AMD's APU, mistake?

[stevieboy21]

For some reason or another, I purchases AMD's A8-3800 Llano (4 X 2.4GHz w/ 2.7GHz turbo) APU recently. My intention was to build a secondary gaming rig, but I did not intend to use the internal GPU, but rather use a discrete video card. However, it seems that AMD put a lot of emphasis on this internal GPU, which granted it's very impressive for what it is, but not really meant for anything more than casual gaming.

By adding a discrete video card, am I using the wrong processor for my purpose? I feel that I am wasting the money spent on the integrated GPU, wherein I could have spent the money on a faster CPU instead. Could I have purchased a faster CPU with the same amount of money that I spent on AMD's APU?

 

[Pinhedd]

Yes. The APUs are purpose designed for low end PCs where neither a discrete GPU nor a powerful processor are necessary. They're wonderful for HTPCs but not for serious gaming.

 

[quilciri]

The best you could do is buy a card listed on your processors "dual graphics" compatibility list. this effectively crossfire's the GPU part of the APU with a discrete card.

Most cards above $120 will be bottlenecked by the A-series CPU.

 

[jaguarskx]

For playing games, AMD's APUs are not ideal if you are going to install a video card that is more powerful than a Radeon HD 6670. Getting a Phenom II or FX would have been a better choice since their CPU cores provide better performance than the CPU core in a Llano APU.