Godavari A10-7870K launches in direct competition to Core i3

[Aniallation]

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2928058/amd-goes-after-the-core-i3-with-its-affordable-godavari-desktop-chip.html

 

Looks like just a marginal upgrade to Kaveri 7850K. Meh. Promising performance numbers, but still not the rumored much improved IPC on newer platforms like Zen and even Carrizo. Interesting that they're comparing it against the i3+GT740 in quite single-threaded gaming applications, such as StarCraft 2, DOTA 2 and League of Legends.

 

 

 

On Thursday, AMD quietly launched the A10-7870K, a $137 desktop chip that AMD claims is a cheap, effective choice for building PCs designed for online gaming.

 

What's referred to as the "Godavari" chip represents a slight bump in terms of the CPU and GPU clock speed compared to the existing A10-7850K, which uses AMD's existing Kaveri architecture. It's available to buy through channel sources now, and will be sold into PCs that you can buy starting June 2. Godaveri uses the 12 compute cores (4 CPU, 8 GPU) as the A10-7850K does, but bumps the core CPU clock from 3.7GHz to 3.9GHz, and turbo speeds from 4GHz to 4.1 GHz. AMD also sped up the graphics chip from 720MHz to 866MHz. It uses AMD's existing FM2+ motherboard socket ecosystem, however, which makes it a relatively inexpensive upgrade. 

 

That's a marginal speed increase, though, across the board. And AMD isn't making any claims about attacking the high end of the APU market. Instead, AMD is positioning the chip against a combination of an Intel Core i3 and an Nvidia GeForce GT 740 discrete GPU. At 1080p "max" settings, AMD is claiming frame rates of 35 frames per second for StarCraft 2, 49 fps for DOTA 2, and 89 fps for a 5x5 League of Legends match.

 

AMD also claims that the APU can power Dirt Rally at 1920x1080, medium settings, at about 40 frames per second. Naturally, AMD still recommends a discrete graphics card; pairing it with a Radeon R7 250, for example, ekes out 45 fps or so on High settings.

 

The chip supports AMD-specific technologies including Virtual Screen Resolution for gaming at lower resolutions, as well as FreeSync on compatible displays. Not surprisingly, the chip supports DirectX 12 (and Windows 10), Vulkan, and AMD's own Mantle API, which will bump frame rates further on supported games. 

[Jerakl]

TBH that sounds decent to me. AMD knows what their chip can do, and as marketing it as such.

[AlwaysFSX]

So "Godvari" is meant to compete with an i3..

 

AMD, if Zen isn't good just get out of the business because you people don't have a damn clue what you're doing.

[Me1z]

So "Godvari" is meant to compete with an i3..

 

AMD, if Zen isn't good just get out of the business because you people don't have a damn clue what you're doing.

 

Actually, this is the first time that they've made any sense at all. Intel is so preoccupied with the high-end server grade processors that they don't see AMD ripping the mid-range market out from underneath them. Intel makes the most sales off of stuff like i3s and for once AMD is knocking them around while staying in the same price range. Right now they don't need to be the best, merely the best at what they do. They've found a crack in Intel's monopoly and with this they just might take some ground. As much as I hate on APUs, Godavari is a no-brainer in comparison to an i3 build.

[Aniallation]

Actually, this is the first time that they've made any sense at all. Intel is so preoccupied with the high-end server grade processors that they don't see AMD ripping the mid-range market out from underneath them. Intel makes the most sales off of stuff like i3s and for once AMD is knocking them around while staying in the same price range. Right now they don't need to be the best, merely the best at what they do. They've found a crack in Intel's monopoly and with this they just might take some ground. As much as I hate on APUs, Godavari is a no-brainer in comparison to an i3 build.

At least from a low-end GPU perspective, because keep in mind they're comparing it to an i3 with a standalone GT 740, because Intel HD Graphics is still nowhere near as capable as AMD's APU's graphics, but with using a higher end dedicated GPU I think people would still lean towards the i3 unless they like overclocking (as AMD's chips are unlocked)

[Maslofski]

watch out guys, theyre competing with i3s!

[WereCat]

 

At least from a low-end GPU perspective, because keep in mind they're comparing it to an i3 with a standalone GT 740, because Intel HD Graphics is still nowhere near as capable as AMD's APU's graphics, but with using a higher end dedicated GPU I think people would still lean towards the i3 unless they like overclocking (as AMD's chips are unlocked)

That is a good point with overclocking.

