AMD A8-3850 & Gigabyte A75M-UD2H Review
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alienware
Banned
This is going to be a very hard product to review.
Mostly because there is nothing else like it on the market.
I'm a little confused as to why this was pitted against an I5 when the I5 is clearly far more expensive.
£103.99 inc for the Llano from Ebuyer, £137 inc for the I5.
The comparissons should be against the I3. Now sure, as a CPU the I3 is faster. However, the GPU aboard the 3850 poos on the I3 and is actually playable at sensible resolutions. Every other review I have read have pitted it like for like, so I can't understand why this has been benched against a CPU that puts another 35% on top of what the 3850 costs.
I can only summise it was because OC3D maybe didn't have an I3 to put it against?
Mostly because there is nothing else like it on the market.
I'm a little confused as to why this was pitted against an I5 when the I5 is clearly far more expensive.
£103.99 inc for the Llano from Ebuyer, £137 inc for the I5.
The comparissons should be against the I3. Now sure, as a CPU the I3 is faster. However, the GPU aboard the 3850 poos on the I3 and is actually playable at sensible resolutions. Every other review I have read have pitted it like for like, so I can't understand why this has been benched against a CPU that puts another 35% on top of what the 3850 costs.
I can only summise it was because OC3D maybe didn't have an I3 to put it against?
Good review Mul
Thank you. I haven't published anything since February - glad to have been able to help out a little
Bingo.
Indeed an i3 wasn't available to compare it with, however I had left hints along the way that the price of the A8-3850 accounts for its inferior core for core and clock for clock (gag) performance. However, I feel that the article was able to highlight what was most important. Entry level multimedia users don't need outright core processor performance - combine an average CPU with a good enough GPU and their most complex needs are satisfied. Intel's Atom + nVidia ION as well as AMD's own FUZION E350 is a testament to this.
I maintain that so long as you build a FM1 system in a cut price fashion, it represents very good value for money. However as I've said in the review, you've got to be bonkers to spend big £££ on a A75 FM1 board.
badtaylorx
New member
seems like this could be a really good choice for a young schoolchildren age type family computer?!?!?!?
alienware
Banned
For around £250 you can build an entire computer that can actually play a real game.
When seen for what they are these are cracking little CPUs. I read this in another review....
The Llano APU from AMD is immensely clever. It has, overnight, made all of the entry level gaming GPUs completely redundant.
When seen for what they are these are cracking little CPUs. I read this in another review....
The Llano APU from AMD is immensely clever. It has, overnight, made all of the entry level gaming GPUs completely redundant.
As a desktop based APU I think it will fill a market primarily for OEMS and cheap system vendors. The interesting point about these APU's is not really in the desktop environment. I think the cheap laptop market is where these APU's will excel. For the OEM's like Dell HP/Compaq etc its a bit of a no brainer, offering the customer a better media experience for the same cost. Maybe i'll then get one day at work without some idiot wondering why he can't play WoW on his new Dell with all the settings on full....I pray for that day....
Each to their own I suppose. I feel that from an integration perspective, Llano is definitely a big deal. However from a performance per pound standpoint (as a platform) I don't appear to share the same enthusiasm that other reviewers do.
Absolutely ^^
alienware
Banned
TBH Mul and no offence here, I didn't expect OC3D to really care much for it. It's not bleeding edge and it doesn't seem very exciting.
So I wasn't expecting it to get rave reviews. However, when you consider it's basically a Phenom 2 with a 6750 strapped on it for £100 and can actually run games such as Left 4 Dead and so on then it's quite the revolution.
Sure, I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole in a desktop. Put into a laptop however? well, if you get the screen res right then you have a potential technology that could take on Alienware's M11X for half the price.
It just needs to be seen for what it is, which is hard when you're into powerful hardware. And, I truly feel that if people expected Bulldozer to be this Intel crushing massively cored beast then they are in for a horrible dissapointment. Price to performance Bulldozer will absolutely nail it. Intel Extreme beater? don't think so.
So I wasn't expecting it to get rave reviews. However, when you consider it's basically a Phenom 2 with a 6750 strapped on it for £100 and can actually run games such as Left 4 Dead and so on then it's quite the revolution.
