FX 6300 or APU for gaming??

gamerbloke · Oct 4, 2013

To start with i am only interested in gaming like Gta4, COD series, Crysis series, BFseries etc at at-least med setting. I wont overclock ever, wont do any software related works, rendering ever. Only gaming..
So i researched nd decided to go for FX-6300 with Sapphire HD7770 1gb ddr5. Suddenly i came across two new terms "APU" nd "STEAMROLLER".
Now regarding steamroller everything seems to be vague but if it will be available around $120 nd say starting of july2014 then i can wait.(if someone can confirm it)
Otherwise regarding my gaming quest what will be best....
FX-6300 with HD7770
(OR)
A good APU (yet i dont know there hierarchy nd performance)
(OR)
A good APU with decent discrete GPU say HD7750.
Guys should i wait else with which option should i go???
Thanks

dextermat · Oct 4, 2013

I favor fx on this one

razvan_mz · Oct 4, 2013

yes, the FX-6300, and wait for the new amd graphic cards, they are promising. great performance/value.

dwatterworth · Oct 4, 2013

FX series for sure. If you take a glance at this article:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/dual-graphics-crossfire-benchmark,3583.html
it examines the APU in combination with a discrete video card, the highest 'compatible' described as the 7750, even with the new improved drivers from AMD, the APU + GPU combination is pretty much a bust. Read the last page for the conclusions, it gives the independent results. The APU is so weak compared to any decent GPU, it adds very little to the equation, especially if you want to play the games you listed or newer more demanding games when they arrive. Way better off just going with the FX series CPU you listed and the discrete video card.

The system will be more simple and straight forward to setup and configure the GPU settings and in game settings.
For the performance, your system will also generate less heat, use less power etc etc than the APU/GPU combination by cutting out the APU's onboard graphics.

If you need more graphics muscle than the single 7770, the newest AMD graphics drivers tuned up the crossfire performance quite a bit so a second 7770 would add in nicely.

I second the recommendation on waiting for the newest AMD cards due out in a week or two. You can either get a new generation card or get great savings on previous (7 series) generation cards.

gamerbloke · Oct 4, 2013

razvan_mz :

If you could please enlighten what are the upcoming cards??? will anyone be around $125???

8350rocks · Oct 4, 2013

gamerbloke :

FX 6300, and the R7-260x will run about $139. The R7-250 will run $89.

For $125, currently, you could likely find either a HD 7790 or a bargain HD 7850 if you looked long enough.

dwatterworth · Oct 4, 2013

The pricing for the entry level graphics cards hasn't really gone out yet. The higher end cards will come out first and then the medium grade and entry level cards will follow. Nvidia is expected to bring out a few new cards in the $100-$200 range when AMD released the new series of cards, so definitely expect there to be some good options in the low to mid $100 range.

gamerbloke · Oct 4, 2013

dwatterworth :

FX series for sure. If you take a glance at this article:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/dual-graphics-crossfire-benchmark,3583.html
it examines the APU in combination with a discrete video card, the highest 'compatible' described as the 7750, even with the new improved drivers from AMD, the APU + GPU combination is pretty much a bust. Read the last page for the conclusions, it gives the independent results. The APU is so weak compared to any decent GPU, it adds very little to the equation, especially if you want to play the games you listed or newer more demanding games when they arrive. Way better off just going with the FX series CPU you listed and the discrete video card.

The system will be more simple and straight forward to setup and configure the GPU settings and in game settings.
For the performance, your system will also generate less heat, use less power etc etc than the APU/GPU combination by cutting out the APU's onboard graphics.

If you need more graphics muscle than the single 7770, the newest AMD graphics drivers tuned up the crossfire performance quite a bit so a second 7770 would add in nicely.

I second the recommendation on waiting for the newest AMD cards due out in a week or two. You can either get a new generation card or get great savings on previous (7 series) generation cards.

Thnx a ton bro. Somewhat cleared my mind, actually i was hoping to go with Kaveri APU nd gpu and save some bucks but i guess it wont prolong.

dwatterworth · Oct 4, 2013

No problem, I was thinking of doing a similar setup for a home theater / gaming computer and was really glad Tom's put out that study. Seems like the APU is really only useful for gaming at lower resolutions and settings.

gamerbloke · Oct 4, 2013

8350rocks :

Seriously speaking it took me hell of a time to do research on gpu and understand 7th series cards (i m a total noob) and choose 7770 which seems to be in vain now.
But thats why i love Tomshardware as i am advancing day by day and yet again got hold of new info (new AMD series card)... thnx for the info. I will definitely wait for these and could you give me link to new cards hierarchy and little info maybe???
Regarding price in my country these cards are dearer... 7770 might be $100 in US but its around $125 here.

