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Hail to the 2nd generation AMD APU.
Continuing the excellence of high performance and low power consumption of the previous generation's APU, the AMD Trinity APU once again leads the way in the industry. This new generation APU, like its predecessor, combines a multi-core CPU and discrete-level GPU to provide both excellent computing power and premium graphic performance in a single chip.
It's got revamped internal architecture for both CPU and GPU parts, complete with an array of AMD exclusive technology such as AMD Accelerated Video Converter. AMD Eyefinity Technology and AMD HD Media Accelerator enable an evolved performance for your workload and entertainment, while compromising zero energy efficiency. AMD Turbo Core Technology 3.0 intelligently adjusts the working frequency of both CPU and GPU based on actual load levels to provide more performance when you need it most.
Now you can get the best of all worlds. The performance of multicore CPU technology and the brilliance of premium AMD Radeon graphics technology - all in a single chip, at a great price!
Pros: This chip is fantastic. It's very close in speed to the i5 sandy bridge line but for a lot less money. The graphical power is pretty nice too and runs stable at 866MHz (800 standard) in every build I've tried it in. That results in approx a 6.4 rating in WEI, give or take a bit depending on the RAM speed. I've seen it get up to a 6.8 with dual channel native 1866 RAM on a good board. Most A10s run at 4.0GHz without upping the voltage but a couple hops up results in stable operation at 4.2GHz. Despite being 100W TDP, this chip really doesn't get hot. At stock speeds, running Prime 95, it got up to 104 Fahrenheit. At 4.2GHz with 866Mhz GPU core and the voltage around 1.420, it only reached 117 degrees with stock cooling. On my new Xigmatek enormous cooler + arctic silver, it didn't cross 108 no matter what I did.
Cons: The fan is TERRIBLE. I've ordered two A10s and one A6 and all three had insanely loud fans. The heatsink isn't exactly structured for quiet airflow either. My last A10 had a fan that was damaged and sounded like a truck idling and I ended up having to replace the entire heatsink and fan because no 70mm fan was quiet enough blowing across their awful heatsink.
Overall Review: You almost have to assume you'll need a different cooling solution than the stock one which really adds to the cost.