AMD A8-3870K Pro Reviews

Cheap and, thanks to a fine balance of application and gaming power, a great option for budget PCs

The performance of integrated graphics cores has evolved dramatically over the past year. While previously the mere idea of an entry-level gaming system without an external graphics card couldn’t even come to mind, today we have dedicated an entire article to it. of course, we should thank AMD for that, because they decided to get involved with hybrid processors using powerful graphics cores. And the first milestone on this journey, Llano processor, is a very successful example of integration, which opens up new horizons for platforms using processors with integrated graphics cards inside. However, our tests showed that even the flagship Llano processor, AMD A8-3870K, still doesn’t allow to completely give up entry-level graphics accelerators. Hybrid processors from AMD fit perfectly into the gaming notebooks concept, but their graphics is not fast enough to desktop applications. In the typical desktop 1080p resolution AMD A8-3870K processor can’t deliver acceptable fps rate even with lowered image quality settings. And overclocking doesn’t save the day.

The AMD A8-3870K Black Edition isn’t going the break any benchmark records, but after experimenting with the APU for a while, we really like it. The 3870K’s is currently selling for about $144 (and as of this writing includes a free copy of Dirt 3), which puts it right about on par with the Intel Core i3-2100T, which is available for about $135. The 3870K, however, offers better performance in highly threaded workloads and has a much better integrated GPU. Couple those things with the A8-3870K’s unlocked multipliers, and if you don’t mind doing a bit of overclocking (this is a Black Edition APU, after all), a fairly potent system can be easily assembled and tweaked to offer much better performance, that’s adept at both day-to-day desktop workloads and moderate gaming.

Ultimately, our conclusion for the A8-3870K largely mirrors that out the A6-3650 and A8-3850. If you're building a low cost system from scratch that will be used for medium-level gaming, HD movie watching or other general day-to-day tasks, the Lynx platform is a no-brainer that provides unmatched value.

Not the budget buster we hoped for, but further's our faith in AMD to make Fusion the low cost platform of choice.

The A8-3870K is very similar to the A8-3850 in price and specifications. It costs only USD 5 more than the A8-3850 and has almost the same clock rate (3 GHz vs. 2.9 GHz), but has a far better overclocking potential, thanks to its unlocked clock multiplier. As the A8-3850, the A8-3870K has the best integrated video solution we’ve seen so far, beating its competitors from Intel really hard. Also on the good side, applications that perform better with four “real” cores will perform better on the A8-3870K and A8-3850 than on the Core i3-2100 and Core i3-2105, which have only two “real” cores and two “simulated” ones, using Hyper-Threading technology. The bad news is that aside from gaming, 3D rendering, and overclocking, the Core i3-2100 and Core i3-2105 are faster and, depending on the application, by a large margin. They also cost less. So, if you are a gamer or an overclocker on a really tight budget, the new A8-3870K is a really nice option. But if you are an average user who won’t play games, the Core i3-2105 and the Core i3-2100 are far better options.

AMD's top-of-the-line Fusion refresh APU, the A8-3870K, offers lots of overclocking opportunities, but remains an imperfect standalone solution.

The A8-3870K did not change our view with the whole Llano platform. The chip is still good enough for average users who need powerful integrated graphics. The ability to pair up with a discrete card to take advantage of the AMD Eyefinity technology means that users can easily install the HD 6670 for multi-monitor configuration. While the performance will not satisfy gamers, it should be plenty for users who do not game on their PC but need such large monitor real-estate or multiple-display configuration. Currently, the A8-3870K is retailed at $144, $5 more than the A8-3850. The $5 difference probably will not sway your buying decision one way or the other. However, we feel that there is no reason to get the 3870K for users who do not intend to overclock it and utilize the integrated graphics. Users who plan for a powerful midrange GPU like the HD 6870 or GTX 560 Ti for gaming should go with the AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE, which retails at a similar price and offers greater overclocking potential and higher overall system performance. However, for users who can use the IGP for Eyefinity support or as an HTPC for a quiet all-in-one solution, the A8-3870K is definitely worth considering.