dwatterworth · Oct 4, 2013

You should check out Anandtech sometimes too. They often have very similar articles but sometimes cover things ina different way or different articles all together. Here's the expected pricing and specs:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7369/amd-announces-next-generation-r7-and-r9-video-cards

If the pricing on that chart holds true, these will blow the 7000 series cards away for performance / cost.

gamerbloke · Oct 4, 2013

release date is 8th oct so lets wait till then... thnx everyone for useful info.

gamerbloke · Oct 5, 2013

hey i checked a local shop's online pricelist. It says AMD Bulldozer FX-6300. I know bulldozer is old to Piledriver so is there any chance that he is selling some antiquated version for bigger margin or he himself is misinformed????

ethereal essence · Oct 5, 2013

gamerbloke :

No the 3 in 6300 tells you it is piledriver (Vishera for the FX line). The first gen bulldozers were X1XX like the 6100 (Also known as Zambezi). The overall architecture is sometimes referred to as Bulldozer. Always go by the numbers, if its X3XX then it is piledriver, X1XX is bulldozer

gamerbloke · Oct 5, 2013

ethereal essence :

gamerbloke :

No the 3 in 6300 tells you it is piledriver (Vishera for the FX line). The first gen bulldozers were X1XX like the 6100 (Also known as Zambezi). The overall architecture is sometimes referred to as Bulldozer. Always go by the numbers, if its X3XX then it is piledriver, X1XX is bulldozer

ty bro!

ethereal essence · Oct 5, 2013

No problem!

gamerbloke · Oct 7, 2013

Hey will Steamroller be an APU only or CPU also?? I mean most of the articles i went through says steamroller is Kaveri APU(4 cores) to be available in Q1 2014. If it is so then i will go with 6300 and wont wait for it bcoz of whatever we discussed above regarding gaming. But if it is CPU which can replace 6300 and be priced around same range then it should be worth waiting for it!!!

ethereal essence · Oct 7, 2013

there is no word on it one way or the other. only time will tell. if there will be a steamroller cpu, it won't be soon

Silibant · Jan 15, 2014

Hey, I've got a similar question. I'm looking at the AMD FX 4150 vs the AMD A8 5600K for use with an external GPU. Thoughts?

logainofhades · Jan 15, 2014

Neither as both suck. An old Phenom II 965 is better than either.

Silibant · Jan 15, 2014

?? So.. what would be good that's modern? I was looking at http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8747615&MobileOptOut=1 and http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8747611&MobileOptOut=1 . If you don't mind, check 'em out and see if you can give some recommendations in that price range.

logainofhades · Jan 15, 2014

The FX has a better upgrade path due to the motherboard supporting up to an FX 8350, so if I had to choose between those two, the FX would be my choice.

I feel that this is better and offers a better upgrade path.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($62.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.61 @ B&H)
Total: $259.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-15 17:39 EST-0500)

Silibant · Jan 15, 2014

Thanks a billion for doing all that, but I might just buy the FX barebones kit and put this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?gclid=CJfStLCE_7sCFSEV7Aod_DkASg&Item=N82E16814121663&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Desktop+Graphics+Cards-_-N82E16814121663&ef_id=UlBx8AAABdr9SiHA:20140115013153:s in. It seems like it'd run Shaders Mod for MC at 45-60 FPS on mid settings (at least), and like you said the FX kit has a decent socket for future upgrades. The dual core Pentium just seems like a huge step down to me, and that price includes no GPU. My budget for the FX kit WITH HDD and GPU is $363, and I get a quad core and .8GHz more processing power. Let me know if I'm looking at things wrong, please, and thanks SOO MUCH for your time/help.

logainofhades · Jan 16, 2014

The FX combo didn't have a GPU either. The motherboard has graphics onboard. The Pentium G has IGP on die. In games that use more than 2 cores, the 4100 might do just slightly better. The Pentium G has better core performance though.

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/233/AMD_FX-Series_FX-4100_vs_Intel_Pentium_Dual-Core_G3220.html

Silibant · Jan 16, 2014

Thanks for the effort you're putting into this. I forgot to mention I'm looking at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?gclid=CJfStLCE_7sCFSEV7Aod_DkASg&Item=N82E16814121663&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Desktop+Graphics+Cards-_-N82E16814121663&ef_id=UlBx8AAABdr9SiHA:20140115013153:s in the 2GB model.

FX 6300 or APU for gaming??

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