I think this article is completely fair in every way.
Let's take a look at AMD for a second. They made us wait, they made us listen to the hype, then they released a budget processor with the "FX" moniker. They should have replaced it with "BDGT", so the owners could claim it stood for "Bulldozer GT", and everyone else could claim it stood for "Budget". Then, at least, they'd both be right depending on what benchmark test was being run.
Now on to llano... they named a chip the "A8-3870K". It looks strikingly similar to "i7-2600K", and at first glance to the uninitiated, it would appear to be more powerful given that it has higher numbers all around.
If you ask me, AMD begged to be thrown to the wolves.
For those arguing the llano chips shouldn't be in a benchmark like this, I first refer to the above. Also, llano chips cannot hybrid xfire with any and every AMD graphics chip out there. Only a very select few budget ones. It just won't work. I think they fully deserved to be in this benchmark, because over time, most gamers would ditch their integrated solution eventually, so this test shows all the CPUs in their best possible light. You can then surmise from there, that it all goes downhill for everyone at varying rates as you add more "noise" to the equation (AV/scanners, etc).
Now as far as comparing llano + discreet card in hybrid xfire, vs. an i3 with a single gpu of the same model, I believe its already been proven the i3 will win. Then, if you take into account the llano can use 1866 RAM speeds, and up to 2000 on certain boards, you are just throwing more money at an already budget system. In addition, you'd have to add a little more RAM to the llano system to compensate if some of that memory should be dedicated to the integrated solution. So now you are adding the fastest possible RAM and more of it to llano, just to try to make it a fair fight with an i3 + single gpu (god forbid you should xfire 2 of them with an i3). Now factoring all of that in, and actually trying to set up a test bench with all of those variables, should prove more tedious than its worth, and the idea should whither on the vine, so to speak. More power to anyone that wants to bother, and throw all those "extra fast" goodies in there, but most buying llano, would pick up cheap ddr3 1600 cas 9 ram, probably 8GB of it, and go to town.
I own the A8-3870K, but haven't fired it up yet. Admittedly, I was more excited about it before I read this article, but now I'm well grounded and know exactly what to expect from it with its integrated graphics (based on previous benchmarks, it all ties together nicely now).