Best graphics card to pair with AMD A10 7700 APU

[glitchmaster0001]

Hi, i want to know what graphics card to pair with a an AMD A10 7700 APU. In my last thread i said that my client needed a computer for hosting a minecraft server and playing minecraft . it turns out that he will be installing shaders with minecraft to make the graphics super HD and detailed. also he wants more than 60 FPS while on shaders. Now i heard that AMD APUs can run Dual Graphics with a dedicated GPU along with the onboard one. What is the best GPU to pair with this APU? Thanks.

 

[Archaic59]

I think Kaveri can only use R7 240 or 250 for dual graphics. If the board supports crossfire you can do that instead but you'll likely bottleneck since the CPU is not that great.

 

[Grimwinder]

According to AMD's site the R7 240 is the compatible card for that APU.

http://www.amd.com/en-us/innovations/software-technologies/dual-graphics

 

[joex444]

Radeon R7 240. See: http://www.cpu-world.com/info/AMD/Recommended_graphics_cards_for_AMD_dual-graphics.html

 

[geofelt]

You buy an apu because of the excellent integrated graphics.
Once you start using a dedicated graphics card you negate that particular advantage.
Then, you are left with a very weak cpu.
Minecraft is largely single threaded.
The single thread passmark rating of a A10-7700 is 1495 the total rating is 5247.
I might suggest that a skylake I3-6100 which is priced similarly would be better.
The single core rating is much better at 2058 and the total rating is similar at 5494.

 

[Vogner16]

You buy an apu because of the excellent integrated graphics.
Once you start using a dedicated graphics card you negate that particular advantage.
Then, you are left with a very weak cpu.
Minecraft is largely single threaded.
The single thread passmark rating of a A10-7700 is 1495 the total rating is 5247.
I might suggest that a skylake I3-6100 which is priced similarly would be better.
The single core rating is much better at 2058 and the total rating is similar at 5494.

Given he already has the A10 system just grab a R7 250 and dual graphics it up. shaders are largely gpu bound and dual graphics will give a large boost for that.

It would be costly to change platforms now. you can get a r7 250 for cheap and it will help a fair amount.

Make sure you use the Igpu as the primary as it always seems to work faster this way I have found.

 

[geofelt]

Good question; I read the post to say that the client wanted a pc, but I read it to mean that this was a new build.

If he already has a A10, and assuming that the graphics capability is holding him back from what he wants, then a discrete graphics card upgrade is in order.
Dual low end cards are usually a poor solution. leading to stuttering and screen tearing. Ant that assumes the game in question supports dual cards in the first place.
Something like a GTX750ti might be good, particularly if the psu is not stronger than 300w.

If the pc now exists and performance is not now satisfactory, one needs to know if the limiting factor is the gpu or the cpu.

 

[glitchmaster0001]

i havent built the pc yet, i am working on what the client wants and how much he is willing to spend. i came up with a second build for him. the second one replaces the APU with a 6 core FX 6300 and a gtx 750ti

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DjDbJx

this build in the link will be $100 more than the APU one and will it have more proformance compared to the APU?

 

[geofelt]

yes, I like that better.
If there is an issue, it revolves around the need for many cores vs. the need for fast cores.
The minecraft game, itself is largely single threaded and depends on fast cores.
The needs for a host may well be suitable to a many core cpu. I do not know much about the hosting app.
The FX-6300 had 6 cores. Total passmark rating is 6343 when all 6 cores are being fully utilized. The single thread rating of 1403 will apply when minecraft is played.

By comparison, a similarly priced Intel i3-4170 has a lesser total rating of 5175, but a much better single thread rating of 2137.

Since your usage is for a specific hosting/playing app, it would be wise to search for performance benchmarks specific to the intended use.

I generally favor the intel/lga1150 approach because it offers future upgrades.
The apu motherboard has no cpu upgrade capability. What you buy is what you will have forever.
The FX-6300 upgrade is to more cores with a FX-8350, but the motherboard you picked is not suitable for a fx-8
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2384030/motherboard-tier-list-am3-chipsets.html

By contrast, a Intel build with any lga1150 motherboard can be upgraded to i5, or even i7-4790K

 

[glitchmaster0001]

yes, I like that better.
If there is an issue, it revolves around the need for many cores vs. the need for fast cores.
The minecraft game, itself is largely single threaded and depends on fast cores.
The needs for a host may well be suitable to a many core cpu. I do not know much about the hosting app.
The FX-6300 had 6 cores. Total passmark rating is 6343 when all 6 cores are being fully utilized. The single thread rating of 1403 will apply when minecraft is played.

By comparison, a similarly priced Intel i3-4170 has a lesser total rating of 5175, but a much better single thread rating of 2137.

Since your usage is for a specific hosting/playing app, it would be wise to search for performance benchmarks specific to the intended use.

