The AMD A8-7650K APU Review, Also New Testing Methodology
by Ian Cutress on May 12, 2015 10:00 AM ESTTest Setup
| Test Setup | |
| Processor | AMD A8-7650K 2 Modules, 4 Threads 3.3 GHz Base, 3.7 GHz Turbo 95W, MSRP $105 |
| Motherboard | GIGABYTE F2A88X-UP4 |
| DRAM | G.Skill RipjawsZ 4x4GB DDR3-2133 9-11-10 |
| Low End GPU | Integrated ASUS R7 240 2GB DDR3 Dual Graphics with R7 240 |
| Mid Range GPU | MSI R9 285 Gaming 2GB MSI GTX 770 Lightning 2GB |
| High End GPU | MSI R9 290X Gaming LE 4GB ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB |
| Power Supply | OCZ 1250W Gold |
| Storage Drive | Crucial MX200 1TB |
| Operating System | Windows 7.1 64-bit, Build 7601 |
| CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Nepton 140XL CLC |
Many thanks to...
We must thank the following companies for kindly providing hardware for our test bed:
Thank you to AMD for providing us with the R9 290X 4GB GPUs.
Thank you to ASUS for providing us with GTX 980 Strix GPUs and the R7 240 DDR3 GPU.
Thank you to ASRock and ASUS for providing us with some IO testing kit.
Thank you to Cooler Master for providing us with Nepton 140XL CLCs.
Thank you to Corsair for providing us with an AX1200i PSU.
Thank you to Crucial for providing us with MX200 SSDs.
Thank you to G.Skill and Corsair for providing us with memory.
Thank you to MSI for providing us with the GTX 770 Lightning GPUs.
Thank you to OCZ for providing us with PSUs.
Thank you to Rosewill for providing us with PSUs and RK-9100 keyboards.
AMD A8-7650K Overclocking
Methodology
Our standard overclocking methodology is as follows. We select the automatic overclock options and test for stability with PovRay and OCCT to simulate high-end workloads. These stability tests aim to catch any immediate causes for memory or CPU errors.
For manual overclocks, based on the information gathered from previous testing, starts off at a nominal voltage and CPU multiplier, and the multiplier is increased until the stability tests are failed. The CPU voltage is increased gradually until the stability tests are passed, and the process repeated until the motherboard reduces the multiplier automatically (due to safety protocol) or the CPU temperature reaches a stupidly high level (100ºC+). Our test bed is not in a case, which should push overclocks higher with fresher (cooler) air.
Overclock Results
The base frequency of the A8-7650K goes up to 3.7 GHz in the highest turbo mode, and we were able to jump right into 4.0 GHz without much problem. That being said, our sample did not move much above that, giving 4.1 GHz but at 4.2 GHz we noticed that the CPU frequency would decrease during sustained workloads, resulting in a zero performance increase overall.
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Ian Cutress - Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - link
Would it be worth putting the gaming tests first? Perhaps for the mid range CPUs, it makes more sense.yannigr2 - Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - link
Much more expensive i7 and i5 in the charts and wrong higher-older prices on AMD APUs. Am I wrong?Please, I am NOT asking you to make AMD APUs look good, don't make it look like that, just do not make them look awful. You want to add a much more expensive i7, at least change the color of the line, do it black or something. Even the i5 is much more expensive than the APUs especially considering that AMD changed it's prices a few days ago, which means that the AMD prices on the charts are also wrong. 7850K's price that is the most expensive is $127 not $173.
From the five Intel processors you have in the charts only three of them are at the same price range as the APUs. Some Intel prices are the tray prices, not the box, and most of them are the prices on Intel's site. AMD prices on the other hand are the old much higher prices. Even in your article you give lower prices than those on the charts. AM I WRONG?
Accept the critic when it is fair, don't try to make the other guy look like a brainless fanboy who asks you to make AMD APUs look good by putting GPU test first.
akamateau - Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - link
What is being benchmarked are APU's; AMD's integrated graphics processors.akamateau - Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - link
I comment becasue they are JUNK. I read them hoping that Anand will write something useful.I am also settting the record straight and I am challenging ANANDTECH to write the truth.
superflex - Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - link
You sound like a paid shill with all your whining.Maybe AMD could hire shills with better English grammar.
eRacer1 - Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - link
That's an insult to paid shills. No one being paid to shill for a company would act that obnoxious and incoherent. Looks more like a volunteer effort, or someone who deliberately wants to make vocal AMD supporters look obnoxious and incoherent.akamateau - Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - link
I comment becasue they are JUNK. I read them hoping that Anand will write something useful.I am also settting the record straight and I am challenging ANANDTECH to write the truth.
Raiher - Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - link
Review says that it's 720p benchmark, but screenshot is 1080p. Normally I wouldn't care, but screenshot even shows number of FPS. What is wrong?Ian Cutress - Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - link
I use the same screenshot in all the games on the other pages where I am testing 1080p. It's just a generic screenshot of the game showing what happens in the benchmark.lilmoe - Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - link
Too painful to watch. I just hope things getter better in 2016-17