AMD A10-7800 Review

1. Introduction2. AMD A10-78003. Methodology and BIOS Setup4. Processor Configuration5. Memory Bandwidth6. 3DMark7. Power draw and Cooling8. Game Testing9. Closing Thoughts10. View All Pages

I have mixed feelings about Kaveri. On the one hand I admire the way this APU handles day-to-day workloads with a fair degree of success. On the other hand Intel rules the roost with its single threaded performance, such that Core i3 will suit most PC builders nicely and Core i5 remains the CPU of choice for the rest of us.

If you regularly use workloads that extract the most from the CPU and GPU cores then Kaveri will very likely serve you nicely as AMD really needs to use HSA to level the playing field.

The problem with A10-7800 is that the 45W TDP setting kills performance without delivering a significant drop in power consumption.

Then again, if you run the A10-7800 at stock speed with the memory running at 2,133MHz you'll find the power draw, low noise and minimal cooling work together very nicely.

While this is a well balanced package I feel it is better suited to a Micro-ATX case than Mini-ITX. That is something of a shame as a small, low powered and cheap PC in a VESA installation is my idea of perfection.

You can buy on pre-order now from Ebuyer, for £115.66 inc vat.

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Pros:

• Good performance when the workload favours HSA
• Impressive Radeon R7 graphics
• Keen pricing
• Support for DDR3-2133MHz memory
• The 65W TDP allows you to keep the A10-7800 cool whilst keeping the system nice and quiet

Cons:

• The 45W TDP looks good on paper but isn't much use in reality
• Default 65W TDP means you are obliged to use a small tower or cube case.
• Intel still rules the roost with its Core i3 and Core i5 CPUs

KitGuru says: A10-7800 is a better buy for the mainstream than A10-7850K, and it would be even better if it was discounted to £99.

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