I generally favor the intel/lga1150 approach because it offers future upgrades.
The apu motherboard has no cpu upgrade capability. What you buy is what you will have forever.
The FX-6300 upgrade is to more cores with a FX-8350, but the motherboard you picked is not suitable for a fx-8
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2384030/motherboard-tier-list-am3-chipsets.html

By contrast, a Intel build with any lga1150 motherboard can be upgraded to i5, or even i7-4790K

my client wont be doing overclocking on this board so i think that this will do the trick as a best bang for you buck kind of deal. plus he doesnt really know or care what goes under the hood so as long as he can play minecraft with shaders and also host a small local host test server

 

[schaft]

GigabyteR7-250 2Gb DDR3 for $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125829

It the best one you can get for utilizing the gpu onboard A10-7700. Here are the link that show how it will affect the performance in heavy game.
http://www.eteknix.com/kaveri-hybrid-crossfire-a10-7850k-a10-7700k-r7-240-250/6/

I really not recomended this method. Its much safer to just use an extra card that use very low energy, although its $30 more expensive, but the electricity you save might equal or more than $30.

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 750 Ti ZT-70605-10M 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready Plug-in Card Video Card
$100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500349

and no, you don't need to change the pc or psu when you get the 750Ti. It will surely boost the performance of the pc into playable for minecraft. Well, as long as you didn't expect much from $100 upgrade.

If you have mentioned your power supply, I might can give better suggestion to optimize the pc.

please pick as best answer if helps

 

[Vogner16]

yes, I like that better.
If there is an issue, it revolves around the need for many cores vs. the need for fast cores.
The minecraft game, itself is largely single threaded and depends on fast cores.
The needs for a host may well be suitable to a many core cpu. I do not know much about the hosting app.
The FX-6300 had 6 cores. Total passmark rating is 6343 when all 6 cores are being fully utilized. The single thread rating of 1403 will apply when minecraft is played.

By comparison, a similarly priced Intel i3-4170 has a lesser total rating of 5175, but a much better single thread rating of 2137.

Since your usage is for a specific hosting/playing app, it would be wise to search for performance benchmarks specific to the intended use.

I generally favor the intel/lga1150 approach because it offers future upgrades.
The apu motherboard has no cpu upgrade capability. What you buy is what you will have forever.
The FX-6300 upgrade is to more cores with a FX-8350, but the motherboard you picked is not suitable for a fx-8
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2384030/motherboard-tier-list-am3-chipsets.html

By contrast, a Intel build with any lga1150 motherboard can be upgraded to i5, or even i7-4790K

my client wont be doing overclocking on this board so i think that this will do the trick as a best bang for you buck kind of deal. plus he doesnt really know or care what goes under the hood so as long as he can play minecraft with shaders and also host a small local host test server

minecraft is largely single threaded as I said earlier if your going new equipment go with newest gen get skylake 6100 i3 to allow for upgrades later.

if you are cheap go to ebay and get parts used. you can build an entire computer for $300 in the US that will be faster than a $500 new computer. Watch scrapyard wars on youtube from linustechtips. very informative on this strategy.

geofelt is correct with his statement for minecraft single threaded. if that's all this server is for then get a cpu that is better for minecraft. for gpu personally I wouldn't go for cheap new cards. I bought a 7970 2 months ago for $120 on ebay. twice as fast as 750ti new and only $20 more.

 

[glitchmaster0001]

ok i am looking for a psu on craigslist along with a case. i think i found a new case for $27 and im still looking for a PSU on it.

 

[Vogner16]

ok i am looking for a psu on craigslist along with a case. i think i found a new case for $27 and im still looking for a PSU on it.

be carefull with craigslist. I have only found junk on craigslist. not saying you could get lucky, but higher chance of broken parts. case... sure but psu? I would not cheap out on that go on newegg and find an 80+ 550W that's new. one of the only parts to not cheap out on is the PSU.

 

[glitchmaster0001]

ok i am looking for a psu on craigslist along with a case. i think i found a new case for $27 and im still looking for a PSU on it.

be carefull with craigslist. I have only found junk on craigslist. not saying you could get lucky, but higher chance of broken parts. case... sure but psu? I would not cheap out on that go on newegg and find an 80+ 550W that's new. one of the only parts to not cheap out on is the PSU.

I know not to go cheap on the psu but i have secured a deal for a Cooler Master Aluminum Praetorian Case. this case was priced at almost $100 back in 2005 and i got it brand new for $27.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/sys/5300004641.html

 

[Vogner16]

as long as that rear I/O shield can be removed you should be good to go. also understand you will be missing out on USB 3.0 front panel etc...
looks like a good deal in that situation the only thing that could be wrong with a $27 case is scratched or broken PCB but he claims its never been used so its save to take that gamble I would say.

EDIT: usb/ front panel audio pcb or buttons could be broken, but unlikely.

 

[glitchmaster0001]

as long as that rear I/O shield can be removed you should be good to go. also understand you will be missing out on USB 3.0 front panel etc...
looks like a good deal in that situation the only thing that could be wrong with a $27 case is scratched or broken PCB but he claims its never been used so its save to take that gamble I would say.

