Motherboard + APU combo

🐔 lol what 😳

Anyway, let's get to it.

What's the cheapest combo I can find for an ATX motherboard and a dual core APU for a small case?

I don't mind checking Craigslist, as long as the seller is in the New York City area.🙂

My budget is currently $233...

1 x Intel Celeron (3.8GHz,1MB,65W,LGA 1150) box
1 x Asrock LGA 1150 Socket A78 Chipset MB

$221 AMD

Or maybe:

1 x AMD Athlon (2.70GHz,512KB,2MB,54 W,1150) Box
1 x Asrock H81M-DGS - Intel B85, ATX, dual Channel DDR4 - 1600

$196 AMD

crimsonstag84 said:1 x Intel Celeron (3.8GHz,1MB,65W,LGA 1150) box
1 x Asrock LGA 1150 Socket A78 Chipset MB

$221 AMD

Or maybe:

1 x AMD Athlon (2.70GHz,512KB,2MB,54 W,1150) Box
1 x Asrock H81M-DGS - Intel B85, ATX, dual Channel DDR4 - 1600

$196 AMD

Thanks. I guess I'll keep looking to see if anyone posts something better, otherwise I might just go with that APU.
I’d honestly prefer Intel, but I probably need an APU because of the integrated graphics.

Well, almost every Intel processor released after 2011 comes with integrated graphics built-in, except for those specific i5 models ending in -P. If you're just looking to play something light, I guess AMD might offer a bit more performance, though it's still pretty underwhelming.

crimsonstag84 said:Well, almost every Intel processor released after 2011 comes with integrated graphics built-in, except for those specific i5 models ending in -P. If you're just looking to play something light, I guess AMD might offer a bit more performance, though it's still pretty underwhelming.

I mean, I mostly just play those low-end games, but mostly I'm just browsing or watching movies.

In that case, you might as well just go with Intel...

Larry Ortiz5 said:In that case, you might as well just go with Intel...

I'd probably stick with AMD,
If I recall correctly, it hits between 3.8GHz and 4GHz, which usually beats out Intel, and
the integrated graphics are way better...
Meanwhile, Intel only has 1MB of L3 cache and 2MB of L2 cache.

Anyway, AMD :/

Lol, it all looks great on paper, doesn't it? But once you actually get into the real world, things work a bit differently... Still, if you've already made up your mind on AMD, go for it! I will say though—I have to admit, that APU definitely packs more punch than an Intel integrated graphics chip.

The AMD Athlon gives you a much stronger CPU and leaves the door wide open for serious upgrades down the line.
The A4 has better integrated graphics, which means you'll see better gaming performance right out of the box.

So, it's really up to you what you want to prioritize.

Kimberly Gomez34 said:The AMD Athlon gives you a much stronger CPU and leaves the door wide open for serious upgrades down the line.
The A4 has better integrated graphics, which means you'll see better gaming performance right out of the box.

So, it's really up to you what you want to prioritize.

Look, I'm not exactly some hardcore gamer or anything. Maybe in a few years I'll move up to an A10, but for now...

Which games are we talking about here?

BTW, even an A10 isn't exactly a heavy-duty CPU by today's standards—would you really stick with integrated graphics on that too? It would probably make more sense down the road to just upgrade to an 860K (or whatever successor is out there). Basically, go for an Intel LGA 1150 quad-core without integrated graphics and pair it with a dedicated GPU like a GTX 750 Ti.

Kimberly Gomez34 said:Which games are we talking about here?

BTW, even an A10 isn't exactly a heavy-duty CPU by today's standards—would you really stick with integrated graphics on that too? It would probably make more sense down the road to just upgrade to an 860K (or whatever successor is out there). Basically, go for an Intel LGA 1150 quad-core without integrated graphics and pair it with a dedicated GPU like a GTX 750 Ti.

GTA San Andreas, Minecraft, Transformice, CS:GO, stuff like that.
basically, I'm rolling with AMD :P

A more powerful integrated GPU could definitely be a solid move here. By the way, regardless of which path you take, you can always just drop in a discrete graphics card later on.

If you ask me, just save up a bit more and grab an A8 or A10 from the jump. Those Dual-core APUs are pretty much garbage.

Jack James65 said:Look, I'm not exactly some hardcore gamer or anything. Maybe in a few years I'll move up to an A10, but for now...

In a few years, you won't even remember ever owning an A4 APU or some old Intel G, let alone thinking about upgrading a setup like this...

I’ve got an A6-3670 FM1 setup, and I bumped the GPU from 444MHz up to 750MHz. It’s been running flawlessly for a year now. It handles newer games just fine without getting too loud or overheating, even on the stock cooler. Honestly, the biggest win is that this single GPU alone is worth about as much as a decent $50 graphics card. People seriously need to think about this more.

Some low-end junk can run without even a heatsink if you push it hard enough on Idle.