As a 'lite' version of the A6-3650, the AMD A6-3500 APU has three cores rather than four cores and the clock speed is reduced from 2.6 GHz to 2.1 GHz per core. Like other models in AMD's FM1 socket series, this processor doesn't have a Turbo mode or an equivalent of Intel's Hyper-Threading.
These differences obviously push down performances compared with the A6-3650, and by no less than 27% according to our tests! This model therefore comes in on par with the Intel Pentium G620T, which is a lower-end model. Since this is an APU rather than a standard CPU, the AMD A6-3500 has a built-in graphics chip. However, our tests show that gamers would still need a separate graphics card.
For more information about the triple- and quad-core AMD A series, see our detailed overview of the range in the AMD A8-3850 review.
These differences obviously push down performances compared with the A6-3650, and by no less than 27% according to our tests! This model therefore comes in on par with the Intel Pentium G620T, which is a lower-end model. Since this is an APU rather than a standard CPU, the AMD A6-3500 has a built-in graphics chip. However, our tests show that gamers would still need a separate graphics card.
Click on the graph to see all our test results
and compare processors in the Face-Off
For more information about the triple- and quad-core AMD A series, see our detailed overview of the range in the AMD A8-3850 review.
| Power Use | Performance: Applications | Performance: Games |
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View Performance Index Table |
Pros
- Absolute performance of integrated graphics chip
Cons
- Power use
- Processor could be faster
Conclusion
AMD has made a great step forward with its APUs thanks to a much improved graphics processing unit. However, gamers would still need to use a separate graphics card alongside this APU. Plus, pure processing performances lag behind the competition.
OUR SCORE
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