AMD A8-5500

When you add a discrete GPU to an APU it's actually a little different than crossfire. AMD calls it dual graphics but the basis is the same, it uses the graphics from the processor, and the discrete GPU to work as one super one. The only difference is the the one in the APU is much more efficent so the one that you add will run I think close to 150% as well as it normally would as long as it's compatible with AMD dual graphics. AMD is going to put out a new line of APU's before the end of the year, you might want to wait until those come out they're called Trinity A-10 if you want to look them up for yourself.

AMD just released the new Trinity series of APU's, the 2nd generation A6, A8, and the A10 with new Trinity core. The HP I was looking at has the Trinity A8-5500 APU, I can get the A10 for $100 more. I can't find anything about a new release by the end of the year.

Oh yea your right I was thinking of the other line of CPU's. I would spend the extra $100 for the A 10, then you can use dual graphics with more powerful cards, and it'll run better by itself if you decide that's all you need.

I still haven't seen any credible information on which discrete GPUs the new line of APU's will be compatible with. On the old APU the most powerful card you could use was a 6670 and the result was what AMD called a 6690D2 which doesn't even outperform a 6770, which I consider a low end budget card. I need a little more power than that. Just me though. Hopefully the new line can use something like a 7770 which is already a capable card on medium/high settings. If it can run dual graphics with that then the A10 might actually be worth while.