AMD A10-5800K vs AMD A8-6600K Comparison

The AMD A10-5800K and AMD A8-6600K are two quad-core desktop processors built on the same Piledriver architecture, but they represent different points in AMD's FM2 lineup. The A10-5800K, a Trinity part, and the A8-6600K, a Richland part, share many core specifications but diverge in integrated graphics and minor clock settings. The benchmark data shows a narrow but consistent advantage for the A10-5800K across both recorded tests, though the margins are small enough to raise questions about real-world distinction.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head comparison covers two Geekbench tests, and the AMD A10-5800K wins both. In the multicore test, the A10-5800K scores 1102 against the A8-6600K's 1076, a delta of 2.4 percent. This is a modest lead, suggesting that the A10-5800K can process multi-threaded workloads slightly faster, but the gap is unlikely to be perceptible outside of synthetic benchmarks. The singlecore test shows an even tighter race: the A10-5800K scores 454, while the A8-6600K scores 451, a delta of just 0.7 percent. That is nearly a statistical tie, implying that for lightly threaded applications, the two chips are effectively interchangeable.

The average benchmark score reinforces this pattern. The A10-5800K carries an average score of 778, while the A8-6600K sits at 764. That works out to a roughly 1.8 percent overall advantage for the A10-5800K. When placed against the database's broader population, the A10-5800K holds a 21st percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the A8-6600K ranks at the 20th percentile. The percentile difference is minimal, but it does place the A10-5800K just above its rival in the overall distribution.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each chip provides context for these scores. The A10-5800K's average score of 778 exactly matches the Intel Pentium G4520, with a delta of 0 percent. It also edges out the AMD Athlon X4 760K by 0.2 percent and the Intel Pentium Silver J5005 by 0.3 percent. The only rival that beats it is the Intel Core i3-7100, which scores 781, putting the A10-5800K 0.4 percent behind. The A8-6600K, with its 764 average, sits 0.3 percent behind the Intel Core i7-3537U, but leads the Intel Core i3-3240 by 0.5 percent, the Intel Core i5-3210M by 0.8 percent, and the Intel Core i3-5020U by 0.9 percent. These rivalries show that both AMD chips occupy a similar performance tier, trading places with low-end Intel Core and Pentium parts.

Where Each One Wins

The A10-5800K wins both recorded benchmark tests, so its advantage is consistent across the board. The multicore win of 2.4 percent is the larger of the two, which hints that the A10-5800K may have a slight edge in workloads that scale across all four cores, such as video encoding or compiling. The singlecore win of 0.7 percent is negligible, meaning that for everyday tasks like web browsing, office productivity, or older games that rely on one or two threads, the A8-6600K should deliver the same experience.

The A8-6600K does have one specification that could tip certain use cases in its favor, despite losing the CPU benchmarks. It integrates a Radeon HD 8570D graphics unit, whereas the A10-5800K integrates a Radeon HD 7660D. The database does not include graphics benchmarks for these two chips, but the different GPU model numbers suggest that the A8-6600K was positioned with a different integrated graphics configuration. For a desktop system that relies on the built-in GPU for light gaming or media playback, the A8-6600K may offer a different visual experience, though the data does not quantify this.

The base clock also differs slightly. The A8-6600K runs at 3.90 GHz, while the A10-5800K runs at 3.80 GHz. Both boost to 4.20 GHz. The higher base clock on the A8-6600K does not translate into a benchmark win, which suggests that other factors, such as cache organization or memory controller efficiency, favor the A10-5800K. In the recorded data, the A10-5800K is the clear winner with 2 wins against 0 for the A8-6600K.

Architecture Differences

Both processors are built on AMD's Piledriver architecture and manufactured on a 32 nm process at GlobalFoundries. They share the same die size of 246 mm² and the same transistor count of 1,303 million. The core and thread counts are identical at 4 and 4, respectively. The L1 cache is also the same at 192 KB, and both have 4 MB of L2 cache, though the A10-5800K's L2 is listed as shared while the A8-6600K's is not explicitly marked as shared. Neither chip has L3 cache.

