AMD A8-4557M vs AMD A10-4655M vs AMD A8-4555M

AMD A8-4557M

The AMD A8-4557M is a mobile quad-core processor based on the Trinity architecture and the direct successor to the Llano A-series of APUs (Accelerated Processing Unit). The processing unit is manufactured in 32nm SOI and integrates a 1.9 GHz CPU (up to 2.8 GHz w/ Turbo Core) with a relatively fast Radeon HD 7640G GPU alongside a dual-channel memory controller, video decoders and a northbridge. The A8-4557M is the BGA version of the A8-4500M.

The CPU cores are based on a reworked Bulldozer architecture called Piledriver. Although marketed as a quad-core processor, the A8-4557M includes only two modules with four integer-cores and two floating-point cores total. As a result, the CPU is not a true quad-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 performs well in speeding up single-threaded applications, although it still underperforms compared to 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 A8-4557M performs similarly to the Llano-based A8-3500M. Single-threaded workloads can especially benefit from the new architecture and the updated Turbo Core functionality. If compared to Intel's Core-i3 series, the A8-4557M offers less performance in most cases. Nonetheless, CPU performance from the AMD processor should be sufficient for all daily workloads like Office, Internet browsing and even light video editing or gaming.

The integrated DirectX 11-compatible Radeon HD 7640G offers only 256 shader cores of the Trinity chip (7660G: 384) and, thanks to Turbo Core, will operate anywhere between 497 to 686 MHz depending on the current application demand. On average, the performance of the HD 7640G GPU is comparable to a dedicated Radeon HD 7610M and is faster than the HD Graphics 4000 as found on Intel’s Ivy Bridge platform.

The power consumption of the A8-4557M APU is rated at 35 Watt TDP and is therefore comparable to mid-range dual-core Ivy Bridge processors. Consequently, the A8-4557M is best suited for 14-inch notebooks or larger.

AMD A10-4655M

The AMD A10-4655M is a mobile low-voltage (LV) quad-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 2.0 GHz CPU (up to 2.8 GHz w/ Turbo Core) with a relatively fast Radeon HD 7620G 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 quad-core processor, the A10-4655M includes only two modules with four integer-cores and two floating-point cores total. As a result, the CPU is not a true quad-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 A10-4655M performs similar to the A8-4500M and the Llano-based A8-3500M. Single-threaded workloads can especially benefit from the new architecture and the updated Turbo Core functionality. If compared to Intels Core-i3-series, the A10-4655M offers less performance in most cases. Nonetheless, CPU performance from the AMD processor is sufficient for all daily workloads like Office, Internet browsing and even light video editing or gaming.

The integrated DirectX 11-compatible Radeon HD 7620G offers all 384 shader cores of the Trinity chip 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 7620G GPU is comparable to a dedicated Radeon HD 7610M and even faster than the HD Graphics 4000 as found in Intel’s Ivy Bridge.

The power consumption of the A10-4655M APU is rated at 25 Watt TDP and is therefore comparable to previous LV-processors. Consequently, the A10-4655M is best suited for 12-inch notebooks or larger.

AMD A8-4555M

The AMD A8-4555M is a mobile ultra-low-voltage (ULV) quad-core processor based on the Trinity architecture. Officially introduced in Q4 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 1.6 GHz CPU (up to 2.4 GHz w/ Turbo Core) with a relatively fast Radeon HD 7600G 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 quad-core processor, the A8-4555M includes only two modules with four integer-cores and two floating-point cores total. As a result, the CPU is not a true quad-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 A8-4555M performs somewhere between the ULV Pentium and Core i3 series from Intel. Because of the lower frequency, the A8-4555M is 15 - 20 % slower than the A10-4655M (25 W TDP). Nonetheless, CPU performance of the AMD processor is sufficient for all daily workloads like Office, Internet browsing and even light video editing or gaming.

The APU integrates a DirectX 11-compatible GPU called Radeon HD 7600G.

The power consumption of the A8-4555M APU is rated at 19 Watt TDP and therefore comparable to Intels ULV-processors. Consequently, the A8-4555M is best suited for thin-and-light notebooks.