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Is the new AMD A series CPU worth it?

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Hey guys so i am in the process of building a new really budget gaming computer and was wondering if buying one of the new AMD A series CPU and a new A series mothorboard would be worth it for light gaming? because man these new prossesors pack a huge graphical punch, i mean as far as intergrated GPUs go man that thing is powerful, so is it worth it to get a MOBO and one of those?

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joho128 said:
Hey guys so i am in the process of building a new really budget gaming computer and was wondering if buying one of the new AMD A series CPU and a new A series mothorboard would be worth it for light gaming? because man these new prossesors pack a huge graphical punch, i mean as far as intergrated GPUs go man that thing is powerful, so is it worth it to get a MOBO and one of those?


I would say this depends on your definition of light gaming and your budget. From the reviews and benchmarks I've seen the APU do pack a nice punch when it comes to low to mid-level graphics but really struggle when you get into graphically intense games, even at lower settings.

Games that have a larger range of graphics options (i.e Starcraft II, World of Warcraft, etc) that allow you to really tweak the settings down to a playable level should be where these APUs shine. Where you'll run into trouble are games that have very limited option when it comes to tweaking the settings (i.e F.3.A.R, Crysis 2, etc) and your frame rates will suffer because of it.

In general, the discrete graphics are always going to perform better than integrated graphics so here’s my suggestion. Price out an APU system without a graphics card and a non-APU system with a mid-level graphics card. If the prices delta is too large to justify the video card, then go for the APU system. You can always add a graphics card into the system down the road to boost your performance when you need it.

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Oh yes it is totally worth for what it offers. IMO it makes the low end video card market mostly redundant. Of course it will still be thrashed by an i3 2100 + a GTX 550 Ti setup but we then would be talking about an extra 100$ or more of investment.

3xch4ng3 said:
I would say this depends on your definition of light gaming and your budget. From the reviews and benchmarks I've seen the APU do pack a nice punch when it comes to low to mid-level graphics but really struggle when you get into graphically intense games, even at lower settings.

Games that have a larger range of graphics options (i.e Starcraft II, World of Warcraft, etc) that allow you to really tweak the settings down to a playable level should be where these APUs shine. Where you'll run into trouble are games that have very limited option when it comes to tweaking the settings (i.e F.3.A.R, Crysis 2, etc) and your frame rates will suffer because of it.

In general, the discrete graphics are always going to perform better than integrated graphics so here’s my suggestion. Price out an APU system without a graphics card and a non-APU system with a mid-level graphics card. If the prices delta is too large to justify the video card, then go for the APU system. You can always add a graphics card into the system down the road to boost your performance when you need it.




So i looked up and checked what the best budget gaming computer components are for AMD that is not the A series and with MOBO and prossesor for the A6 it came to be $282, and the budget AM3 system came to be $280 and you only get a triple core prossesor and not nearly as good a MOBO, so i mean with the A6 the Bang for your buck is way higher. so yes it is well worth it :D 
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geekapproved said:
My bad, he confused me by saying CPU.

a A8-3850 is not a quad core CPU, it's a quad core APU.


No, you still have it wrong. The entire die (CPU and GPU cores) is known as the APU. It consists of 4 CPU cores, 400 Radeon cores, 4MB of cache, a DDR3 memory controller and silicon to replace North Bridge functionality. This is a big step towards the system-on-a-chip paradigm that many integrators have been working towards.

For what you pay, this is an awesome package that would make you spend an additional $100 before you finally get kit that beats it hands down. Some would say that the CPUs are underpowered, but for most general computing use (i.e., email, web browsing, office applications), few people would notice the difference between the A8-3850 and more expensive solutions. And the more powerful graphics engine allows for light gaming that is not really possible with an 13 2100 using the built-in graphics engine.

For myself, I am enthused at the thought of a new HTPC built around this processor. I had considered one of the E series processors, but the A6 or A8 looks like a much more equitable solution, and for not a whole lot more money.

Houndsteeth said:
No, you still have it wrong. The entire die (CPU and GPU cores) is known as the APU. It consists of 4 CPU cores, 400 Radeon cores, 4MB of cache, a DDR3 memory controller and silicon to replace North Bridge functionality. This is a big step towards the system-on-a-chip paradigm that many integrators have been working towards.

For what you pay, this is an awesome package that would make you spend an additional $100 before you finally get kit that beats it hands down. Some would say that the CPUs are underpowered, but for most general computing use (i.e., email, web browsing, office applications), few people would notice the difference between the A8-3850 and more expensive solutions. And the more powerful graphics engine allows for light gaming that is not really possible with an 13 2100 using the built-in graphics engine.

For myself, I am enthused at the thought of a new HTPC built around this processor. I had considered one of the E series processors, but the A6 or A8 looks like a much more equitable solution, and for not a whole lot more money.



So wait you're saying this quad core wont cut it for gaming?
CPUs Expert

If it were me, and I were looking at a system primarily used for gaming, I would elect to purchase a more mainstream CPU with a clearly defined upgrade path and match it with appropriate discrete graphics to match my gaming requirements (in my case, two AMD 6870s in CrossFire).

But then, I have a budget to match my requirements, so we each must make our decision based upon this consideration. For what you pay for the A8, you get a very good deal. If you find the 6550 graphics engine in the APU is not enough, you can upgrade with a low end discrete card and still benefit from the built-in GPU engine through CrossFireX. Or, you can get an even more powerful discrete card and still expect to see good performance out of the APU processing cores.

Houndsteeth said:
If it were me, and I were looking at a system primarily used for gaming, I would elect to purchase a more mainstream CPU with a clearly defined upgrade path and match it with appropriate discrete graphics to match my gaming requirements (in my case, two AMD 6870s in CrossFire).

But then, I have a budget to match my requirements, so we each must make our decision based upon this consideration. For what you pay for the A8, you get a very good deal. If you find the 6550 graphics engine in the APU is not enough, you can upgrade with a low end discrete card and still benefit from the built-in GPU engine through CrossFireX. Or, you can get an even more powerful discrete card and still expect to see good performance out of the APU processing cores.



Ok, man thank you, you have been extremely helpful

The AMD A-6 3600's and any AMD A8 are quad core CPU/apu...not dual core procs with 2 dual apus in each..i mean really come on...as a owner of a AMD a6-3620...its a ~2.2 GHz QC CPU and its built in apu is ok..plays most newer games on a med/low settings,older games like ME 1 &2 plays on max....anyone who says AMD A8's arnt QC...lol..my A6 is...would just be a intel dork,speaking out his you know what..as he knows nothing about the proc your asking about..for light gaming the AMD A-3580 would be perfect..and you can still get your feet wet in any new game out..my A6 even played Metro 2033..btw A6<A8....and



yes the post is old i know..but im responding for ppl who well find this on google if the search for the APU...it nice to have upto date info on the things your looking to buy.
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