Sure, I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole in a desktop. Put into a laptop however? well, if you get the screen res right then you have a potential technology that could take on Alienware's M11X for half the price.
It just needs to be seen for what it is, which is hard when you're into powerful hardware. And, I truly feel that if people expected Bulldozer to be this Intel crushing massively cored beast then they are in for a horrible dissapointment. Price to performance Bulldozer will absolutely nail it. Intel Extreme beater? don't think so.
I think we have a misunderstanding here!
I completely understand where you're coming from, but bear in mind that I certainly wasn't knocking the processor for what it is! I can definitely see a good "non high end" product when I see it - after all, the vast majority of my reviews on this website in the last 12-18 months are Intel Atom, AMD 785G/880G/890GX, Intel H55/H57 Integrated, AMD FUZION E350 based.
As I've said already, the level of performance it delivers for the amount of integration applied, it really is a big deal. Really my biggest objection is this - many of the motherboards are just too expensive!
A large proportion of FM1 motherboards cost £80+. For a platform (which as you rightly say) is ideal for laptops and lower cost machines, the pricing is simply outrageous. Manufacturers are faffing around with over specifying motherboards when they should be simple, reliable and cheap. Don't forget, £80 will buy you a AMD Bulldozer ready motherboard - remember Bulldozer is AM3+, not FM1. Certainly not everyone needs a bulldozer processor, but if you don't need one, why are you spending just as much on a motherboard? Pair the A8-3850 with a ~£50 board with plenty of SATA and USB and the Socket FM1 platform is a winner.
But if you're spending close to £100 on a motherboard, Llano is simply a no go - at least for those who don't need a particularly compact desktop. For similar money, you'll have a Bulldozer ready motherboard, an Athlon II X4 based processor and a Radeon HD 65xx based card - it'll perform similarly, perhaps better due to the dedicated video memory. In the mean time, the upgradability of your system improves greatly.
I hope that clarifies what I hoped to convey.
alienware
Banned
Yup I'm with you on the cost of the boards Mul, but I don't think that's AMD's fault tbh. Just companies jumping on the cash cow and pulling the teets. Mind you, it's kinda stupid tbh. A good board for this CPU is just a waste of money and sense. If you disable the GPU you're left with a correctly priced Phenom 2. Why would you throw away your free GPU lol.
I really hope that some one does come up with a 3850 based laptop with a nice small screen (10", say) so I can get one. I've wanted a laptop that can run games like L4D for bloody ages
^ that, yes.
I really hope that some one does come up with a 3850 based laptop with a nice small screen (10", say) so I can get one. I've wanted a laptop that can run games like L4D for bloody ages
It's brand new tech. People want to squeeze as much money out of it as they can until people realise it is not worth so much money
^ that, yes.
Ya93sin
New member
Yup I'm with you on the cost of the boards Mul, but I don't think that's AMD's fault tbh. Just companies jumping on the cash cow and pulling the teets. Mind you, it's kinda stupid tbh. A good board for this CPU is just a waste of money and sense. If you disable the GPU you're left with a correctly priced Phenom 2. Why would you throw away your free GPU lol.
I really hope that some one does come up with a 3850 based laptop with a nice small screen (10", say) so I can get one. I've wanted a laptop that can run games like L4D for bloody ages
I have an Acer Ferrari One netbook, its a dual core 1.2GHz CPU, 4GB RAM, hybrid GPU (HD3200) with 334MB dedicated memory), it plays L4D. 11.6" too
alienware
Banned
I have an Acer Ferrari One netbook, its a dual core 1.2GHz CPU, 4GB RAM, hybrid GPU (HD3200) with 334MB dedicated memory), it plays L4D. 11.6" too
I nearly got one of those but chose the bike haha. I live 2 miles from the sea and being an avid fisherman the choice was simple
Thing is mate, right now you can get a Dell 15" laptop for £350 on PC world with a dual cored Pentium in. Thing is, not only are those dual cored Pentiums about £70 but they then have to pay for a GPU to put with it..
I seriously reakon that they could bash out a 10" laptop with the Llano in for less than £300, if not £250. And for that kind of power pushing, say, 800x600 it would probably be able to run any game.
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