All the FX CPU and A series APU side, AMD retains its Athlon name for the lower range CPU. The X4 840 is AMD’s quad-core CPU that shares the same platform as their APU, minus the graphics capability.
Processor Details, Test Setup & Overclocking
So this is the X4 840, it is basically the A8-7600 without graphics output capability.
| Motherboard | ASUS A88X Pro |
| RAM | Kingston HyperX 2x 4GB 2400Mhz DDR3 |
| Power Supply | Cooler Master V850 |
| Operating System | Windows 10 64bit |
The processor is without unlocked multiplier hence overclock is limited, with some adjustments I could get a some base clock boost but that meant running with slower memory speed and that seems to affect the processor.
Benchmarks
The following are the test results.
x264 – 10bit to 8bit Video Conversion
The source video is a 720p MKV file that is 90 seconds in duration. x264 settings at the slowest.
| Processor | Time Taken (Seconds) |
| AMD Athlon X4 840 | 370 |
| AMD A10-7850K | 340 |
| Intel Core i3-4130 | 313 |
ASUS RealBench H.264
Default settings
| Processor | Time Taken (Seconds) |
| AMD Athlon X4 840 | 152 |
| AMD A10-7850K | 145 |
Temperature
X264 10bit to 8bit conversion was used to stress the card. Fan settings are at Auto. Room set to ~25c.
| Processor | Idle(°C) | Load (°C) |
| AMD Athlon X4 840 | 43 | 85 |
The X4 840 comes with a very very small cooler, it’s even smaller that the stock AMD coolers that I’m used too. It’s so small that the processor seems rather hot despite having low power draw.
Power Consumption
Power Consumption measurement is based on readings taken from watt-meter. Power consumption is based on entire system, comprising of the processor, a motherboard, 2 sticks of RAM and 1 fan for cooling purpose. For this setup, the power consumption is inclusive of the R7 250 graphics card. Estimated actual draw is calculated based on 90% power efficiency of PSU, and deducting an approximate of 15W for GPU, SSD and cooling fan.
| Condition | Peak (W) |
| Video Conversion | 109 |
| Estimated Actual Draw | 83 |
The Verdict
The AMD Athlon X4 840 Processor retails at RM 270, a very affordable processor and coupled with a motherboard it costs around RM 500 which is pretty much the cheapest quad-core setup you can get. That seems favorable, until you consider the fact that Intel’s dual-core setup costs similar and in some tasks could actually perform faster.
