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APUS? good graphics?

highfive

highfive

highfive

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6 Aug 2009
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121
hi,

just wondering on the apus that i see around, particularly from AMD. Are the graphics pretty decent for general video viewing and counterstrike global offensive for example?

if they are i can spend more on a higher speed cpu by saving on the graphics card. i know they cant beat dedicated gpus but if they can handle my needs then all is good.

p.s. what is the best backwards compatible cpu now, i previously had the Phenom 965 in an AM2 environment, is there are better ones? I presume AM2(DDR2) is pointless now as DDR3 seems very cheap.

thanks.
 
The APU's aren't massively faster CPU wise than your CPU overclocked.
Surely you're just better off sticking with your Phenom II X4 965 and a discrete GPU?
The best AMD APU is around a 6670 GDDR5 speed I think?
 
I thought APU meant it had a graphics card within the chip or am I wrong here? I no longer have my machine with the 965 i'm looking to build one up but my knowledge just sucks now.

A decent gpu that is onboard or part of the cpu is more ideal for my budget that a graphics card as i can then spend more on the cpu. Just looking for advice around that, the game i'll be playing is cs:go which is cpu demanding rather than gpu.
 
Yes they do have graphics on the chip, A10-7850k (Socket FM2+) is the one to go for which is around £120. I think you can also add a R7 250 graphics card which will work in dual graphics mode with the APU later on if you decide you need a a bit more power.
 
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topshot said:
Yes they do have graphics on the chip, A10-7850k (Socket FM2+) is the one to go for which is around £120. I think you can also add a R7 250 graphics card which will work in dual graphics mode with the APU later on if you decide you need a a bit more power.
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This.

However, I was reading an article the other day that I found interesting - basically, given the cost of the A10 CPU + dedicated graphics, you'd actually be financially better off and get better performance from an i3 with a 250X (or 260X, cant remember how it worked out) than the A10 combined with the 250X, because the A10 bottlenecks even a 250X.

In short, if you're wanting a PC that you don't plan on upgrading for ~2 years or more, the APU could be a good bet. Especially if you only want it for CS:GO.

Trouble is, if you end up getting loads of stuff in a Steam sale or want to try other games, you'll have the wrong board/CPU combo to get the best out of a dedicated graphics card.
 
The best budget gaming cpu is the 760K given the good features and price of the FM2/FM2+ motherboards and pretty much no significant difference when using a card of the GTX 750Ti's calibre, and the lowers total cost of the system. I would pair specifically 750Ti for CS:GO as Nvidia cards do a bit better in the game.
 
matt_fsr said:
This.

However, I was reading an article the other day that I found interesting - basically, given the cost of the A10 CPU + dedicated graphics, you'd actually be financially better off and get better performance from an i3 with a 250X (or 260X, cant remember how it worked out) than the A10 combined with the 250X, because the A10 bottlenecks even a 250X.

In short, if you're wanting a PC that you don't plan on upgrading for ~2 years or more, the APU could be a good bet. Especially if you only want it for CS:GO.

Trouble is, if you end up getting loads of stuff in a Steam sale or want to try other games, you'll have the wrong board/CPU combo to get the best out of a dedicated graphics card.
Click to expand...

Yes I just mentioned the dual graphics in case down the line he wanted a bit more power and in a few months the dedicated cards will be cheap. Not worth buying a AMD APU and dedicated graphics straight away.
 
topshot said:
Yes I just mentioned the dual graphics in case down the line he wanted a bit more power and in a few months the dedicated cards will be cheap. Not worth buying a AMD APU and dedicated graphics straight away.
Click to expand...

Oh agreed, there's always a balance to be found depending on your budget, and what you want to do with the machine.

The APU in my wife's netbook is pretty awesome, it plays Killing Floor! :D
 
I've built a couple of APU based machine for friends and family and on the whole I've been very impressed. Great for HTTP and that sort of thing and can definitely run CSGO at sensible resolutions. I do think that given the price of the motherboards on an FM2+ platform its not a cheap as you'd think...

For a lowish end gaming machine I'd still go with the discreet graphics card every time.

E-I
 
I find up to the A8-6600K I'm tempted by APUs for cheap, acceptable performance including some light gaming on low res. Above that it starts getting a bit too expensive compared with low-end intel processor & cheap dGPU, especially with the slightly more expensive mobos
 
If the OP is starting a brand new build, it just makes no sense to go AMD. Unless you're so space limited that only an APU would fit. In all other examples Intel have better alternatives..

A sensible option with some future upgrade path options would be..

Z97 motherboard £60 - £80
Pentium Haswell dual core £40
Radeon HD 7750 or HD 7770 £65

This would give better performance / lower power consumption / long upgrade cycle options.
 
Either intel or AMD as far as I'm concerned, it more whether its an APU or CPU that's the question.

But I do get your point, Z97 Haswell is pretty much a no brainer at the moment for being pretty cutting edge with huge upgrade potential/ longevity.

E-I
 
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