Budget build CPU choice?

[dizmo]

Ok, so I have an itch to build a new computer, and I was looking for a little advice CPU wise.

I currently use an ultrabook with an i5 3317 (2 core, 4 thread, 1.7ghz - 2.6ghz), HD4000 graphics, 4GB of RAM.

 

I'm looking at building the system with an APU, since it's cheaper.

 

Uses

Word processing, internet browsing, gaming (not intense, StarCraft 2 is probably the most intense game I play right now).

It will have dual monitors, either 1080p or 1200p.

This will be very, very tab intensive. Figure upwards of 60 tabs at least open at any given time, sometimes across 2 browsers (120 tabs total).

 

Choices

I was looking at the following APUs:
 

AMD A10-7850k, A10-7700k, A8-7600?

Intel I3 4360 (2 core, 4 thread, 4mb cache, 3.7ghz) HD4600 graphics

Intel I3 4330 (2core, 4 thread, 4mb cache, 3.5ghz) HD4600 graphics

 

I'll admit that I know very little about the AMD APU's.

I've looked at benchmarks and read some reviews but it hasn't really given me a full picture and AMD's website blows compared to Intels.

 

Graphics Debate

I'm assuming both will handle spreadsheets and browsing and such well.

Which set up should I be aiming for? Are the AMD APU's vastly superior to running the Intel with the HD graphics?

HD4600 is leaps and bounds better than the HD4000 I run now, but I'll also be stepping up to 1920x1080 for gaming over the 1600x900 it currently runs.

I know I could throw a GPU in there, but I'm trying to keep the costs down as much as possible.

Let's consider gaming more of a back burner issue. I can add a 280x/770 or something later on.

 

The Realness

The main purpose for this computer will be school work, typing, web browsing, lots of web browsing, and spreadsheets.

Which CPU will handle this best?

I'll be looking used so don't factor in pricing too heavily.

 

If anyone can help me with the AMD APU's, and what to look for both CPU wise and motherboard wise that'd be swell as well.

 

 

 

This system isn't mean to be a beast gaming rig. That will come next year, when Pascal is out and I can compare it to AMD's offering.

[blu4]

I'd get the APU and very fast RAM. Later, down the line you can add a dedicated GPU and run Crossfire.

[Tim Drake]

For just gaming with an iGPU AMD will win with a stronger iGPU but weaker single core.

 

I would say get an APU for a side of gaming or if it's only free to play MOBAs then you may benefits from the better CPU helping with general use so i3

[REX.exe]

Why an APU? You should just get a Pentium G3258 and some low end video card.

[Delusional Phil]

Is this the build that will last you until Pascal that you talked about ? 

[PandaCopyRight]

id take a G3258(you can oc the snot out of it and i love it for it ) with a 260 or 260x 

[RevoltTrain]

Why an APU? You should just get a Pentium G3258 and some low end video card.

Because some games are starting to not let dual core CPUs even launch the game, if it's a gaming rig it shouldn't have to deal with that issue

[FruitBasketSilex]

Because some games are starting to not let dual core CPUs even launch the game, if it's a gaming rig it shouldn't have to deal with that issue

Then an i3 is a good option.

I actually have used, and currently am using hd4600 graphics and it'd do more than well for ops purposes. Not to mention, if op ever wanted to get more serious about games and buy a GPU, he wouldn't have to worry about bottlenecks.

[dizmo]

Why an APU? You should just get a Pentium G3258 and some low end video card.

That'd cost a lot more.

Not only that, I'm not sure if losing the 4 threads would pose a problem for me.

 

I'd get the APU and very fast RAM. Later, down the line you can add a dedicated GPU and run Crossfire.

I doubt I would add a card, as it'll be a very small case and it's only a year or so until I get a proper rig. Trying to keep costs low.

 

For just gaming with an iGPU AMD will win with a stronger iGPU but weaker single core.

 

I would say get an APU for a side of gaming or if it's only free to play MOBAs then you may benefits from the better CPU helping with general use so i3

There really is no winning, is there

 

Is this the build that will last you until Pascal that you talked about ? 