There are no unlocked i3 CPUs which is shame and if this Godavari APU can compete with it and it is unlocked then it makes it really attractive compared to i3. Intel may fight it back by relasing unlocked i3 but I think they wont do that as it would most likely undercut their more expensive i5 sales.

Also Intel is more known for having better CPUs over AMD so they will probably still sell more i3s than AMD can sell Godavari APUs even if the Godavari will really turn to be better than i3.

[CommandMan7]

Glad to see the boundary of APU graphics being pushed. It may not be a compelling option now, but hopefully in the future we will be seeing APU's getting1080p maxed out in the majority of games.

[ForsakenLive]

Maybe this is not a bad CPU for those Console Killer sub $400 builds. Other from that, on any budget were you can get away by squeezing in a R7 260X would most of the times be better than a system using this APU.

[RexinOridle]

Compete with i3? WTF?

[bcredeur97]

jc, will the graphics on this beat iris pro? (the newest one, HD 6100)

[Opcode]

So "Godvari" is meant to compete with an i3..

 

AMD, if Zen isn't good just get out of the business because you people don't have a damn clue what you're doing.

Godavari mops the floor with any i3 along with Kaveri that was also pushed into that competitive market. The reason they are marketing them as such is solely based on price. Nothing from Intel competes at that price point even if you stepped up to a locked i5.

[Norman_the_Owl]

Compete with i3? WTF?

Which is probably a majority chunk of intels market. Not everyone uses high end stuff

[AlwaysFSX]

Godavari mops the floor with any i3 along with Kaveri that was also pushed into that competitive market. The reason they are marketing them as such is solely based on price. Nothing from Intel competes at that price point even if you stepped up to a locked i5.

5% is mopping the floor?

 

But hory sheet, it has a better iGPU!  :rolleyes: What a system killer that is.

[Opcode]

5% is mopping the floor?

 

But hory sheet, it has a better iGPU!  :rolleyes: What a system killer that is.

Gaming and compute results will validate the chip. You have to understand that an APU is marketed solely by its overall performance.

 

We no longer live in a world of just CPUs and GPUs.

[Embattled]

I actually hope AMD does well with it's whole APU venture because if it starts producing better results then the ~$300 gaming PC bracket will become substantially better. 

[euniqe]

watch out guys, theyre competing with i3s!

 

Compete with i3? WTF?

What you guys don't understand is that not everyone buys four-core i5's and mult-threaded i7's. Not everyone needs them. Most people, literally more people than those who don't, buy middle-of-the-range hardware. This is how AMD has even been able to survive the past decade. 

 

Sure, they're not competing on the "superchip" levels, but who cares? that's not their business strategy and is merely what we want them to do. They are competing for the average user, not the enthusiast. A lost of people don't want awesome graphics and great performance. they just want something that just works and is cheap. An I3, or this A10 suits the budget perfectly. 

And hey, with those graphics if they don't need to buy a graphics card then that's even better.

Actually, this is the first time that they've made any sense at all. Intel is so preoccupied with the high-end server grade processors that they don't see AMD ripping the mid-range market out from underneath them. Intel makes the most sales off of stuff like i3s and for once AMD is knocking them around while staying in the same price range. Right now they don't need to be the best, merely the best at what they do. They've found a crack in Intel's monopoly and with this they just might take some ground. As much as I hate on APUs, Godavari is a no-brainer in comparison to an i3 build.

 

[AlwaysFSX]

Gaming and compute results will validate the chip. You have to understand that an APU is marketed solely by its overall performance.

 

We no longer live in a world of just CPUs and GPUs.

Irrelevant. If AMD really doesn't want to be known as the cheaper solution, why are they make products like this?

 

I don't care how something is marketed because I'm intelligent enough to see through their bullshit marketing. "229% better performance in 3dmark!" Fan-fucking-tastic the CPU itself is still garbage and not meant for any system wanting more than low end performance. i3's get suggested because they're a solid starting CPU. But anyone buying a serious system goes for at least an i5, which this can't compete with. Ever.

 

Buying one of these for a "budget system" costs you more later anyways.

[patrickjp93]

Actually, this is the first time that they've made any sense at all. Intel is so preoccupied with the high-end server grade processors that they don't see AMD ripping the mid-range market out from underneath them. Intel makes the most sales off of stuff like i3s and for once AMD is knocking them around while staying in the same price range. Right now they don't need to be the best, merely the best at what they do. They've found a crack in Intel's monopoly and with this they just might take some ground. As much as I hate on APUs, Godavari is a no-brainer in comparison to an i3 build.

