APU AMD Processor???
A.) What is a APU AMD Processor B.) Can they handle extreme gaming and C.) Is micro atx motherboard good enough for a heavy budget gaming pc? Only thinking about this combo because it is $150 at newegg. Should I just save up so cash and get something better?
Comments
The APU is the built-in graphics processor on AMD's low-end A-series processors. It's much better than Intel's integrated graphics on the Core i3/i5/i7 processors, although the A-series CPUs are much weaker than Core i3 in every respect other than the built-in graphics.
The APU processors were designed for budget builds. They allow you to build a low-cost computer with built-in graphics that are good enough to play easier games like The Sims, Minecraft, WoW or Call of Duty on low/medium settings without having to purchase a standalone graphics card. And they offer a slight performance boost if paired with entry-level graphics cards based upon the Turks chipset (Radeon HD 6570 and 6670)
But that's all they're good for, basic machines that can play easy games cheaply. Anyone investing in a serious graphics card for heavy-duty gaming wouldn't want the A-series processors with the APU, they're slower than low-end Athlon II and FX processors. And in general, for heavy gaming you'd want an Intel Core i5 processor. But even Core i3 beats all AMD processors when it comes to gaming.
You should get an AMD Athlon II X4 631 Quad-Core processor for $70-80 and get a Radeon HD 6670 for $60-70. This should give you a very capable and cheap machine at the same time. You should be able to run any new game at a very fluid frame rate and I think that's what you are after.
The processor is very powerful and future-proof. Its performance is on par with Intel Core i3-2120. The AMD CPU has no integrated graphics so you must have a discrete graphics card from the get-go. Just upgrade your graphics card every couple of years when you start experiencing slow-downs and you'll be golden for the next 5-6 years, no problems at all.
Stay away from APUs if you want the best value for a gaming computer. AMD APU processors are only good for casual gaming and office work.
Micro-ATX motherboards are great because they are very small and you can fit them in any size case, but they are limited in upgrading as they only have 2 RAM memory slots and 1 PCI-Express slot. You can still put 8GB of RAM, which is plenty even for the next few years. I still like Micro-ATX motherboards and they are a great value for money, starting at around $50.
There you go. The whole combo (CPU, motherboard, graphics card) for around $200. You can't do better or smarter than that.
A.)No
B.)No
C.) Go with an ATX for more room and possibly SLI/Crossfire in future. The FX can out preform the APU but if you still go AMD do a Phenom x4 or x6. A great mobo is the ASUS M5A97 with the Phenom x4 955. That'll be a budget mobo/CPU that can run current and future games.
The APU processors are socket FM1. you may evaluate maximum APU's to be a processor with a low-end photos card equipped-in. i'm no longer prepared on the APU answer, using fact it hinders upgradeability to a pair degree. it is the two maximum reasonably-priced to bypass with an AM3 processor/board and a low-end GPU. For RAM, i could bypass with 4gb and verify to place in a sixty 4-bit version of Win7 to assist it.