E-350 vs.Athlon II X2 w/ Integrated Radeon HD 4250

bucpound

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ASRock E350M1/USB3 AMD E-350 APU (1.6GHz, Dual-Core) AMD A50M Hudson M1 Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU Combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157247
$115

ASRock 880GM-LE AM3 AMD 880G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157199
$55
AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103903
$60
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$115


I am not set on getting ASRock, but they made for a good comparison even though I know I am losing HDMI, USB3.0, and SATA III with the 880GM-LE

The E-350 APU has a Radeon HD 6310 and the 880G motherboard has an integrated Radeon HD 4250, but the Athlon II is a more powerful CPU.

I really want to get a bunch of opinions/experiences on which of these I should build around. I think watching streaming HD will be the most demanding activity that I perform, other than that I basically just want a machine to use for surfing and HW.
 
Solution
if this is just a media centre or desktop pc not used for gaming, then get the faster cpu, gpu plays little part for normal use. you can always drop in a cheap vid card in the future.
The GPU in the E350 is about twice as fast as the IGP in the 4250, but the Athlon II 250 is faster than the CPU part of the E350. Even though the CPUs have a similar architecture, and IPC, the Athlon II simply has a much higher clock speed. It's up to you, but I think for your needs just get the Athlon II
 

bucpound

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I know, tough decision, perhaps one that doesn't really even matter for what I am doing. I guess what you are saying is wait for the price to drop on one of these and get that.

What do you mean by IPC?
 

bucpound

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I don't think the smaller size is too big of a plus for me with the E350, but I was thinking that it might give me some savings in my monthly electric bill. I think the faster CPU is the way to go and for around $10 more I can get an Athlon II X3 and I think that really tips the scales in that direction.

Appreciate your input guys.