Urgent: Need Motherboard + CPU recommendations!

Can I get a motherboard and a CPU for up to $210...
I'm looking to play Smite, MC, and maybe give LoL a shot.
I don't have a dedicated GPU yet... so an APU would be ideal.

I'd prefer to buy from AMD or Phoenix since they're close to me.

1 x Asrock FM2+ FM2A58M-HD+, Socket FM2+ 95W / FM2 100W processors
1 x AMD x2 7300 processor (3.8GHz,1MB,65W,FM2+) box

$224
AMD

Jack James65 said:Can I get a motherboard and CPU up to $210...
I want to play Smite, MC, and maybe try out LOL.
I don't have a GPU... so an APU would be ideal.

I'd prefer to buy from AMD or Phoenix since they're close to me.

You aren't going to find anything worth buying for that kind of money. This is really the only combo that fits:

1 x AMD Trinity A4-Series X2 5300 3.40GHz 2cores,cache
1 x Asrock FM2+ FM2A58M-HD+, Socket FM2+ 95W / FM2 100W processors

$216Best Buy

...but honestly, this whole setup is bottom-of-the-barrel. The CPU is junk, and the motherboard is just the cheapest FM2+ you can find. You might be able to limp through League or Smite, but I’d strongly suggest saving up a bit more cash so you can grab a decent quad-core APU—something like at least an A8 7600.

So, what's the consensus on the AM1 platform? Is that integrated 8400 graphics actually better than the Radeon 3 found on an AMD x2 7300 APU?

Gigabyte AM1M-S2H, AM1, Build in AMD Sempron & Athlon-Series APU $73

AMD X4 5350 Athlon 2.05GHz 4cores,cache : 2MB L2,25W $148

together $221 in AMD

I think I’m gonna go with the AMD Trinity Athlon ii x4 760 processor from AMD since I managed to snag a motherboard for free... maybe there's something a bit better out there?

The integrated graphics are quite a bit weaker than what you'd get with an AMD x2 7300, plus you're basically stuck with it since there's no upgrade path.

EDIT: Just a heads up, the x4 7600 doesn't actually have integrated graphics.
Maybe try stretching your budget a little more to go for the A8 7600.

https://www.amazon.com/amd-processors...mb-310ghz.html

crimsonstag84 said:The integrated graphics are way weaker than on the AMD x2 7300, plus you're basically stuck there since there's no upgrade path.

EDIT: Just so you know, the x4 7600 doesn't even have integrated graphics.
Maybe try to stretch your budget a bit for the A8 7600.

https://www.newegg.com/p/amd-processors...mb-310ghz.html

Or maybe I should just push myself toward the $260 and grab an FX 6300? I guess I'd just swap this motherboard out for an AM3 + :P

Jack James65 said:Or should I just stretch my budget to $260 and grab an FX 6300? I'd have to swap this motherboard out for an AM3 + :P

Once again, you're stuck without integrated graphics, which means you won't even be able to boot the PC, let alone play anything 🙂 If you don't have a GPU and you're looking $257 for a processor, then you should go with the A8 7600 😉

It wouldn't be a bad move to grab an i5 now—that way, you’re setting up a solid foundation for a decent dedicated GPU down the road. You could just stick with the integrated graphics for a while and play it safe.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/intel-core-i5...listing-13709434
If you pair that with this motherboard http://www.newegg.com/motherboards...p30400.html, that's what I would personally do—just hang in there for a bit until you've saved up enough for a proper graphics card.

Dennis Carter3 said:It wouldn't be a bad move to grab an i5 now. You'll have a solid foundation for a decent graphics card later, so you can play games long-term without constant upgrades while sticking to integrated graphics for now.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/intel-i5-processor-listing
Pair it with this motherboard http://www.newegg.com/motherboard-link and I’d just wait until I saved up enough for a dedicated GPU.

What kind of nonsense are you spewing? That's ridiculous.

He already has the board, so he just needs an APU and calls it a day.
Why waste more money than necessary?

