AMD A8 5600K review

Final words and conclusion

you know the conclusion of the AMD A8-5600K APU really isn't going to be that different opposed to the A10 5800K we have reviewed as well> All the same variables apply, but a hint slower performance, so here we go:

The A8 5600K APU tested today is a product for entry-level PCs, the simple Net-PCs or what it would be brilliant for, a HTPC as media playback obviously kicks ass. We had hoped that the Piledriver CPU cores would have made a substantial enough difference. However the benchmarks are all over the place -- overall the CPU cores are a hint faster opposed to the previous generation Llano products. Realistically though if you build a PC for everyday usage like browsing, a little work perhaps photoshop then it's all good really. That makes Trinity left with mixed feelings, but then again we could have expected this.

So processor wise, it's a relatively small speed-bump. On the IGP (graphics) side of things we are impressed, moving the GPU towards ATI's latest GCN architecture shows the potential really well. I mean for an IGP the graphics performance kicks ass. Combined with a great video de and encode and all the multi-monitor output lovin this APU offers, AMD simply wins hands down. 

TDP wise AMD tried to stick to the same power usage as the Llano APUs offers. It's a bit of a mixed bag really, in IDLE (no dedicated graphics card installed) you'd sit at roughly 35 Watts, however when we start to stress the CPU cores  then power consumption quickly went upwards to an excess of almost 130 Watt (for the entire PC). 

Any Trinity  based platform will offer value for money though. A very strong selling point obviously is the embedded GPU. And combined with the A85X chipset, features like a native sixfold of SATA-600 and USB 3.0 support is offered. Also a very powerful Catalyst based software suite surrounding Trinity definitely brings heaps of advantages to AMD opposed to the competition.

So if you purchase an A85 motherboard, PSU, HDD/SSD, memory and the APU and you are good to go really -- a fully functional PC is what you get for very little money. Especially the A10 5800K APU offers decent  enough CPU performance, excellent multi-media options, the Full HD experience and sure, even gaming, albeit very low level will work. But at 100 EUR for this APU, obviously it is a very entry-level to mainstream product.

Overclocking -- We tried and we failed. Whatever we tried, in combo with our ASUS motherboard overclocking would not work. We'll update this once we start reviewing other A85X motherboards. 

Heat levels -- the per core temperatures are not reported properly with any software we tried. But the CPU base temperature could be measured and monitored. The temperatures of the APU are a non-issue, obviously we always recommend a proper cooler. But expect a thermal envelope of 45~50 Degrees C with a decent cooler and heavy APU stress. 

The AMD A8 5600K processor as tested today offers what AMD always offers, an interesting alternative with every gadget available on-board. If you purchase an A8 APU with the combination of that A85X based motherboard, you'll have a processor, graphics subsystem, six SATA-600 ports, USB 3.0, heaps of USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, HD audio and you simple get a very up-to-date PC.

Much like the A 10 series, these A8 processor APUs are hard to beat in terms of features performance and well all the  goodness you can expcect from a great APU. AMD's strong point is the IGP, not only gives it decent graphics powerofrmance, but in combo with OpenCL applications there's this kind of 'Fusion' that wors out tremendously well for AMD. Great value and great fun is what comes to mind for normal daily usage, great for HTPCs and even a game or two. But as stated, on the processor side of things AMD will need to focus more on per core CPU performance as in the end that's what the consumer likes to see.

Guru3D.com » Articles » AMD A8 5600K review » Page 22