AMD A8 3870K

Conclusion Check out the AMD A8 3870K

Performance

Overall performance using all cores

A8 3870K

6.5

Core i7 3770K

8.9

FX 6300

7.6

Ingredients: Cinebench R10 32-bit and Passmark

Single-core Performance

Performance of an individual core

A8 3870K

7.0

Core i7 3770K

10.0

FX 6300

8.1

Ingredients: Cinebench R10 32-bit (1-core)

Overclocking

How much speed can you get out of the processor?

A8 3870K

6.9

Core i7 3770K

8.5

FX 6300

9.0

Ingredients: Passmark (Overclocked), Unlocked, Maximum Overclocked Clock Speed (Air) and 2 more

Value

Are you paying a premium for performance?

A8 3870K

N/A

Core i7 3770K

N/A

FX 6300

N/A

Ingredients: Performance Per Dollar

6.7

CPUBoss Score

Performance Real world tests of AMD A8 3870K

3D Mark 11 (Physics)

AMD A8 3870K

1,102

A8 3870K 1,102

Intel Core i7 3770K

8,470

Core i7 3770K 8,470

Intel Core i5 3570K

6,400

Core i5 3570K 6,400

bjorn3d.com

Video tests showed similarly small increases, with scores rising from 1,024 to 1,026 in 3DMark 11, frame rates increasing from 6.3 frames per second (fps) to 6.4fps in Lost Planet 2, and frame rates not improving at all in the Heaven Benchmark 2.5 (it remained at 5.5fps both times).

A8 3870K by PCMag (Jan, 2012)

3D Mark 06 (CPU)

AMD A8 3870K

4,607

A8 3870K 4,607

Intel Core i7 3770K

7,941

Core i7 3770K 7,941

Intel Core i5 3570K

6,870

Core i5 3570K 6,870

cpu-world.com

Cinebench R10 32-Bit

AMD A8 3870K

9,931

A8 3870K 9,931

Intel Core i7 3770K

25,703

Core i7 3770K 25,703

Intel Core i5 3570K

22,742

Core i5 3570K 22,742

cpu-world.com

At its stock clock speeds, the A8-3870K represents only a tiny increase over the A8-3850; its multicore CineBench R11.5 score rose from 3.46 to 3.55, it took only six seconds less (5 minutes 12 seconds versus 5 minutes 18 seconds) to apply 12 filters in Adobe Photoshop CS5, cryptography throughput in TrueCrypt 7.0 raised from 106MBps to 109MBps, and its score in our full-system Futuremark PCMark 7 benchmark was functionally unchanged.

A8 3870K by PCMag (Jan, 2012)

Cinebench R10 32-Bit (Single Core)

AMD A8 3870K

2,782

A8 3870K 2,782

Intel Core i7 3770K

6,862

Core i7 3770K 6,862

Intel Core i5 3570K

6,557

Core i5 3570K 6,557

cpu-world.com

Passmark

AMD A8 3870K

3,725

A8 3870K 3,725

Intel Core i7 3770K

9,637

Core i7 3770K 9,637

AMD FX 6300

6,444

FX 6300 6,444

cpubenchmark.net

Features Key features of the AMD A8 3870K

clock speed

A8 3870K3 GHz

A10 5800K3.8 GHz

A8 5600K3.6 GHz

The CPU core on the newer chip has been bumped up from 2.9GHz to 3GHz, though the GPU clock remains unchanged at 600MHz—but both are now unlocked.

A8 3870K by PCMag (Jan, 2012)

With more fine-tuning and a really good cooler, we've seen reports of much higher clockspeeds, but we're not overly sure it's ultimately worth it for the performance returns.

A8 3870K by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

L2 cache

AMD A8 3870K

4 MB

A8 3870K 4 MB

Intel Core i7 3770K

1 MB

Core i7 3770K 1 MB

Intel Core i5 3570K

1 MB

Core i5 3570K 1 MB

There's 128KB of L1 cache and 1MB of L2 cache available per core, and the APU supports dual-channel DDR3 memory at speeds of up to 1,866MHz.

A8 3870K by PCMag (Jan, 2012)

L3 cache

AMD A8 3870K

1 MB

A8 3870K 1 MB

Intel Core i7 3770K

8 MB

Core i7 3770K 8 MB

AMD FX 6300

8 MB

FX 6300 8 MB

gpu clock speed

A8 3870K600 MHz

Core i7 3770K650 MHz

Core i5 3570K650 MHz

Second, the APU lets you access AMD's new Dual Graphics technology to "combine" the power of a discrete GPU with the integrated graphics; but this only works if both your hardware (the video card must be relatively low-end, and if you're only using one DIMM of memory, the whole thing might not work) and software (you'll need the AMD Vision Engine Control Center running) is correctly configured.

A8 3870K by PCMag (Jan, 2012)

One important reminder about the graphics system on the APU: If you have a discrete video card installed, the APU will by default function as the boot-up video adapter, meaning any displays connected to a video card won't work until Windows loads the proper video drivers.

A8 3870K by PCMag (Jan, 2012)

overclocked clock speed (air)

A8 3870K3.59 GHz

FX 63004.89 GHz

Core i7 3770K4.8 GHz

But except for those who might be really excited to overclock with such an inexpensive chip, we're not sure they're dazzling enough to set many hearts racing.

