enough. Oh well. Tom's can be such a tease!

    2) I'm just a little disappointed that the APU's graphics power was not able to double Intel's.... Under the best of circumstances, AMD's latest integrated graphics came close to being twice as fast, but i guess that is ok since we are not playing horseshoes. I just thought it would be nice if it had made a nice even doubling, or more. Now, i'm worried IVY BRIDGE will beat it....
    Reply
  • niceview
    sorry, i guess that should be:

    we ARE playing horseshoes...

    and i have to give credit where credit is due: props to AMD for almost doubling Intel's HD Graphics in the integrated space....
    Reply