AMD A8 3870K BE APU/Radeon 6850 Question

[AgentFox]

Hello, Forum!

I'm new here. Seeing as this is both a CPU and a graphics question, I wasn't sure which forum to put it in. I went to a gaming convention where I won the aforementioned in the subject line APU, so that was fantastic! I was wanting to build a computer a bit more graphically capable than the one I already have built, so I was excited about its graphical capability until I saw its limit on Radeon compatibility. You see, earlier this year, I had purchased a Radeon 6850 1GB. I then started having problems with it, so I purchased an NVidia 550ti, but the Radeon is still lying around in a lower-end computer not causing problems. Now, I'm debating whether to build around the APU knowing I may never get to do the Dual Graphics with it (so it will never be used for its strength), or to attempt to sell the APU near market price seeing as it's never been out of its box.

Here's what I have now:
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
NVidia GeForce 550ti
12 GB DDR3
ASUS Zonar DG

The prospective build looks like the above, except:
AMD A8 3870K BE APU
Radeon 6850 (if I can make use of the Dual Graphics, if not, I'm staying with the NVidia)
12GB DDR3
ASUS Zonar DG

I love to play games like Skyrim, Starcraft 2, among others. With the Radeon, I was only able to play on Medium settings in Skyrim, but the NVidia let me play on High Quality.

So, I am here, humbly asking for expert opinions on this subject matter. Would I be better off selling the APU and putting the money toward a higher-powered build, or do you think this is sufficient enough for me to build and it still be a better machine than what I have now?

 

[pacioli]

I'd go for the phenom rig... The dual graphics doesn't give any benefit when paired with a powerful card like the 6850. Using a 6850 and a 3870K BE in xfire is like using a 6850 and a 3870K BE with the APU graphics turned off.

The processor on the 3870K is a weak quad core. The phenom x6 1055T is in the same tier as it though. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

The 550 Ti and the 6850 are 1 tier apart with the 6850 being 1 tier above the other...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

Starcraft 2 tends to run better on Nvidia in general.

I'd sell the APU unless you wanted to oe it in an HTPC or something like that. That is really where the niche market is for those processors.

 

[AgentFox]

Thank you for your reply. I think I was a bit confusing, though. I already have the Phenom rig. I'm just trying to decide whether to build the new APU rig or sell the APU and build an even more graphically robust system.

Even so, do you have any suggestions on any tech places I can sell the APU at for near its market price? I don't trust Craig's List, so that's out for me.

 

[pacioli]

I understood what you have... It's just that the phenom and the A8 give about the same performance so I'd go with the phenom.
Since it is small and shippable, I'd try and sell the A8 on eBay due to the larger market.
Craigslist works just fine. I've only been raped twice using it and robbed three times... J/K