APU + GPU = better?

[thefoxer]

Hi guys,

I was wondering, if you pair a cpu with an APU, say A10 5800k, and also use a graphics card, radeon 7850, would you get better overall gaming/visuals over pairing a 7850 with something like a Phenom 965? Or would the 7850 override the APU?

Thanks.

 

[corbeau]

There is not advantage to pairing an APU with anything higher than a 6670, after that the onboard graphics are overwritten, because the dedicated card is better than if you crossfire it. You'll be better off getting something like the 965 with an AM3+ motherboard because it performs roughly the same as a 5800k and you will have an upgrade path.

 

[barto]

Also, I don't think you can pair an APU with anything else other than 6670, 6570, and a 6450.

http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/dual-graphics/Pages/dual-graphics.aspx#3

 

[Goodeggray]

I think even AMD realizes that duo graphics is a failure. When Tomshadware did their passive cooed pc they said duo graphics was not worth the effort. I played around with it with a A6 and 6670 about a year ago and I didn't think it's worth doing. AMd did not upgrade the 6670 to 7670 when the A10 came out. The 6670s sell for $50 to 80. You can buy the 7750 and 7770 which are much better cards for not that much more. Pair that with a fx6300 and you'll be only $30 to 50 more and you have way better performance and you can upgrade. The A10 is good for general use and lower end gaming, but you'll waste money to add a 6670 gpu.