AMD A8-3850 Review: Llano Rocks Entry-Level Desktops

Benchmark Results: 3DMark Vantage

Although 3DMark 11 is a newer title, Vantage is as high as we’re able to go. Not only is Intel’s HD Graphics implementation limited to DirectX 10-based software, but so is the Radeon HD 4290 graphics processor built into the AMD 890GX chipset.

As if to drive home my point on the previous page about synthetics designed to push a certain workload beyond where a real-world app might go, Vantage helps demonstrate the cataclysmic leap forward AMD is taking with its platform-based graphics performance.

Intel is on the second generation of graphics built onto its processor. This is AMD’s first time to the races though, and you can see that the company’s decision to devote more die space to the GPU translates into more than doubling of Intel's most recent effort.

Once you tear into that score, the source of AMD’s advantage becomes even clearer. The Radeon HD 6550D engine simply decimates HD Graphics 3000, which itself even manages to illustrate the benefit of putting processor cores and graphics resources on the same die, destroying the once-impressive 890GX’s result.

Chris Angelini
Chris Angelini is an Editor Emeritus at Tom's Hardware US. He edits hardware reviews and covers high-profile CPU and GPU launches.
  • whatisupthere
    Great review! Thanks Toms
    Reply
  • Tamz_msc
    Another win for AMD!
    Reply
  • SteelCity1981
    So then what's the point of getting the Turbo Core versions when they are going to be Turbo Clocked slower then the none Turbo Clocked versions...
    Reply
  • cangelini
    SteelCity1981So then what's the point of getting the Turbo Core versions when they are going to be Turbo Clocked slower then the none Turbo Clocked versions...
    They don't want you to see better performance from a cheaper APU in single-threaded apps by pushing Turbo Core further ;-)
    Reply
  • Known2Bone
    i really wanted see some amazing gains in the content creation department what with all that gpu power on chip... oh well games are fun too!
    Reply
  • ivan_chess
    I think this would be good for a young kid's PC. It would be enough to run educational software and a web browser. When he grows up to be a gamer it would be time to replace the whole machine anyway.
    Reply
  • DjEaZy
    ... it's may be not the greatest APU for desktop... but it will be a powerful thingy in a laptop... the review was nice... but in the gaming department... would be nice to see a standard 15,x'' laptop resolution tests @ 1366x768... or something like that...
    Reply
  • Mathos
    Actually if you want good DDR3 1600 with aggressive timings, the Ripjaws X series memory that I have does DDR3 1600 at 7-8-7-24 at 1.5v, not all that expensive when it comes down to it either.
    Reply
  • Stardude82
    This makes little sense. An Athlon II X3 445 ($75) and a HD 5570 ($60, on a good day you can get a 5670 for the same price) would provide better performance for the same price ($135) and not have to worry about the RAM you use.

    So is AM3+ going to be retired in favor of FM1 in the near future? Why are there chipset at all? Why isn't everything SOC by now?

    Otherwise this is a very good CPU. If AMD has used 1 MB level 2 caches in their quads when they came out with the Deneb Propus die, they would be much more competitive.
    Reply
  • crisan_tiberiu
    stardude82This makes little sense. An Athlon II X3 445 ($75) and a HD 5570 ($60, on a good day you can get a 5670 for the same price) would provide better performance for the same price ($135) and not have to worry about the RAM you use. what about power consumption?
    Reply