Member Avatar for mah300274

I am looking for a reasonably priced computer for sale (to build). I built one last year but pretty much returned everything in the end / tiger shipped half my items doa, short story short, I switched to newegg.

I have been watching the new am3+ with amd's 8-core cpu but I am not sure what I want myself and need advice. Their new APUs look cool with the on-board video but does it actually preform just as well as the card would? And when I order a video card in the future will it automatically do crossfire with it and my cpu / does it regulate me to only certain video cards (I read it does better with its brother series and such but wasn't sure).

I am looking for a build that is future proof (for at least 3ish years) as I do not want to completely buy a WHOLE computer again but maybe upgrade the graphics, or memory, mobo, etc at a time when needed.

Edited by mah300274 because: n/a
  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 311 Views
  • 1 Week Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Odie1978

Dani AI

Generated

Two practical trade-offs underlie the AM3+ vs FM1 choice: long-term CPU/board upgradeability and full discrete‑GPU flexibility versus a strong integrated GPU for a lower up‑front cost. AM3+ platforms tend to give a wider CPU upgrade path and easier support for full discrete multi‑GPU setups later; FM1 (Llano) APUs provide much better on‑board graphics than previous integrated solutions, but the CPU upgrade path is limited.

Regarding the APU question raised by : the integrated Radeon in an APU will handle casual gaming and many older/less demanding titles at modest settings, but it will not match a mid/high discrete card at higher resolutions or settings. A key point not yet discussed here is memory — APU GPU performance scales heavily with memory bandwidth. Running dual‑channel DDR3 and faster memory (e.g., 1333/1600+ with tight timings) noticeably improves frame rates for integrated graphics. Also, AMD’s “Dual Graphics” (hybrid CrossFireX) can let certain Radeon cards pair with an APU, but it requires specific card/motherboard support and driver configuration; it is not a universal automatic pairing.

For a three‑year plan, focus on motherboard quality and firmware support. As and imply, choose boards with solid VRMs, clear CPU support lists, and an active BIOS update history so future CPUs or fixes are supported. If multi‑GPU or CrossFire is intended, use matching cards for best scaling and ensure the PSU has ample continuous power and the correct PCIe connectors. Mixing different GPU models sometimes works but often runs at the slower card’s clocks and gives uneven scaling.

Quick checklist before ordering: decide which is primary today (integrated graphics vs upgrade headroom), pick a motherboard with verified future‑CPU support, buy dual‑channel RAM (especially for an APU build), ensure PSU wattage/headroom for a future discrete card, and confirm driver/BIOS notes for any hybrid CrossFire pairing intended.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for dimsums

If you want to futureproof it for a while as theres no such thing as futureproof, then go the AM3+ route, personally, if you were going for the Bulldozer, you would be better off going the 1155 route using the 2500k and 2600k, 8 cores may sound great, but its the quality of the cores that counts, also not many apps would make use of 8 cores, we run a small farm for rendering, and the 2500k beats the hell out of the AMD x6, and the X8 are not much faster than the X6.
It all depend on your usage, but the FM1 wont do SLI with the onboard 6xxx GPU, you need a board that will support SLI and then get two cards.

Member Avatar for Odie1978

I am looking for a reasonably priced computer for sale (to build). I built one last year but pretty much returned everything in the end / tiger shipped half my items doa, short story short, I switched to newegg.

I have been watching the new am3+ with amd's 8-core cpu but I am not sure what I want myself and need advice. Their new APUs look cool with the on-board video but does it actually preform just as well as the card would? And when I order a video card in the future will it automatically do crossfire with it and my cpu / does it regulate me to only certain video cards (I read it does better with its brother series and such but wasn't sure).

I am looking for a build that is future proof (for at least 3ish years) as I do not want to completely buy a WHOLE computer again but maybe upgrade the graphics, or memory, mobo, etc at a time when needed.

I have been looking into this myself and after long digging I found a nice setup for me. I have ordered 8gb of G-Skill Ripjaws-X memory, 8core cpu 3,1 Ghz and as motherboard the Asus M5a99x Evo.

This mainboard is 1 of the top in its class and is said that its as good as its high end family: "Republic of Gamers" boards from Asus. this board doesn't have onboard graphics, but does have both SLi and CrossfireX support. I am going for a HD6870 and a HD 6850 in Crossfire.... for me this should hold it for the next 3 years, seeing my choice 3 years ago kept me gaming greatly till bf3 came out. It even runs Battlefield 3, but I noticed it has some problems with it. and my old motherboard aint running like it used to do.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.