Processor Review: AMD A-Series FM1 and Pentium Sandy Bridges

AMD is finally offering APUs for desktops! The A-Series have both a CPU and graphics part on the same chip! How will they stand up to the Intel Sandy Bridges?

The two first AMD desktop APUs that we have tested are the A8-3850 and A6-3650. They both have four cores and a new socket, FM1. The integrated graphics solution gives an increase in performance of up to 70% on the Intel Sandy Bridges!

We have also tested two entry level Intel APUs from the Sandy Bridge generation: the Pentium G620 and Pentium G620T. They both have two cores and use Intel HD Graphics. The difference comes in the reduced thermal envelope on the T version (35 Watts compared to 65 Watts). This should give lower power consumption in load.

Don't forget, the full test results (processing speeds, gaming performance, power consumption) are in the CPU Face-off rather than in the individual product reviews. You can also compare all the CPUs we've tested to date at a glance with our performance index tables.

> Review: A8-3850
> Review: A6-3650
> Review: Pentium G620
> Review: Pentium G620T

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