The key architectural difference lies in the codename and generation. The A10-5800K is a Trinity part, while the A8-6600K is a Richland part. Richland is a refresh of the Trinity design, which typically brings minor clock speed adjustments and sometimes improved integrated graphics. The A8-6600K's base clock of 3.90 GHz is 0.10 GHz higher than the A10-5800K's 3.80 GHz, but the boost clocks are identical at 4.20 GHz. The memory support is the same: DDR3 on a dual-channel bus with 29.9 GB/s of bandwidth.

The integrated graphics differ, as noted. The A10-5800K ships with the Radeon HD 7660D, while the A8-6600K ships with the Radeon HD 8570D. The numbering suggests the 8570D is a newer or higher-tier GPU, but the database does not provide clock speeds, shader counts, or performance figures for either. Both processors support PCIe Gen 2, do not support ECC memory, and have unlocked multipliers, making them suitable for overclocking. The A10-5800K was released on 2012-10-01, while the A8-6600K followed on 2013-05-31, a gap of roughly eight months.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher base clock speed?

A: The AMD A8-6600K has a base clock of 3.90 GHz, while the AMD A10-5800K has a base clock of 3.80 GHz. Both share the same 4.20 GHz boost clock.

Q: How much faster is the A10-5800K in multicore performance?

A: In the Geekbench multicore test, the A10-5800K scores 1102 against the A8-6600K's 1076, a 2.4 percent advantage.

Q: Do both processors have the same transistor count?

A: Yes, both the A10-5800K and the A8-6600K contain 1,303 million transistors on a 246 mm² die, fabricated on a 32 nm process at GlobalFoundries.

Q: What is the difference in integrated graphics?

A: The A10-5800K integrates a Radeon HD 7660D, while the A8-6600K integrates a Radeon HD 8570D. The database does not include graphics benchmark scores for either.

Q: Which processor ranks higher among all CPUs?

A: The A10-5800K ranks at the 21st percentile, while the A8-6600K ranks at the 20th percentile based on average benchmark scores.

Q: Are both processors overclockable?

A: Yes, both have unlocked multipliers, allowing user overclocking.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in only a handful of recorded specifications. The base clock is 3.80 GHz for the A10-5800K and 3.90 GHz for the A8-6600K. The codename and generation differ: Trinity for the A10-5800K and Richland for the A8-6600K. The integrated graphics are different models, with the A10-5800K using the Radeon HD 7660D and the A8-6600K using the Radeon HD 8570D. The L2 cache is listed as 4 MB (shared) for the A10-5800K, while the A8-6600K's 4 MB L2 is not marked as shared. The release dates differ, with the A10-5800K launching on 2012-10-01 and the A8-6600K on 2013-05-31. The part numbers are also unique to each model. All other specifications, including cores, threads, boost clock, TDP, socket, architecture, process node, foundry, transistor count, die size, L1 cache, memory support, memory bus, memory bandwidth, ECC support, PCIe version, market segment, production status, and multiplier unlock status, are identical.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD A10-5800K as the slightly stronger processor. It wins both recorded benchmarks, holds a higher average benchmark score of 778 against 764, and ranks one percentile higher among all CPUs. For users who prioritize raw CPU performance in synthetic tests, the A10-5800K is the better choice, though the 2.4 percent multicore and 0.7 percent singlecore leads are small enough that they may not matter in everyday use.

The A8-6600K is not without its merits. It has a higher base clock of 3.90 GHz, which could appeal to users who prefer a higher stock frequency, and it features a different integrated graphics unit in the Radeon HD 8570D. If the database had included graphics performance data, the A8-6600K might have shown an advantage in GPU-accelerated workloads, but that is speculation outside the recorded facts. The A8-6600K also launched later, suggesting it benefited from a more mature production run, but the benchmarks do not reflect any tangible benefit from that timing.

For a system that relies solely on the CPU for processing, the A10-5800K is the safer pick based on the data. For a system that plans to use the integrated graphics, the A8-6600K's different GPU model could be a factor, but without measured results, that remains an open question. Both processors are end-of-life, unlocked, and share the same socket, TDP, and memory support, so the decision comes down to the small benchmark edge of the A10-5800K versus the higher base clock and different graphics unit of the A8-6600K. The recorded data gives the A10-5800K the win, but the margin is thin.