AMD Kaveri Review: A8-7600 and A10-7850K Tested
by Ian Cutress & Rahul Garg on January 14, 2014 8:00 AM ESTLlano, Trinity and Kaveri Die: Compared
AMD sent along a high res shot of Kaveri's die. Armed with the same from the previous two generations, we can get a decent idea of the progression of AMD's APUs:
Llano, K10 Quad Core
Trinity and Richland Die, with two Piledriver modules and processor graphics
Kaveri, two modules and processor graphics
Moving from Llano to Trinity, we have the reduction from a fully-fledged quad core system to the dual module layout AMD is keeping with its APU range. Moving from Richland to Kaveri is actually a bigger step than one might imagine:
AMD APU Details | ||||
Core Name | Llano | Trinity | Richland | Kaveri |
Microarch | K10 | Piledriver | Piledriver | Steamroller |
CPU Example | A8-3850 | A10-5800K | A10-6800K | A10-7850K |
Threads | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Cores | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
GPU | HD 6550 | HD 7660D | HD 8670D | R7 |
GPU Arch | VLIW5 | VLIW4 | VLIW4 | GCN 1.1 |
GPU Cores | 400 | 384 | 384 | 512 |
Die size / mm2 | 228 | 246 | 246 | 245 |
Transistors | 1.178 B | 1.303 B | 1.303 B | 2.41 B |
Power | 100W | 100W | 100W | 95W |
CPU MHz | 2900 | 3800 | 4100 | 3700 |
CPU Turbo | N/A | 4200 | 4400 | 4000 |
L1 Cache |
256KB C$ 256KB D$ |
128KB C$ 64KB D$ |
128KB C$ 64KB D$ |
192KB C$ 64KB D$ |
L2 Cache | 4 x 1MB | 2 x 2 MB | 2 x 2 MB | 2 x 2 MB |
Node | 32nm SOI | 32nm SOI | 32nm SOI | 28nm SHP |
Memory | DDR-1866 | DDR-1866 | DDR-2133 | DDR-2133 |
Looking back at Llano and Trinity/Richland, it's very clear that AMD's APUs on GF's 32nm SOI process had a real issue with transistor density. The table below attempts to put everything in perspective but keep in mind that, outside of Intel, no one does a good job of documenting how they are counting (estimating) transistors. My only hope is AMD's transistor counting methods are consistent across CPU and GPU, although that alone may be wishful thinking:
Transistor Density Comparison | ||||||||
Manufacturing Process | Transistor Count | Die Size | Transistors per mm2 | |||||
AMD Kaveri | GF 28nm SHP | 2.41B | 245 mm2 | 9.837M | ||||
AMD Richland | GF 32nm SOI | 1.30B | 246 mm2 | 5.285M | ||||
AMD Llano | GF 32nm SOI | 1.178B | 228 mm2 | 5.166M | ||||
AMD Bonaire (R7 260X) | TSMC 28nm | 2.08B | 160 mm2 | 13.000M | ||||
AMD Pitcairn (R7 270/270X) | TSMC 28nm | 2.80B | 212 mm2 | 13.209M | ||||
AMD Vishera (FX-8350) | GF 32nm SOI | 1.2B | 315 mm2 | 3.810M | ||||
Intel Haswell 4C (GT2) | Intel 22nm | 1.40B | 177 mm2 | 7.910M | ||||
NVIDIA GK106 (GTX 660) | TSMC 28nm | 2.54B | 214 mm2 | 11.869M |
If AMD is indeed counting the same way across APUs/GPUs, the move to Kaveri doesn't look all that extreme but rather a good point in between previous APUs and other AMD GCN GPUs. Compared to standalone CPU architectures from AMD, it's clear that the APUs are far more dense thanks to big portions of their die being occupied by a GPU.
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takeship - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
Also, any chance that power consumption numbers are going to be added to this review? Looking around the rest of the internet, it would appear than AMD's idea of 45W/65W don't really jive with the actual consumption figures. I.e. their 45W chip is actually pulling closer to 80W under load, and doesn't make them even perf/watt comparable with an i3.silverblue - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
I saw similar figures, but that was for the system as a whole.Traciatim - Wednesday, January 15, 2014 - link
Keep in mind that measuring 80 watts from the wall through an 80% efficient supply has the whole machine consuming 64 watts.aryonoco - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
"...do any AnandTech readers have an interest in an even higher end APU with substantially more graphics horsepower?"Definitely yes, for a low-end steam machine for casual gaming in the living room.
The only way to hit the $400 price for a steam machine is to forgo the dedicated graphics card and use an APU/SoC. But none of these Kaveri SKUs, even the highest end A10 one, would cut it. I do not expect such an APU to beat $200 dedicated cards, but it needs more performance than this.
If AMD could offer a Kaveri APU with say 30% more GPU power and the same CPU power, for around $200, I think it would be a very attractive option for a steam machine.
Of course that would require AMD to finally start making respectable Linux drivers as well... which probably means it won't happen.
Nagorak - Wednesday, January 15, 2014 - link
I'd wait and see if the Steam OS even goes anywhere. Odds are strongly against it.nemesis1985 - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
1680x1050A10-7850 = company of heroes --- sleeping dogs --- f1 2013
fps ====== 35 ======= 21 ====== 38 =
A10-7600 = company of heroes --- sleeping dogs --- f1 2013
fps ====== 61 ======= 52 ====== 42 =
1920x1080 = same (problem)
and says kaveri have only 2 cores
or its just a misunderstanding by me
http://images.anandtech.com/doci/7677/G2%20-%20100...
http://images.anandtech.com/doci/7677/G9%20-%2045W...
whats wrong with this bench
nemesis1985 - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
beomagi -Nevermind - I now see this is as a percent difference compared to the slower chip - the title said FPS and that threw me off.
Ignore! :D
yeah me too :D
nemesis1985 - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
misunderstanding (very sorry) please delete my commentkwrzesien - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
Pretty disappointing.And what's the point of testing 1080p gaming at top settings? Does it even matter who is better when below 15 fps? Why not find a setting for each game in 1080p where at least one solution is over 30 fps average - that might show something interesting.
mavromanitari - Tuesday, January 14, 2014 - link
Anandtech Logic:Let's match up a 170$ amd APU vs the intel IGP flagship (4770R) that costs 392$...
Nah still beats it at high resolutions, we need to do more! Oh well lets put the 320$ 4770K and throw 100$ on a dGPU...
We have done it!! Yay the 420$ combination beats the 170$ APU....