AMD A8-3870K Unlocked 3.0GHz APU Processor Unboxing & First Look Linus Tech Tips
Linus Tech Tips
·Linus Tech Tips
·2012-05-07
·
650 words · ~3 min read
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so I have an unboxing today of a CPU this is an AMD A8 CPU and what's
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different about this versus an AMD A8
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CPU that I looked at before that I'm actually going to go get the box of in
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fact I've got a bunch of AMD boxes oh it's hey didn't have to show me doing
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that but there you go so there's the A8 3850 there's the FX 81 50 so this is a
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3870k so what is the difference between a 3870k and a 3850 which I'm pretty sure
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this is a 3850 please tell me it's a
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3850 yeah okay it's a 3850 um the
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difference between this is a you have a
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higher stock frequency so this guy's clocked at 3 GHz versus 2.9 GHz on its
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predecessor you also get a sticker which I believe was also included with the
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previous generation product it's got a three-year warranty which is typical of
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AMD products comes with a little manual for installing it this is an fm1 socket
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product so that means it is an APU just like its predecessor they both are but
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the key difference there's your included heat sink the key difference
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is this right here the K in the part number so the K in the part number means
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that in addition to 3 GHz quad core
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processors that is CPUs so to speak uh four Megs of total cash uh o I hope this
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is a 6550d I believe it's a 6550d I'll be
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back so yes it does have a 6550d GPU so
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really those terms are what AMD would consider to be obsolete because this is
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not a CPU or a GPU it is an APU which means it has a quad core
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processing component as well as a direct
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X11 Graphics core and it's all built onto this chip that goes into the socket
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of your motherboard so your motherboard is at the point now where it contains almost no logic at all other than your
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storage controller you know USB that kind of stuff and almost everything is
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done right on the CPU including integrated Graphics
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so right in addition to all that you get
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K which means it is unlocked this is unlocked just like an fx Class part just
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like an Intel K Class part that means
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you can overclock more easily than you could with the
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3850 so in terms of your sheer speed you
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know just out of the box these are going to be very very similar however once you
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start overclocking this starts to make sense now how does it compare to the
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competition Intel has their core I3 dual core processors they do have
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hyperthreading in some cases and honestly in some applications where you
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need faster but fewer cores it doesn't stand up that well however if you are
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going to need the extra cores or if you're going to need the graphics power
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and you can see they got like all these pictures and stuff like Dirt 3 if you're going to need the graphics power AMD's
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Apu absolutely smokes an Intel
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sandybridge processor with its integrated hd2000 or HD 3000 graphics in
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games I've actually done a video about this where I had the 3850 and I compared
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it directly against I think it's the 21105 from Intel that's Elsewhere on my
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lineus tech tips Channel if you Google like Apu Linus Tech tips or something it
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should come up and uh so you can see how
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drastic the difference is between these guys and the Intel competition so
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basically what this is is an unlocked little bit faster easier to overclock
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perfect CP Apu for Gamers on a budget