A8 3870K by PCMag (Jan, 2012)

Now, you might think that anyone who wants to overclock a chip will be looking at something a little more high-end than these very basic processors, but the entire raison d'etre for overclocking is to turn something cheap into an unexpected powerhouse.

A8 3870K by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

overclocked clock speed (water)

A8 3870K3.8 GHz

FX 63004.94 GHz

Core i7 3770K4.91 GHz

This means you may overclock them to your heart's (and your PC's thermal) content, independently of each other, to get as much new performance as you can muster.

A8 3870K by PCMag (Jan, 2012)

Plus, it's unlikely that motherboard manufacturers are going to get behind this platform with high end boards full of good, stable overclocking features – because potential purchasers just aren't going to spend the extra they'll cost to make.

A8 3870K by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors

pros

Instruction-set-extensions

3DNow!, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a
Quite good memory controller

Built-in
Is unlocked

An unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
Lots of l2 cache

4 MB
Socket type

FM1
Very low idle power consumption

47W
Has a built-in GPU

A separate graphics adapter is not required
Supports trusted computing

Allows for safer, more reliable computing
Lots of l2 cache per core

1 MB/core
High Maximum Operating Temperature

72.7 °C

cons

Quite bad turbo clock speed

600 MHz
Not much l3 cache

1 MB
Very poor 3DMark11 physics score

1,102
Supports very little RAM

16,384 MB
High GPU clock speed

600 MHz
Not much l3 cache per core

0.25 MB/core
Bad performance per watt

5.81 pt/W
Fewer number of displays supported

2
Poor PassMark (Overclocked) score

2,046.7
Poor cinebench r10 32Bit (1-core) score

2,782
Quite high annual commercial energy cost

138.41 $/year
Quite high annual home energy cost

40.03 $/year
Less recently release date

Dec, 2011

full specs

Reviews Word on the street

	Rated 80% Read the review (Jan, 2012) Like the A8-3850, the A8-3870K is based on a 32nm production process and contains four CPU cores and a DirectX 11 (DX11)–supporting Radeon HD 6550D GPU with 400 GPU cores (in roughly the middle budget range of AMD's video products, judging by the previous generation's naming scheme).

	Rated 80% Read the review (Jan, 2012) That feature is Asymetrical Crossfire – the ability to use both the A8-3870K's graphics and a low power GPU, such as an AMD HD 6670, for a gaming experience that's capable of playing most games at 1080p with medium settings.

	Rated 97% by 2 users at www.overclock.net Pair this with a decent CPU cooler and you got your self the best sub 500 dollar gaming rig I have ever seen. Rated 100% by by Dimaggio1103 (Jun, 2012) The graphics are just a little less, but the cpu is much better its 32nm i have the option of dual graphics and i got a better board for the same price (matx but 8pin power just $80). Rated 100% by by JLloyd13 (Feb, 2012) Not only can this thing handle most games at low to medium settings, It can also be overclocked well. Rated 100% by by Dimaggio1103 (Jun, 2012)

Socket Type

Predictably, load power rose as well, from 134.6 watts to 142.3 watts.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by PCMag (Jan, 2012)

If you're thinking of adding in a mid-range card like the HD 6870 or even something as powerful as an Nvidia GeForce GTX 560Ti, though, Intel just wins through – although it's a draw in CPU limited games like Shogun 2 and Skyrim.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

The A8-3870K of course also requires a motherboard that uses the (relatively) new FM1 socket, based on either AMD's A75 (with enhanced USB 3.0 and SATA III support) or A55 (USB 2.0 and SATA II) chipsets.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by PCMag (Jan, 2012)

Socket

Our attempts to increase these weren't exactly stellar - it ramped straight up to 3.4GHz/800MHz, but any attempts to go further were unstable enough to be frustrating.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

As expected, even with a 100MHz increase over the older AMD A8-3850, at stock speeds the A8-3870K doesn't distinguish itself fully against the Core i3.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

When it comes to 3D tasks like gaming, the on board HD6550D is simply in a different league to Intel's laggardly HD Graphics 3000 cores.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

Multicore

It'll beat a similarly priced Core i3 system at everything.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

The potential to overclock is a bonus, but really not enough by itself to make us favour this chip over any other quad core Llano.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

So even if our dream of using one to outperform a Core i7 isn't going to happen, the A8-3870K is still a great little chip.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

Applications

Enough that while it's not going to be our chip of choice for a workstation or enthusiast games rig, if you want a small, low cost PC which is capable of occasional games at console quality, it's a steal.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

Because it has four native cores it outperforms Core i3 in tasks like media rendering and so on, although Intel's computational engine is still superior in games – even if its graphics lags far behind.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

It gets a bit more complicated if you're after a budget system that can game at 1080p – to use as a media centre, for example.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

Performance

AMD's architecture does have the curious disadvantage of performing slower in CPU benchmarks when discrete graphics are attached too.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)

They may be based on an older processor architecture, but quad core examples like this A8-3870 hold their own against Intel's similarly priced dual core Core i3s in CPU benchmarks.

AMD Quad-Core Black Edition A8-Series APU for Desktop AMD A8-3870K with AMD Radeon™ HD 6550D Graphics | Rated 80% by by Tech Radar (Jan, 2012)