X4 845

Prior to the announcement for AMD's 7th Generation of APUs, Bristol Ridge, the latest micro-architecture from AMD based on the x86 instruction set was given the codename Excavator, using the fourth generation of AMD's Bulldozer design, called Carrizo cores. Carrizo and Excavator were primarily aimed at laptops and is an important part of the efficiency goals AMD has set itself. We tested some 15W laptops earlier in the year, but when AMD announced a 65W part was coming to desktop, we actively sourced a part to compare generational performance improvements on the dekstop side in a like-for-like setting. This is that review, and we're testing the Athlon X4 845 and its microarchitectural counterparts through the years: the Athlon X4 860K with Kaveri cores and...