AMD A8-3870K Black Edition APU review
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A 100MHz speed hike and some extra OC goodness
TechRadar Verdict
Pros
- +
Asymmetric Crossfire
- +
Decent onboard graphics for 720p, almost 1080p friendly
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Not to be outdone by new graphics releases AMD is going back to the APU drawing board with the new AMD A8-3870K processor.
While its flagship FX processors are failing to shine it does seem a little on unfair on AMD that at the other end of the market it has a chip which really ought be cleaning up.
Its Llano Fusion APUs, which combine a multi-core CPU and a Radeon graphics part on one die, are actually rather good.
They may be based on an older processor architecture, but quad core examples like this A8-3870 hold their own against Intel’s similarly priced dual core Core i3s in CPU benchmarks.
When it comes to 3D tasks like gaming, the on board HD6550D is simply in a different league to Intel’s laggardly HD Graphics 3000 cores.
- AMD A8-3870K Black Edition APU (AMD A8) at Newegg for $27.89
How could they get better? We’d like a chunky price drop, but that’s not going to happen.
Instead, AMD has introduced ‘Black Editions’ of the chips, recognisable by their ‘K’ suffix. Just like Intel chips with a K moniker, they come with an unlocked multiplier which makes them more suitable for overclocking.
Now, you might think that anyone who wants to overclock a chip will be looking at something a little more high-end than these very basic processors, but the entire raison d’etre for overclocking is to turn something cheap into an unexpected powerhouse.
An unlocked, gaming-capable hybrid chip for just over £100 sounds like the stuff hardware hackers’ dreams are made of.
But does it deliver on that promise?
AMD A8-3870K Black Edition APU: Price Comparison
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AMD A8-3870K review | 66 facts and highlights
29points
AMD A8-3870K
AMD A8-3870K
Why is AMD A8-3870K better than the average?
- GPU clock speed?
600MHzvs414.
61MHz - L2 cache?
4MBvs2.66MB - L1 cache?
512KBvs290.36KB - L2 core?
1MB/corevs0.45MB/core
Which are the most popular comparisons?
AMD A8-3870K
vs
Intel Core i5-3470
AMD A8-3870K
vs
AMD A6-3500
AMD A8-3870K
vs
AMD A6-3670K
AMD A8-3870K
vs
AMD A8-3800
AMD A8-3870K
vs
AMD A8-3850
AMD A8-3870K
vs
AMD A4-3300
AMD A8-3870K
vs
AMD Athlon II X4 651
AMD A8-3870K
vs
AMD A10-7860K
AMD A8-3870K
vs
AMD A6-3650
AMD A8-3870K
vs
AMD A4-3400
Price comparison
User reviews
Overall Rating
AMD A8-3870K
1 User reviews
AMD A8-3870K
10.0/10
1 User reviews
Features
Value for money
10.0/10
1 votes
Gaming
5.0/10
1 votes
Performance
8.
0/10
1 votes
Reliability
7.0/10
1 votes
Energy efficiency
7.0/10
1 votes
Performance
CPU speed
4 x 3GHz
The CPU speed indicates how many processing cycles per second can be executed by a CPU, considering all of its cores (processing units). It is calculated by adding the clock rates of each core or, in the case of multi-core processors employing different microarchitectures, of each group of cores.
CPU threads
More threads result in faster performance and better multitasking.
turbo clock speed
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
When the CPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.
Has an unlocked multiplier
✔AMD A8-3870K
Some processors come with an unlocked multiplier which makes them easy to overclock, allowing you to gain increased performance in games and other apps.
L2 cache
A larger L2 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.
L3 cache
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
A larger L3 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.
L1 cache
A larger L1 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.
L2 core
1MB/core
More data can be stored in the L2 cache for access by each core of the CPU.
L3 core
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
More data can be stored in the L3 cache for access by each core of the CPU.
Benchmarks
PassMark result
This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU using multiple threads.
PassMark result (single)
This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU using a single thread.
