it's like a REAL gpu thrown on there. Can play crysis2 and starcraft 2, etc.
It is not a holdover - if you want a holdover for bulldozer, get AM3+ mobo and a cheapo dual core AM3 that may or may not have 4 cores. THEN just get a new chip.
If you get FM1, you'll get your 2.9 quad for 140-150 and a mobo for 100ish, then when bulldozer comes out, shell out a real 150-200 for a decent mobo and, from what I've read, 300 for the flagship cpu.
It's a different path - 4cyl turbo car doesn't hold you over until the V8 comes out, it's a different platform (AMD is branching itself.....)
the APU is like Sandy Bridge, except worth it for cheap gaming pc. You can build a PC capable of playing games (not games that require $500 in gpu, but normal...