And buying from Best Buy? They're nothing but headaches... what a joke.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:What kind of nonsense are you spouting? That's just unbelievable.

He already owns the motherboard, so all he needs is an APU—simple as that.
Why would he spend more than necessary...

And besides, buying from Best Buy is usually nothing but a headache... as we all know.

Well, if he says the board can be replaced, then let him swap it for an Intel one since he claims to have it. Honestly, why call it nonsense? A CPU actually costs less than that APU or an FX 6300, yet it performs twice as well—plus, you won't need to go out and buy an extra cooler.
Just because it was purchased at Best Buy doesn't mean it's going to arrive broken, contrary to what you seem to think. Besides, motherboards don't fail that often—especially these non-overclocking models, since there's practically no way to push them hard enough to break them.

How can you say someone shouldn't buy an extra cooler when you recommended a CPU that doesn't even come with a stock one? I mean, sure, it’s easy enough to grab one later, but it’s just more hassle than it needs to be.

Also—look, the x4 7600 is plenty powerful enough to handle a decent GPU upgrade down the road. Just take a closer look at what kind of games this guy is actually aiming for—the APU is basically built for this exact scenario. The x4 7600 is the absolute sweet spot here, so there's really no need for a discrete graphics card, especially depending on what resolution he's running at.

graniteharbor85 said:How can you suggest avoiding an extra cooler when you're recommending a CPU that doesn't even come with a stock one? Sure, you can easily pick one up, but it's just another unnecessary headache.

On another note—the x4 7600 is plenty powerful enough to handle a later upgrade to a significantly stronger graphics card if you actually look at what kind of games this guy is aiming for. The APU is specifically designed for that purpose; the x4 7600 is really the sweet spot here, making a discrete GPU unnecessary for now—and besides, it all comes down to what resolution he's running at.

I only brought up the i5 as an example because, well, if it's an option, why not? He might decide to branch out into other games beyond his current rotation later on. The point is that with an i5, he’ll have peace of mind for a much longer stretch—it provides a solid foundation if he eventually wants to pair it with a beefier graphics card—and he actually has the chance to grab one for less than the price of this x4 7600. 🤷
Look, it's his call; I was just letting him know my thoughts. I'm not forcing him to do anything—he can do whatever he wants. I was simply stating what I would do if I were in his shoes.

graniteharbor85 said:How can you suggest not buying an extra cooler when you're recommending a CPU that doesn't even come with a stock one? Sure, you can grab one easily, but it's just more hassle for nothing.

Second point: the x4 7600 is plenty powerful enough to handle a decent GPU upgrade later on. Take a closer look at what kind of games this guy actually plays—APUs are built specifically for this. The x4 7600 is the absolute sweet spot here, making a discrete graphics card unnecessary, especially depending on what resolution he's running.

+1

Dennis Carter3 said:Just because it came from an online retailer doesn't mean you're getting a dud right out of the box, I guess. And motherboards don't fail that often, especially the ones that aren't meant for overclocking since there's basically nothing you can do to break them.

Processors might be reliable, but you just can't make that same assumption about motherboards.

Dennis Carter3 said:If the motherboard supports a swap, just switch it over to an Intel setup since they have them in stock. Honestly, why bother with the hassle? A standalone CPU actually costs less than that APU or the FX 6300, performs twice as well, and you won't even need to shell out extra cash for an additional cooler.
It doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a dud just because it's from an online retailer like Newegg. Motherboards don't fail all that often, especially these non-overclocking models since there isn't much way to push them to the breaking point.

Motherboards fail all the time, and the issue with Newegg isn't that their hardware is lower quality—it's that their shipping, customer service, and everything else is just a total mess.

The motherboard is just another motherboard—it’s not about how they’re made, it’s about the service. You hear way more complaints about DOA components from eDigital than anyone else because their RMA process is an absolute nightmare, leaving tons of customers frustrated.

EDIT

I see they're trying to polish their tarnished reputation with these silly little gimmicks and sales promotionsclick (check out the last two posts)