Geekbench 5 result (multi)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor’s multi-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2023)
Cinebench R20 (multi) result
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
Cinebench R20 is a benchmark tool that measures a CPU’s multi-core performance by rendering a 3D scene.
Cinebench R20 (single) result
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
Cinebench R20 is a benchmark tool that measures a CPU’s single-core performance by rendering a 3D scene.
Geekbench 5 result (single)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor’s single-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2023)
Blender (bmw27) result
Unknown.
Help us by suggesting a value.
The Blender (bmw27) benchmark measures the performance of a processor by rendering a 3D scene. More powerful processors can render the scene in less time.
Blender (classroom) result
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
The Blender (classroom) benchmark measures the performance of a processor by rendering a 3D scene. More powerful processors can render the scene in less time.
performance per watt
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
This means the CPU is more efficient, giving a greater amount of performance for each watt of power used.
Integrated graphics
GPU clock speed
600MHz
The graphics processing unit (GPU) has a higher clock speed.
GPU turbo
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
When the GPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.
GPU execution units
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
A graphics processing unit (GPU) with a greater number of execution units can deliver better graphics.
supported displays
Using multiple displays you can create a larger workspace, making it easier to work across multiple apps.
DirectX version
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
DirectX is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.
OpenGL version
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
OpenGL is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.
OpenCL version
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
Some apps use OpenCL to apply the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU) for non-graphical computing. Newer versions introduce more functionality and better performance.
texture mapping units (TMUs)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
TMUs take textures and map them to the geometry of a 3D scene. More TMUs will typically mean that texture information is processed faster.
render output units (ROPs)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
The ROPs are responsible for some of the final steps of the rendering process, writing the final pixel data to memory and carrying out other tasks such as anti-aliasing to improve the look of graphics.
Memory
RAM speed
1866MHz
It can support faster memory, which will give quicker system performance.
maximum memory bandwidth
29.8GB/s
This is the maximum rate that data can be read from or stored into memory.
DDR memory version
DDR (Double Data Rate) memory is the most common type of RAM.
Newer versions of DDR memory support higher maximum speeds and are more energy-efficient.
memory channels
More memory channels increases the speed of data transfer between the memory and the CPU.
maximum memory amount
The maximum amount of memory (RAM) supported.
bus transfer rate
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
The bus is responsible for transferring data between different components of a computer or device.
Supports ECC memory
✖AMD A8-3870K
Error-correcting code memory can detect and correct data corruption. It is used when is it essential to avoid corruption, such as scientific computing or when running a server.
eMMC version
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
A higher version of eMMC allows faster memory interfaces, having a positive effect on the performance of a device.
For example, when transferring files from your computer to the internal storage over USB.
bus speed
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
The bus is responsible for transferring data between different components of a computer or device.
Features
uses multithreading
✖AMD A8-3870K
Multithreading technology (such as Intel’s Hyperthreading or AMD’s Simultaneous Multithreading) provides increased performance by splitting each of the processor’s physical cores into virtual cores, also known as threads. This way, each core can run two instruction streams at once.
Has AES
✖AMD A8-3870K
AES is used to speed up encryption and decryption.
Has AVX
✖AMD A8-3870K
AVX is used to help speed up calculations in multimedia, scientific and financial apps, as well as improving Linux RAID software performance.
SSE version
SSE is used to speed up multimedia tasks such as editing an image or adjusting audio volume. Each new version contains new instructions and improvements.
Has F16C
✖AMD A8-3870K
F16C is used to speed up tasks such as adjusting the contrast of an image or adjusting volume.
bits executed at a time
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
NEON provides acceleration for media processing, such as listening to MP3s.
Has MMX
✔AMD A8-3870K
MMX is used to speed up tasks such as adjusting the contrast of an image or adjusting volume.
Has TrustZone
✖AMD A8-3870K
A technology integrated into the processor to secure the device for use with features such as mobile payments and streaming video using digital rights management (DRM).
front-end width
Unknown.
Help us by suggesting a value.
The CPU can decode more instructions per clock (IPC), meaning that the CPU performs better
Price comparison
Which are the best CPUs?
