Intel HD 4600 vs. AMD APU

A friend of mine is looking to pick up a computer that relies on integrated graphics. His main focus is work rather than gaming, though he’d like the ability to occasionally run some newer titles on low or medium settings at 1080p. He's currently weighing whether it might be better to go with an Intel Core i5-4670 featuring Intel HD 4600 graphics, or if he should look into an AMD Apa instead. From what I gather, an AMD Apa is also just integrated graphics within the processor, but I keep hearing people claim they are significantly more powerful than what Intel offers, almost suggesting that Intel users can't even compete. I suppose I'm wondering if there's any truth to that assumption?

Patrick Stewart97 said:A buddy of mine wants to pick up a PC with integrated graphics. He needs it mostly for work rather than gaming, but he wants to be able to toss on some newer titles at low/medium settings in 1080p every now and then. He’s debating between an Intel Core i5-4670 with Intel HD 4600 graphics or going with an AMD Apa. From what I gather, an Apa is just integrated graphics inside the CPU too, but everyone claims they're way more powerful than Intel's stuff and that Intel users can't even compete. Is there any truth to that?

If you're talking strictly about gaming, the Apa has the better iGPU...

Depends on the budget. Figure that out first and we'll see what kind of build we can put together.

And honestly, the integrated graphics on an APU are way better, especially if you're running a 7850k. I guess if you pair it with some fast dual-channel memory, you might actually be able to play stuff...

So, I suppose that means Intel isn't really a viable option if someone is looking to play games using just the integrated graphics on the processor? I guess that makes sense, but thanks anyway, guys.. 👍

It’s on the way, I guess, but they probably won't play as much as they did with AMD. It really just depends on what kind of games they want to run and how hard they're pushing the rig

Maybe this will give him a bit of a leg up.

So, my old MBO setup—we're talking an AMD s939 rig with DDR1 and an AGP slot—recently kicked the bucket on me. After hitting a total dead end trying to hunt down a replacement motherboard online, I did a little digging on my tablet, grabbed my American Express, and headed straight to the store...

Look, gaming isn't even my main thing. My home computer is mostly just for browsing, checking emails, watching TV, YouTube marathons, and doing some light hobbyist video editing—though, I'll admit, I do jump into a game every now and then. I ended up picking up an AMD A6, and honestly? So far, I don't feel like I made a mistake at all. I’ve got Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, and Episode 2, along with Command & Conquer: Tiberium Nations installed. Now, obviously, those aren't the kind of heavy hitters that require massive graphics power like Battlefield 4 or Crysis 3, but everything listed runs flawlessly—no stuttering or hiccups whatsoever—even at a solid 1440x900 resolution on high settings.

The real question is, what is he actually looking to play? If you hop on YouTube, you can find plenty of videos showing people using an AMD A8 or AMD A10 APU to run titles like Battlefield 3 or Battlefield 4 at 720p, and they get a really playable framerate with decent visual details.

Anyway, that's my two cents. Cheers!