AMD A6-7000 vs AMD A8-7200P

AMD A6-7000

The AMD A6-7000 is a mobile dual-core processor based on the Kaveri architecture. In addition to one CPU module (2 integer cores) clocked at 2.2 - 3.0 GHz, the chip also integrates a Radeon R4 graphics unit (192 GCN shaders, 533 MHz). According to its TDP of 17 watts, the APU is suitable even for very small and thin laptops (11 - 12 inches or bigger).

AMD A8-7200P

The quad-core AMD A8-7200P is a mid-range processor based on the Kaveri architecture. It was revealed in June 2014 for notebooks and is manufactured by GlobalFoundries using a 28 nm SHP process. In addition to having two CPU modules for a total of four integer cores clocked at 2.4 - 3.3 GHz, the AMD chip also integrates a Radeon R5 GPU clocked at up to 626 MHz with 256 GCN shaders and a dual-channel DDR3-1866 memory controller.

Architecture 

Kaveri is the successor to the 2013 Richland architecture (e.g. A10-5750M). The revised CPU cores, codenamed Steamroller, represent the third generation of the module-based Bulldozer design. A number of major changes include modified decoders (now one per integer core), optimized branch prediction, and increased L1 I-cache from 64 KB to 96 KB per module. These revisions boost the performance per clock slightly over a similarly clocked Richland APU. For more details about the AMD Kaveri architecture, see our detailed analysis here:

Analysis of the AMD Kaveri Notebook Platform

Performance 

According to the clock rates, the A8-7200P should offer a CPU performance level similar to the Sandy Bridge-based Intel Core i3-2310M or 2330M. Overall, the A8-7200P will be sufficient for multitasking daily workloads (Office, Internet browsing, multimedia) as well as more demanding programs.

Graphics

The Radeon R5 (Kaveri) GPU of the A8-7200P features a core clock of up to 626 MHz and 256 shader units. Since the GPU is based on AMD's GCN 1.1 architecture, both DirectX 11.2 "Tier 2" and Mantle are supported. Furthermore, the GPU can be used for general purpose computing in various applications, such as Adobe Photoshop via the OpenCL API. 

In terms of 3D performance, the GPU benefits from its DDR3-1866 memory support. Thus, the Radeon R5 is roughly as fast as a dedicated GeForce GT 720M and can handle many current games at low or medium settings at (W)XGA resolution.

Power Consumption

The power consumption of the entire APU is rated at 35 Watts, which is similar to other competing mid-range models. As a result, the A8-7200P is best suited for 14-inch notebooks or larger.