AMD A8-5550M vs AMD A8-4500M

AMD A8-5550M

The AMD A8-5550M is a mobile quad-core processor based on the Richland-architecture. As successor to the A8-4500M, the A8-5550M 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 A8-5550M performs about 15 percent slower than the A10-5750M and similar to 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. With fast dual-channel memory, performance matches 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 A8-4500M

The AMD A8-4500M is a mobile 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 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 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 A8-4500M 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 A8-4500M performs similar 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 Intels Core-i3-series, the A8-4500M 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 even faster than the HD Graphics 4000 as found in Intel’s Ivy Bridge.

The power consumption of the A8-4500M APU is rated at 35 Watt TDP and is therefore comparable to mid-range dual-core Ivy Bridge processors. Consequently, the A8-4500M is best suited for 14-inch notebooks or larger.