AMD A8-3850 + radeon 68xx or 69xx

[ManbharePig]

I'm looking to create a new HTPC / Gaming rig, and with inspiration from the System Builder Marathon I'd like to keep it under $1000.

My Main question is: Has anyone tested the new AMD A8-3850 dual graphics with any 68XX or 69XX card? I'd like to know if any tangible performance increase can be realized through this partnership or should I just start preparing for Brazos?

The projected Rig:
AMD A8-3850
GIGABYTE GA-A75M-UD2H FM1 Socket
Antec Earthwatts 650W
G.Skill Sniper 1866 ddr3 (2x4gb) 8gb
Silverstone GD05B HTPC Case
Western Digital 2TB Caviar Green SATA II
Lite-On Lightscribe 24x DVD +/- RW
ADATA S510 120GB SATA III SSD

 

[geekapproved]

You would be much happier with i3-2100/i3-2100T and a H61/H67 mobo and it would be cheaper.

650w psu? (if it's cause it's on sale for $40, then I understand why) They had a Antec Neo 400w for $20 yesterday.

 

[ManbharePig]

650W PSU is to allow for the possibility of throwing in another GPU for Xfire.

For reasons I am unable to specify I do not buy Intel products.

Still it is a question on whether anyone has done the due diligence for this setup A8 + 68XX/69XX dual graphics.

 

[geekapproved]

OK, AMD it is.


But that mobo only supports crossfire at 16x/4x which is no good. You want 16x/16x, 16x/8x or 8x/8x.

The 2100 is only 65w and the 2100T is only 35w, which make them perfect for HTPC. The A8 is 100w.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-a8-3850-llano,2975-3.html

 

[k1114]

The highest dual graphics enabled card is the 6670. Do note that llano is amd's low end, socket fm1. A phenom would give better performance (and more power consumption) but you could get a am3+ mobo and be compatible with bulldozer. Or just wait for bulldozer since it will be out soon.

 

[ManbharePig]

Oh dear! The original post was about the performance #s for A8-3850 + 68XX/69XX. I am well aware of the alternatives available that draw less power and are more HTPC friendly.

I can always change small details like the mobo / hd / graphics card / cpu. The main question is about the dual graphics platform itself. There is a wealth of information about the 6770 + A8 dual graphics, but there is a dearth of information about anything other than that particular configuration within this platform.

 

[ManbharePig]

Yes! That is the answer I was looking for. Spacebo, Merci, Danke, Thank you!

 

[geekapproved]

The highest dual graphics enabled card is the 6670. Do note that llano is amd's low end, socket fm1. A phenom would give better performance (and more power consumption) but you could get a am3+ mobo and be compatible with bulldozer. Or just wait for bulldozer since it will be out soon.

Were talking about HTPC here, please pay attention. Llano is not low end. It smokes Sandy Bridge graphics by a mile.

 

[geekapproved]

Yes! That is the answer I was looking for. Spacebo, Merci, Danke, Thank you!

I'm not sure what your referring to, but like I said, FM1 is no good for dual video cards.

 

[k1114]

Was just a comment on it's cpu performance and am3+ remains to be it's higher end and fm1 it's lower end for htpc. Which I know doesn't need as much cpu power and I agree llano is better for htpcs. But with a discrete card like he mentioned and with gaming in mind, even an athlon could be had for cheaper and ignore the integrated graphics that is llanos advantage.

The original question was about fusions dual graphics or hybrid crossfire with integrated+discrete. As he can't have dual with a 68xx or 69xx, only the 6670 as the highest, he got the answer he was looking for.