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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evolucion8 - Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - link
Actually the R9 280/280X have a 384-Bit BUS and their memory is clocked higher. That is why they offer around 288GB/s for it alone while the PS4 has 176GB/s shared for the system including RAM/BUS/CPU/GPU operations.Edens_Remorse - Wednesday, May 27, 2015 - link
/slow clapevolucion8 - Friday, October 16, 2015 - link
280/280X actually has a 384-Bit BUS.DevilSlayerWizard - Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - link
Every one of those 8 cores are a big joke compared to even Nehalem.silverblue - Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - link
...and this says you're telling porkies, for the most part:http://anandtech.com/bench/product/697?vs=47
Changed the 47 to a 100 for the 950, and to 45 for the 965 Extreme. Remember that these are 8-thread, triple channel CPUs.
nikaldro - Thursday, May 14, 2015 - link
Mmmm hellooooo? You actually believe that 8 Jaguar cores can even remotely be compared to any decent desktop class cpu?Kraelic - Thursday, May 14, 2015 - link
Those older generation discontinued Intel at 3 GHz trade blows with a current 4GHz AMD. Do you not get the joke?redraider89 - Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - link
That's not what he said. Who knows what he means. AMD's comment about what? Poached eggs? Like I said, stupid.yannigr2 - Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - link
56 comments.yannigr2 - Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - link
108 comments.