Intel makes more money in 1 quarter off of server/HPC sales than AMD makes all year across all segments. What are you smoking?

[AnnoyedShelf]

An i3 competitor with better graphics? Right on, AMD!

[AlwaysFSX]

Intel makes more money in 1 quarter off of server/HPC sales than AMD makes all year across all segments. What are you smoking?

I'm interested in the contradictory statements.

 

Intel is so preoccupied with the high-end server grade processors that they don't see AMD ripping the mid-range market out from underneath them.

 

Intel makes the most sales off of stuff like i3s

[MEC-777]

Don't care what you think about AMD, these are actually really cool parts and with DX12 on the horizon, no longer will the iGPU be wasted when you decide to upgrade to a dGPU. 

 

You get a respectably powerful quad-core CPU that's more than what most people need, and you get a very impressive iGPU that can run plenty of modern games at 1080p (some on medium to high settings). Not only that but both the CPU and iGPU can be overclocked. 

 

It does rival some CPU + dGPU combinations that cost more, so it does pack some really value in the regard. My only concern is there's no further upgrade path on the CPU side, but the argument could be made that with the DX12/Vulkan API's which are claimed to significantly reduce CPU overhead in gaming, that additional CPU power would necessarily be needed, even when pairing this with the most high-end dGPUs. I think you'd definitely need more if you were planning to run SLI 980Ti's, crossfire Radeon Fury's or the likes. But then, if you had that kind of money, you wouldn't be building an APU gaming rig to begin with...

 

It definitely has it's place, regardless. I know haters are gonna hate, but I find this to be a really cool and interesting product.

[Opcode]

I actually hope AMD does well with it's whole APU venture because if it starts producing better results then the ~$300 gaming PC bracket will become substantially better. 

The problem I foresee is as APUs grow increasingly stronger so will their price tag. The Zen APUs I don't expect to fall in the same $120 area anymore. They will be more along the lines comparative to Intel's R series of products that run Iris Pro. So we will probably be looking at $200 and even higher APUs once Zen arrives. I predict that Zen APUs will also retain their L3 cache which is another factor for higher price points.

 

Irrelevant. If AMD really doesn't want to be known as the cheaper solution, why are they make products like this?

 

I don't care how something is marketed because I'm intelligent enough to see through their bullshit marketing. "229% better performance in 3dmark!" Fan-fucking-tastic the CPU itself is still garbage and not meant for any system wanting more than low end performance. i3's get suggested because they're a solid starting CPU. But anyone buying a serious system goes for at least an i5, which this can't compete with. Ever.

 

Buying one of these for a "budget system" costs you more later anyways.

The actual product was released over a year ago (it's a Kaveri refresh) long before AMD made them statements. Zen and GCN 2.0 are when them statements will fall into play as outlined in their financial analysis report.

 

Just because things aren't marketed the way that you want them to be marketed doesn't mean they aren't marketed the right way. An APU is intended to act as a one stop solution for both acceptable CPU and GPU performance. The only time you'd really want to go Intel in this case is if you're looking to do pure CPU number crunching. If you're a programmer and compile lengthy amounts of code every day (and that's all you do) then an i3 would be the better option. Other than that it wins under no other circumstances. I would rather have a chip that feels more responsive in the desktop environment and games way better than have a CPU that will just shave a second off my compile time meanwhile tanks in gaming.

 

Buying one of these doesn't cost you more later. People who buy an APU buy it to run it as is or until they build a new machine or upgrade. Although Zen may be the first time we will see people initially perusing APUs to add in high end discrete card later.

[AlwaysFSX]

Buying one of these doesn't cost you more later. People who buy an APU buy it to run it as is or until they build a new machine or upgrade.

Oh you know that's a flat out lie. So many systems with an APU get a powerful graphics card thrown in to it down the line and someone bitches that it isn't working at 100% which means they essentially have to toss the entire system and start from scratch again.

[Opcode]

Oh you know that's a flat out lie. So many systems with an APU get a powerful graphics card thrown in to it down the line and someone bitches that it isn't working at 100% which means they essentially have to toss the entire system and start from scratch again.

If your APU can handle every game that you play what's the point in buying a discrete card? The sub <$100 discrete market is slowly being retired to APUs.