Mobile CPUs: AMD A8 and A10 vs Core i5 and i7 (Llano, Trinity, Sandy and Ivy Bridge) (page 9: Performance in games: F1 2011, Civilization V, Battlefield 3)

We measured performance in six modern games on our mobile platforms. To recap, we carried out these tests at 1366 x 768.

F1 2011

We started with the Codemasters game, F1 2011. We tested the game both in DirectX 9 and DirectX 11 modes. We used the Medium/Intermediary setting.

[ DirectX 9 ] [ DirectX 11 ]
The first point to note here is that only having a single memory channel on a machine on which you’re using the IGP has a negative impact on performance. Next, and this isn’t too much of a surprise, AMD does very well here with Trinity easily giving the best level of performance. The HD 4000 however progresses quite markedly in this title, though you have to go for the quad core Ivy Bridges even to equal the performance levels of Llano! Note that while there’s a small DirectX 11 gain on Llano, this isn’t the case on Ivy Bridge or Trinity.

Civilization V

We measured the graphics performance on a scene loaded at the end of a game. All the options were at minimum.

Trinity’s superiority is significant here, especially in single channel mode. Llano and Trinity are limited by their processors in this title. There’s a marked difference with the HD 4000s.

Battlefield 3

We used the lowest setting in this title.

Even on Trinity, which is a good deal better than its closest rival, the playability of this title is very limited on our mobile platforms, though we do appreciate the efforts made by the developer to make it functional.