AMD A6-7000 vs Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6 vs AMD A8 Pro-7150B

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).

Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6

The Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6 is a fast quad-core processor for workstation notebooks based on the Kaby Lake architecture and was announced in January 2017. It is the top model of the mobile Kaby-Lake-H series at the time of the announcement. Besides four cores including Hyper-Threading support running at 3.1 - 4.2 GHz (4 cores up to 3.9 GHz, 2 cores up to 4.1 GHz), the processor is also equipped with the professional HD Graphics P630 GPU as well as a dual-channel memory controller (DDR3L-1600/DDR4-2400). It is manufactured in a 14nm process with FinFET transistors.

Architecture

Intel basically uses the same micro architecture compared to Skylake, so the per-MHz performance does not differ. The manufacturer only reworked the Speed Shift technology for faster dynamic adjustments of voltages and clocks, and the improved 14nm process allows much higher frequencies combined with better efficiency than before.

Performance

The performance is a bit higher compared to the fastest Kaby Lake consumer CPU, the Intel Core i7-7920HQ, thanks to slightly higher Turbo clocks (100 - 200 MHz), so it is the fastest mobile consumer processor in the beginning of 2017. The performance is sufficient even for very demanding tasks and on par with powerful desktop quad-core processors.

Graphics

The integrated professional Intel HD Graphics P630 has 24 Execution Units (similar to previous HD Graphics 530) running at 350 - 1100 MHz. The performance depends a lot on the memory configuration; it should be comparable to a dedicated Nvidia GeForce 920M in combination with fast DDR4-2133 dual-channel memory. It offers certified drivers for 15 professional and CAD applications.

Contrary to Skylake, Kaby Lake now supports hardware decoding for H.265/HEVC Main 10 with a 10-bit color depth as well as Google's VP9 codec. The dual-core Kaby Lake processors, which were announced in January, should also support HDCP 2.2.

Power Consumption

The chip is manufactured in an improved 14nm process with FinFET transistors, which improves the efficiency even further. Intel still specifies the TDP with 45 Watts, but it can also be reduced to 35 Watts by the notebook manufacturers (cTDP down). This will obviously affect the performance, because the Turbo Boost cannot be maintained for longer periods.

AMD A8 Pro-7150B

The AMD A8 Pro-7150B is a power efficient ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) quad-core 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 1.9 - 3.2 GHz, the AMD chip also integrates a Radeon R5 GPU clocked at up to 533 MHz with 384 GCN shaders and a dual-channel DDR3-1600 memory controller.

Technically, the 7150B is almost identical with the consumer model A10-7300. However, AMD guarantees an especially high stability and durability for the business-oriented Pro-Series.

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 Pro-7150B should offer a CPU performance level similar to the Haswell-based Intel Core i3-4010U. Overall, the 7150B will be sufficient for all daily workloads (Office, Internet browsing, multimedia) as well as light multitasking. Detailed benchmark can be found on the cpu page of the A10-7300 APU.

Graphics

The Radeon R5 (Kaveri) GPU of the A8 Pro-7150B features a core clock of up to 533 MHz and 384 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 should be 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 19 Watts, which is somewhat above the Haswell ULV CPUs from Intel (15 W including chipset). Nevertheless, the A8 Pro-7150B is suited for 12 - 13-inch notebooks or larger.