Yup, alongside my ultrabook.

 

id take a G3258(you can oc the snot out of it and i love it for it ) with a 260 or 260x 

Losing the 4 threads might be a bit of an issue. I haven't had a dual core system for..almost a decade.

[blu4]

-snip-

In this case (hehe) just get the APU. If you are doing up a better rig in a year time, as you said, there is no point of getting a dedicated GPU.

[PandaCopyRight]

That'd cost a lot more.

Not only that, I'm not sure if losing the 4 threads would pose a problem for me.

 

I doubt I would add a card, as it'll be a very small case and it's only a year or so until I get a proper rig. Trying to keep costs low.

 

There really is no winning, is there

 

Yup, alongside my ultrabook.

 

Losing the 4 threads might be a bit of an issue. I haven't had a dual core system for..almost a decade.

if you are willing to pay the extra for HT and lose the unlocked cores ... sure and not always programs find 2core 4thread cpus as 4 core

but yeah i would get a G3258 with a 260x (you can put the 260x in the new system untill you can get a better one )

[Kalevro]

aaa

[FruitBasketSilex]

aaa

Most helpful comment. Lol

10/10 would help again.

[dragoon20005]

how big is the budget and the expected case size?

 

A10 is great if you not planning any dGPU later

 

otherwise if you really want a quad core for cheap the 760k/860K + a R7 250X will beat the crap out of the APU combo

[Ketcchup]

I'd go for the 860K + cheap gpu for SC2 or the i3 4360, I think more threads will help with those 60 tabs management

[dragoon20005]

I'd go for the 860K + cheap gpu for SC2 or the i3 4360, I think more threads will help with those 60 tabs management

60 chrome tabs eat more RAM than CPU load

[david cassar]

StarCraft 2 is a game which loves single threaded performance which means that it would be smarter to go Intel. However the graphics of the apu are better than the i3s by a large amount. In the future however if you are going to get a 280x/770 the apu would bottleneck it more than the i3. I would say it's what you want. Can you compromise graphics horsepower now for a much better and more capable CPU?

[Blackie Sheen]

Ok, so I have an itch to build a new computer, and I was looking for a little advice CPU wise.

I currently use an ultrabook with an i5 3317 (2 core, 4 thread, 1.7ghz - 2.6ghz), HD4000 graphics, 4GB of RAM.

 

I'm looking at building the system with an APU, since it's cheaper.

 

Uses

Word processing, internet browsing, gaming (not intense, StarCraft 2 is probably the most intense game I play right now).

It will have dual monitors, either 1080p or 1200p.

This will be very, very tab intensive. Figure upwards of 60 tabs at least open at any given time, sometimes across 2 browsers (120 tabs total).

 

Choices

I was looking at the following APUs:

 

AMD A10-7850k, A10-7700k, A8-7600?

Intel I3 4360 (2 core, 4 thread, 4mb cache, 3.7ghz) HD4600 graphics

Intel I3 4330 (2core, 4 thread, 4mb cache, 3.5ghz) HD4600 graphics

 

-snip-

First, the i3's are not APUs, They are cpus with integrated graphics. But, lets forget terminology and get to the point. I think the best choice of all of these for what you want to do would be the A10-7850k since its probably the best in terms of compute and the best in terms of graphics. The integrated graphics of the i3 on the other side are not too shabby either

[dizmo]

if you are willing to pay the extra for HT and lose the unlocked cores ... sure and not always programs find 2core 4thread cpus as 4 core

but yeah i would get a G3258 with a 260x (you can put the 260x in the new system untill you can get a better one )

I just really don't like the idea of having only 2 cores, even if they are able to be overclocked like a beast.

Plus with the price of the G3258 here being almost $100, I can find used i3's for less. There aren't really any used G3258's for a great price, and if there are, they've been mad OC'd.

The extra for the I3 is no where near the extra it'd cost to get a card

But thank you for the suggestion! Always good to hear alternatives and I did consider it, even if briefly.

