A8-3850 vs i5 - General Use Desktop
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I'm looking to upgrade a PC and when I was looking up parts it looked like an i5 2310 on an Asus P8H67-Pro with GSkill Ripjaws 8GB set would work out fine for $355 CAD on the intel side, but when I looked at the AMD side I saw the APU's and was wondering if that would be a better buy (an A8-3850 and GA-A75M-UD2H would be $60 cheaper).
The desktop will have no discrete graphics card and won't be used for gaming (mostly internet, email, weather & other widgets, online videos, ...). I'm thinking either is overkill for this but I want it to last so it doesn't have to be overhauled in a couple years.
Many of the online reviews of the APU's look at its performance with it crossfired with a card but I'm looking to just use integrated from it or a Phenom or an i5.
I haven't done any builds in a few months and this APU thing is news to me so I'd like to get some opinions. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jo
The desktop will have no discrete graphics card and won't be used for gaming (mostly internet, email, weather & other widgets, online videos, ...). I'm thinking either is overkill for this but I want it to last so it doesn't have to be overhauled in a couple years.
Many of the online reviews of the APU's look at its performance with it crossfired with a card but I'm looking to just use integrated from it or a Phenom or an i5.
I haven't done any builds in a few months and this APU thing is news to me so I'd like to get some opinions. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jo
More about : 3850 general desktop
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Well, that's an interesting question! It all depends on what you want to do.
A general PC? Well, either will work. The Intel CPU will have a bit more performance, but the A8 has superior (by far) integrated graphics. Basically, the i5 is going to smoke the A8 when it comes to purely CPU oriented tasks. But the A8 definitely wins when it comes to GPU tasks.
In the end however, it doesn't really matter. Either will serve you well. But, the gamer in me tells you to roll with the A8 since you get a pretty nice casual GPU bundled in for a cheaper price.
Might I ask about the rest of your build?
Cheers!
A general PC? Well, either will work. The Intel CPU will have a bit more performance, but the A8 has superior (by far) integrated graphics. Basically, the i5 is going to smoke the A8 when it comes to purely CPU oriented tasks. But the A8 definitely wins when it comes to GPU tasks.
In the end however, it doesn't really matter. Either will serve you well. But, the gamer in me tells you to roll with the A8 since you get a pretty nice casual GPU bundled in for a cheaper price.
Might I ask about the rest of your build?
Cheers!
Thanks striker!
The rest of the build is Win7 x64, probably a Corsair CMPSU-500CX V2 500 or ModXstream 520W and Re-Use of:
320GB Barracuda (barely any space has been taken up - it's my mother-in-law's)
Thermaltake Soprano
DVD-RW (I'll have to check if it's SATA since many new boards no longer carry IDE)
For future-proofing I'd like to get the fastest not-too-expensive CPU I can but since a lot of the new windows features and random internet gadgets may be increasing graphics load more than CPU load I figured I'd look into the A8.
The usage won't be intensive tasks like encoding or games, they just want it to be snappy (boot fast, don't lag when opening programs or working in IE, ...).
Jo
The rest of the build is Win7 x64, probably a Corsair CMPSU-500CX V2 500 or ModXstream 520W and Re-Use of:
320GB Barracuda (barely any space has been taken up - it's my mother-in-law's)
Thermaltake Soprano
DVD-RW (I'll have to check if it's SATA since many new boards no longer carry IDE)
For future-proofing I'd like to get the fastest not-too-expensive CPU I can but since a lot of the new windows features and random internet gadgets may be increasing graphics load more than CPU load I figured I'd look into the A8.
The usage won't be intensive tasks like encoding or games, they just want it to be snappy (boot fast, don't lag when opening programs or working in IE, ...).
Jo
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No prob ![:)]( ":)")
It all sounds good! Be sure to wipe the hard drive before installing an OS. You have obviously built a machine or two, but I thought I'd mention it.
It sounds like the A8 is a good fit then! I don't have any recommendations for changes, it all seems stellar. Just make sure to check NCIX before Newegg, since Newegg gouges Canadians on shipping.
It all sounds good! Be sure to wipe the hard drive before installing an OS. You have obviously built a machine or two, but I thought I'd mention it.
It sounds like the A8 is a good fit then! I don't have any recommendations for changes, it all seems stellar. Just make sure to check NCIX before Newegg, since Newegg gouges Canadians on shipping.
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