We're impressed with the AMD A8-3850 Fusion APU, giving the equivalent Intel offering a kicking in both computational and especially graphical performance.

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Llano Hits the Desktop

Whereas most users likely will not notice that the A8-3850 is slightly slower than another processor in 2D applications, they will notice that it has much better framerates, decoding abilities and GPU computing performance. To us, that equates to a better overall computing experience.

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Review without score. The score is calculated by the review's remarks.

You can play games on the A8-3850, but hardcore gamers will want more. Where the market is right now, the A8-3850 is a good deal. I just wish it would have been a little better.

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At $135, the A8-3850 seems to be the new budget king. Although it ranks well behind the Sandy Bridge chips in terms of sheer CPU performance, it offers a much better balance between CPU and GPU power.
We're happy to report that the A8-3850 looks like it's going to be a real winner for AMD.

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Review without score. The score is calculated by the review's remarks.

All in all, I was pretty pleased with the AMD A8-3850. While not a game changer for the overclocker, it was not designed to fit this purpose. It was developed to bring strong video playback and decent mainstream gaming for a minimal cash outlay and it does just that.

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Review without score. The score is calculated by the review's remarks.

Llano on the Desktop

If you're building an entry level gaming PC and have to rely solely on integrated graphics, it's clear that Llano is the only solution on the market today. If gaming isn't something you're going to be doing then you're better off with Sandy Bridge.

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We had hoped for some more CPU power, but that graphics subsystem certainly compensates for a lot. Intel must be scratching their heads right now, as AMD made a massive step forward today.

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Review without score. The score is calculated by the review's remarks.

Llano Rocks Entry-Level Desktops

Llano, as a package, is more balanced in a world where 3D pervades. Specifically, A8-3850 doesn't rely on any other hardware to enable reasonable performance. Pair it up to a low-cost motherboard, 4 GB of fast DDR3, and a sub-$100 hard drive and you're looking at a very entry-level machine that can do many things moderately well.

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Review without score. The score is calculated by the review's remarks.

With its first mainstream desktop APU, the A8-3850, AMD makes a compelling case for its method of fusing processor and graphics functionality. But don't dump your video card yet.

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Banging on Intel's door

if you're in the market for a relatively inexpensive, well-balanced, power-efficient, fully-featured system, it pays to take a very close look at AMD's nascent APU technology, more so if motherboard manufacturers release value microATX boards that pave the way for a sleek build.

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We are recommending this processor as kudos for AMD's engineering achievement in fusing a full-fledged modern processor with a real GPU, and not with a display controller. Considering inevitable price reductions in the future, this product has great market potential.

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