 

how big is the budget and the expected case size?

 

A10 is great if you not planning any dGPU later

 

otherwise if you really want a quad core for cheap the 760k/860K + a R7 250X will beat the crap out of the APU combo

Budget is cheap. In this case I'll be spending more on displays than the system itself.

I'm going with an m-ITX build in case I decide to move (cheaper to ship a tiny case).

I didn't even consider the 760k's. How do they perform compared to say an I3, game wise? I assume they can function the same with the other tasks.

 

StarCraft 2 is a game which loves single threaded performance which means that it would be smarter to go Intel. However the graphics of the apu are better than the i3s by a large amount. In the future however if you are going to get a 280x/770 the apu would bottleneck it more than the i3. I would say it's what you want. Can you compromise graphics horsepower now for a much better and more capable CPU?

Yeah, I'm not really worried about graphical might with this system.

The games I want to play don't come out until the latter part of the year, so waiting until 2016 to rebuild my gaming rig isn't an issue at all.

 

First, the i3's are not APUs, They are cpus with integrated graphics. But, lets forget terminology and get to the point. I think the best choice of all of these for what you want to do would be the A10-7850k since its probably the best in terms of compute and the best in terms of graphics. The integrated graphics of the i3 on the other side are not too shabby either

Actually, they are by definition an APU.

"An accelerated processing unit (APU, also advanced processing unit) is a computer's main processing unit that includes additional processing capability designed to accelerate one or more types of computations outside of a central processing unit (CPU). This may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) used for general-purpose computing (GPGPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or similar specialized processing system."

 

I was thinking that too, however they're not as common so finding used motherboards/processors might be tricky.

[david cassar]

I just really don't like the idea of having only 2 cores, even if they are able to be overclocked like a beast.

Plus with the price of the G3258 here being almost $100, I can find used i3's for less. There aren't really any used G3258's for a great price, and if there are, they've been mad OC'd.

The extra for the I3 is no where near the extra it'd cost to get a card

But thank you for the suggestion! Always good to hear alternatives and I did consider it, even if briefly.

 

Budget is cheap. In this case I'll be spending more on displays than the system itself.

I'm going with an m-ITX build in case I decide to move (cheaper to ship a tiny case).

I didn't even consider the 760k's. How do they perform compared to say an I3, game wise? I assume they can function the same with the other tasks.

 

Yeah, I'm not really worried about graphical might with this system.

The games I want to play don't come out until the latter part of the year, so waiting until 2016 to rebuild my gaming rig isn't an issue at all.

 

Actually, they are by definition an APU.

"An accelerated processing unit (APU, also advanced processing unit) is a computer's main processing unit that includes additional processing capability designed to accelerate one or more types of computations outside of a central processing unit (CPU). This may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) used for general-purpose computing (GPGPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or similar specialized processing system."

 

I was thinking that too, however they're not as common so finding used motherboards/processors might be tricky.

In that case then I would definitely recommend the i3. It performs not only better in gaming but also in most tasks (since most tasks depend on single threaded performance). The icing on the cake is that you also get an amazing upgrade path which can lead up to an i7, on the fm2+ the highest performing processor (860k/7850k) still perform worse than an i3 in gaming and most tasks, let alone an i7.

[Blackie Sheen]

-snip-

Actually, they are by definition an APU.

"An accelerated processing unit (APU, also advanced processing unit) is a computer's main processing unit that includes additional processing capability designed to accelerate one or more types of computations outside of a central processing unit (CPU). This may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) used for general-purpose computing (GPGPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or similar specialized processing system."

 

I was thinking that too, however they're not as common so finding used motherboards/processors might be tricky.

This definition goes in the sense of what I was saying because the i3's do not use the igpu for acceleration purposes but simply and only for graphics processing. The iGpu in an i3 can be considered as a separate unit within the chip. In opposition to what I said about the i3, APU's from AMD use the graphics section of the chip to acclerate the general computing and are obviously also use for graphics processing purposes

[FruitBasketSilex]

@op your best bet is to go with an i3. Hd4600, in my personal experience, is plenty to play StarCraft and others on, it also has the best single threaded performance, which RTS games crave. Not to mention if you get into other games, you can throw in a 750ti or something and have a very capable gaming machine.

