Introduction
AMD's press launch of the new Kaveri APU was anachronistic in nature. Press samples of the range-topping A10-7850K arrived days after the product was available in the channel, and enterprising readers often had their own reviews available before the professional sites managed to get words to page. But our A10-7850K is here and it's only right that we put it through the usual benchmark paces.
AMD APU Product Stack |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APU Model | CPU Cores |
CPU Base Clock (GHz) |
CPU Turbo Clock (GHz) |
GPU Brand |
GPU Cores |
GPU Base Clock (MHz) |
Max. DDR3 (MHz) |
TDP |
Launch Price (US 1ku) |
28nm Kaveri |
|||||||||
| A10-7850K | 4 |
3.7 |
4.0 |
Radeon R7 |
512 |
720 |
2,133 |
95W |
$173 |
| A10-7700K | 4 |
3.4 |
3.8 |
Radeon R7 |
384 |
720 |
2,133 |
95W |
$152 |
| A8-7600 | 4 |
3.3/3.1 |
3.8/3.3 |
Radeon R7 |
384 |
720 |
2,133 |
65W/45W |
$119 |
32nm Richland |
|||||||||
| A10-6800K | 4 |
4.1 |
4.4 |
HD 8670D |
384 |
844 |
2,133 |
100W |
$142 |
| A10-6700 | 4 |
3.7 |
4.3 |
HD 8670D |
384 |
844 |
1,866 |
65W |
$142 |
32nm Trinity |
|||||||||
| A10-5800K | 4 |
3.8 |
4.2 |
HD 7660D |
384 |
800 |
1,866 |
100W |
$122 |
| A10-5700 | 4 |
3.4 |
4.0 |
HD 7660D |
384 |
760 |
1,866 |
65W |
$122 |
As a recap, the A10-7850K is the best of the Kaveri trio. Though only marginally faster than the yet-to-be-available A8-7600 with respect to CPU performance - a 4GHz maximum speed vs. 3.8GHz - the graphics component is, on paper, 33 per cent better than on the A10-7700K and A8-7600. This should translate to class-leading GPU performance from a single chip.
Do note that Kaveri's finest APU is clocked in lower on both counts than last-generation Richland; AMD says the frequency potential is compromised to enable a wider, faster GPU to be used. For those who don't know, the K suffix means the chip is multiplier unlocked.
AMD lists the A10-7850K at $173, or $31 higher than the asking price for A10-6800K Richland. Translating for UK customers, the chip costs £135 while the previous-generation champion APU is readily available for £105. The Kaveri APU's pricing lies between Core i3 and Core i5 CPUs from Intel.