Processor A8-3870K [in 1 benchmark]
AMD
A8-3870K
- Interface
- Core frequency
- Video memory size
- Memory type
- Memory frequency
- Maximum resolution
Description
AMD started AMD A8-3870K sales 20 December 2011. This is Llano architecture desktop processor primarily aimed at office systems. It has 4 cores and 4 threads and is manufactured using 32nm process technology, the maximum frequency is 3000MHz, the multiplier is unlocked.
In terms of compatibility, this is a socket processor
AMD Socket FM1
with TDP 100W. It supports DDR3 memory.
It provides poor benchmark performance at
1.87%
from the leader which is AMD EPYC 9654.
EPYC
9654
Compare
General information
- 0
- 50
- 100
Features
A8-3870K quantitative parameters such as number of cores and threads, clock speeds, manufacturing process, cache size and multiplier lock status. They indirectly speak about the performance of the processor, but for an accurate assessment, you need to consider the results of the tests.
| AMD-V | + |
Memory support
Types, maximum size and number of channels of RAM supported by A8-3870K. Higher memory frequency may be supported depending on the motherboard.
| Memory types | DDR3 | of 5600 (Ryzen 9 7940HS) |
Built-in video — specifications
General parameters of the integrated video card in A8-3870K.
| GPU | AMD Radeon HD 6550D |
Benchmarks
These are the results of the A8-3870K performance tests in non-gaming benchmarks. The total score is set from 0 to 100, where 100 corresponds to the fastest processor at the moment.
Overall performance in tests
This is our overall performance rating. We regularly improve our algorithms, but if you find any inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in the comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
A8-3870K
1.87
- Passmark
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widely used benchmark that consists of 8 different tests, including integer and floating point calculations, extended instruction tests, compression, encryption, and game physics calculations. Also includes a separate single-threaded test.
Benchmark coverage: 67%
A8-3870K
2320
Relative capacity
Overall performance of the A8-3870K compared to its closest competitor in desktop processors.
Intel Pentium G4400T
100.53
AMD A8-3850
100.53
AMD Athlon II X4 645
100
AMD A8-3870K
100
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
99.47
AMD Phenom II X4 840T
99.47
AMD Phenom II X4 850
99.47
Competitor from Intel
We believe that the closest competitor of A8-3870K from Intel is Core 2 Quad Q9550, which is on average 1% slower and 2 positions lower in our rating.
Core 2
Quad Q9550
Compare
Here are some of Intel’s closest competitors to the A8-3870K:
Intel Celeron G3920
101.07
Intel Core i3-6102E
101.
07
Intel Pentium G4400T
100.53
AMD A8-3870K
100
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
99.47
Intel Core i3-3240
98.93
Intel Core i3-3245
98.93
Other processors
Here we recommend several processors that are more or less similar in performance to the reviewed one.
Athlon II
X4 645
Compare
Phenom II
X4 850
Compare
A8
3850
Compare
Phenom II
X4 840T
Compare
Core i3
3240
Compare
A10
6700T
Compare
Best graphics cards for A8-3870K
We have 1077 configurations based on A8-3870K in our database.
According to statistics, these cards are most often used with A8-3870K:
Radeon HD
6550D
12.8%
GeForce GTX
750 Ti
4.4%
GeForce GTX
1050 Ti
4.4%
Radeon RX
550
4.4%
GeForce GTX
650
3.8%
GeForce GT
1030
3.2%
GeForce GT
710
2.9%
GeForce GTX
550 Ti
2.6%
Radeon HD
6670
2.
4%
GeForce GT
730
2%
Here are the most powerful graphics cards used with the A8-3870K according to user statistics:
GeForce RTX
4090
0.4% (4/1077)
Radeon RX
7900XT
0.09% (1/1077)
GeForce RTX
3080 Ti
0.3% (3/1077)
Radeon RX
6900XT
0.09% (1/1077)
GeForce RTX
3060 Ti
0.09% (1/1077)
Radeon RX
6700
0.09% (1/1077)
TITAN
RTX
0.