[PandaCopyRight]

I just really don't like the idea of having only 2 cores, even if they are able to be overclocked like a beast.

Plus with the price of the G3258 here being almost $100, I can find used i3's for less. There aren't really any used G3258's for a great price, and if there are, they've been mad OC'd.

The extra for the I3 is no where near the extra it'd cost to get a card

But thank you for the suggestion! Always good to hear alternatives and I did consider it, even if briefly.

 

Budget is cheap. In this case I'll be spending more on displays than the system itself.

I'm going with an m-ITX build in case I decide to move (cheaper to ship a tiny case).

I didn't even consider the 760k's. How do they perform compared to say an I3, game wise? I assume they can function the same with the other tasks.

 

Yeah, I'm not really worried about graphical might with this system.

The games I want to play don't come out until the latter part of the year, so waiting until 2016 to rebuild my gaming rig isn't an issue at all.

 

Actually, they are by definition an APU.

"An accelerated processing unit (APU, also advanced processing unit) is a computer's main processing unit that includes additional processing capability designed to accelerate one or more types of computations outside of a central processing unit (CPU). This may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) used for general-purpose computing (GPGPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or similar specialized processing system."

 

I was thinking that too, however they're not as common so finding used motherboards/processors might be tricky.

wow ... 100$ for a new G3258 ? and tbh im not a fan of buying used parts ... but if you can find a used i3 or i5 for as much or cheaper then the G3258 .. .go for it even tho the amd apu is better for dedicated gpu-less (without a gpu card)  ... the onboard video on intel sucks...

[dragoon20005]

I just really don't like the idea of having only 2 cores, even if they are able to be overclocked like a beast.

Plus with the price of the G3258 here being almost $100, I can find used i3's for less. There aren't really any used G3258's for a great price, and if there are, they've been mad OC'd.

The extra for the I3 is no where near the extra it'd cost to get a card

But thank you for the suggestion! Always good to hear alternatives and I did consider it, even if briefly.

 

Budget is cheap. In this case I'll be spending more on displays than the system itself.

I'm going with an m-ITX build in case I decide to move (cheaper to ship a tiny case).

I didn't even consider the 760k's. How do they perform compared to say an I3, game wise? I assume they can function the same with the other tasks.

 

Yeah, I'm not really worried about graphical might with this system.

The games I want to play don't come out until the latter part of the year, so waiting until 2016 to rebuild my gaming rig isn't an issue at all.

 

Actually, they are by definition an APU.

"An accelerated processing unit (APU, also advanced processing unit) is a computer's main processing unit that includes additional processing capability designed to accelerate one or more types of computations outside of a central processing unit (CPU). This may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) used for general-purpose computing (GPGPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or similar specialized processing system."

 

I was thinking that too, however they're not as common so finding used motherboards/processors might be tricky.

Damn canada prices

 

the 760K is based on the Richland APU so it 10% slower than the A10-7850K

 

the non APU brother of the 7850K is the 860K

 

that cost the same if not lower than the Pentium G3258

 

one of the cheapest decent Quad Core from AMD

 

pair it with a R9 280/X and you should have a nice gaming rig that still get way stable fps in games which hates Dual Cores

[msvelev]

if you are willing to pay the extra for HT and lose the unlocked cores ... sure and not always programs find 2core 4thread cpus as 4 core

but yeah i would get a G3258 with a 260x (you can put the 260x in the new system untill you can get a better one )

That's BS. Every application will see it as a 4 core CPU. That's not how hyperthreading works.

Op,

The i3 is the superior CPU but if you want to game and not to upgrade later get the best apu you can get. They'll both be great for general purpose, the i3 just gives you the chance to upgrade later and won't bottleneck higher end cards itself, but the athlon has greater GPU.