AMD A6-4455M vs AMD A8-5557M vs AMD A6-5357M

AMD A6-4455M

The AMD A6-4455M is a mobile ultra-low-voltage (ULV) dual-core processor based on the Trinity architecture. Officially introduced in Q2 2012, it is the direct successor to the Llano A-series of APUs (Accelerated Processing Unit). The processing unit is manufactured in 32nm SOI and integrates a 2.1 GHz CPU (up to 2.6 GHz w/ Turbo Core) with a Radeon HD 7500G GPU alongside a dual-channel memory controller, video de- and encoders and a northbridge.

The CPU cores are based on a reworked Bulldozer architecture, called Piledriver. Although marketed as a dual-core processor, the A6-4455M includes only one module with two integer-cores and and floating-point core. As a result, the CPU is not a true dual-core processor.

When compared to previous Bulldozer cores, AMD has managed to improve upon the IPC (instructions per clock) performance of Trinity cores while allowing for higher clock frequencies. However, when compared to its Llano predecessor, the multithreaded performance of Trinity has only been slightly improved. The enhanced Turbo Core 3.0 feature functions well in speeding up single threaded performance, although it is still not on the same level as Intel’s Turbo Boost equivalent. Regardless, AMD has managed to include other features as well, such as the AVX extension (including FMA) and support for AES encryption.

In terms of raw general performance, the A6-4455M performs significantly faster than the E-Series (e.g. E2-1800), but cannot compete with Intels ULV processors. Nonetheless, CPU performance from the AMD processor should be sufficient for all daily workloads like Office and Internet browsing, but will reach its limits in more demanding applications and multitasking.

The integrated DirectX 11-compatible Radeon HD 7500G offers only 256 shader cores of the Trinity chip (7660G: 384) and, thanks to Turbo Core, will operate anywhere between 360 to 497 MHz depending on the current application demand. On average, the performance of the HD 7500G GPU should be somewhere between the Llano-based Radeon HD 6620G and the HD Graphics 4000 as found in Intel’s Ivy Bridge.

The power consumption of the A6-4455M APU is rated at 17 Watt TDP and is therefore comparable to Intels ULV-processors. Consequently, the A6-4455M is best suited for thin-and-light notebooks.

AMD A8-5557M

The AMD A8-5557M is a mobile quad-core processor based on the Richland-architecture. In contrast to the A8-5550M, the 5557M is a BGA version. As successor to the A8-4500M, the A8-5550M/5557M has a slightly higher CPU and graphics performance and settles in the lower middle class. The APU integrates 4 CPU cores, a DirectX 11 graphics unit and the Northbridge along with a DDR3 memory controller.

Compared to Trinity, Richland has been modified just slightly. Therefore, no changes in the feature set or the Pro-MHz performance can be reported. The design of the chip is still based on the Bulldozer architecture, which consists of so-called modules. Each of the two modules integrates 2 integer units, but only one FPU. Just like Trinity, Richland supports nearly all current techniques such as AVX (including FMA), AES or Turbo Core.

According to the clock rates of 2.1 to 3.1 GHz, the A8-5557M should perform about 15 percent slower than the A10-5750M and just reach a Core i3-2310M. Consequently, the performance in current applications and games is sufficient.

The graphics unit called Radeon HD 8550G offers 256 shader units (VLIW4) and clocks slightly higher than the HD 7640G at 554 -  720 MHz. With fast dual-channel memory, performance is expected to match a dedicated Radeon HD 7570M.

The power consumption of the entire APU is rated at 35 watts, which is comparable to conventional middle-class models of competition. Thus, the APU is best suited for 14 inch notebooks or bigger.

AMD A6-5357M

The AMD A6-5357M is a mobile dual-core processor based on the Richland-architecture. In contrast to the A6-5350M, the A6-5357M is a BGA version. As successor to the A6-4400M, the A6-5350M/5357M has a slightly higher CPU and graphics performance and settles in the low end segment. The APU integrates 2 CPU cores, a DirectX 11 graphics unit and the Northbridge along with a DDR3 memory controller.

Compared to Trinity, Richland has been modified just slightly. Therefore, no changes in the feature set or the Pro-MHz performance can be reported. The design of the chip is still based on the Bulldozer architecture, which consists of so-called modules. Each module integrates 2 integer units, but only one FPU. Just like Trinity, Richland supports nearly all current techniques such as AVX (including FMA), AES or Turbo Core.

According to the clock rates of 2.9 to 3.5 GHz, the A6-5357M should perform about 15 percent faster than the A6-4400M and just reach a Pentium P6100. Consequently, the performance in less demanding applications and games is sufficient.

The graphics unit called Radeon HD 8450G offers 192 shader units (VLIW4) and clocks slightly higher than the HD 7520G at 533 - 720 MHz. With fast dual-channel memory, performance is expected to match a dedicated Radeon HD 7470M.

The power consumption of the entire APU is rated at 35 watts, which is comparable to conventional middle-class models of competition. Thus, the APU is best suited for 14 inch notebooks or bigger.