EDIT: usb/ front panel audio pcb or buttons could be broken, but unlikely.

to be honest the only thing that i hope is that the power button works XD

 

[Vogner16]

as long as that rear I/O shield can be removed you should be good to go. also understand you will be missing out on USB 3.0 front panel etc...
looks like a good deal in that situation the only thing that could be wrong with a $27 case is scratched or broken PCB but he claims its never been used so its save to take that gamble I would say.

EDIT: usb/ front panel audio pcb or buttons could be broken, but unlikely.

to be honest the only thing that i hope is that the power button works XD

looks like you have a low chance of failure at that rate LOL go for it!

 

[glitchmaster0001]

as long as that rear I/O shield can be removed you should be good to go. also understand you will be missing out on USB 3.0 front panel etc...
looks like a good deal in that situation the only thing that could be wrong with a $27 case is scratched or broken PCB but he claims its never been used so its save to take that gamble I would say.

EDIT: usb/ front panel audio pcb or buttons could be broken, but unlikely.

to be honest the only thing that i hope is that the power button works XD

looks like you have a low chance of failure at that rate LOL go for it!

i just picked up the case today and wow it was brand new. there was still the factory seal, stickers, screws, standoffs, and even the owners manual. everything was in mint condition 😀

 

[Vogner16]

never got the complete answer are you deciding to go the used route and build a fps per $ machine or something new with upgrade potential?

and if you could be so kind to mark a solution 😀

 

[glitchmaster0001]

never got the complete answer are you deciding to go the used route and build a fps per $ machine or something new with upgrade potential?

and if you could be so kind to mark a solution 😀

XD what do you think of buying a used PSU. this is not my PC its for a client but he's asking so much and giving so little cash to really put good spec under the hood. plus he wants this damn rig to bitcoin/litecoin mine and im like WTF??? youd need at least 6 GPUs to do that. So since hes giving such a low budget its really tempting to buy a used PSU and other parts used

 

[Grimwinder]

I wouldn't buy a used PSU unless I knew the person that owned it, and it was still fairly new. The PSU is just too critical to the health of any build, and they don't generally age well, if abused.

 

[Vogner16]

never got the complete answer are you deciding to go the used route and build a fps per $ machine or something new with upgrade potential?

and if you could be so kind to mark a solution 😀

XD what do you think of buying a used PSU. this is not my PC its for a client but he's asking so much and giving so little cash to really put good spec under the hood. plus he wants this damn rig to bitcoin/litecoin mine and im like WTF??? youd need at least 6 GPUs to do that. So since hes giving such a low budget its really tempting to buy a used PSU and other parts used

if your buying a 80+ gold from a verified good seller used on ebay then your probally fine. BUT I agree with grimwinder its the most critical component to a computer. if it overvolts it can destroy the computer. I always buy new ones unless im building a super budget build.

it is not advised to bitcoin/litecoin mine with gpu's anymore that died when 290x came out. everyone uses asic miners that are specifically designed to mine. the electricity cost to mhash ratio for gpu's is simply a money loss. tell him to not do this or he will lose money.

having said that if he wants a dual gpu bitcoin machine he will need 800W or so. for one gpu 600W will cover all gpu's you can find. for your specific build I would recommend a 500 or 550W just to allow for upgrades in the future.

 

[glitchmaster0001]

never got the complete answer are you deciding to go the used route and build a fps per $ machine or something new with upgrade potential?

and if you could be so kind to mark a solution 😀

XD what do you think of buying a used PSU. this is not my PC its for a client but he's asking so much and giving so little cash to really put good spec under the hood. plus he wants this damn rig to bitcoin/litecoin mine and im like WTF??? youd need at least 6 GPUs to do that. So since hes giving such a low budget its really tempting to buy a used PSU and other parts used

if your buying a 80+ gold from a verified good seller used on ebay then your probally fine. BUT I agree with grimwinder its the most critical component to a computer. if it overvolts it can destroy the computer. I always buy new ones unless im building a super budget build.

it is not advised to bitcoin/litecoin mine with gpu's anymore that died when 290x came out. everyone uses asic miners that are specifically designed to mine. the electricity cost to mhash ratio for gpu's is simply a money loss. tell him to not do this or he will lose money.

having said that if he wants a dual gpu bitcoin machine he will need 800W or so. for one gpu 600W will cover all gpu's you can find. for your specific build I would recommend a 500 or 550W just to allow for upgrades in the future.

the thing is that he wants a super budget pc build and i dont think i can put a 800w PSU and Dual GPUs without making the price of the build go up

 

[Vogner16]

the thing is that he wants a super budget pc build and i dont think i can put a 800w PSU and Dual GPUs without making the price of the build go up

Sorry for the wait but yea just single gpu. dual gpu is a scam for 90% of gpu's on the market. when you double the compute performance and maintain the same frame buffer you get stuttering. only cards with what seems as ridiculous ram amounts aka r9 390x are good for dual gpu. but those are $400 each and you still have driver issues.

this client is the typical wants what isn't realistic. bring him down to earth with what his money can buy and what he can do with it. tell him to build a computer to a certain need not to be great at every thing possible. build it to be best at his main use, minecraft server. simple. either you go used with haswell or ivy or you go new with skylake and throw in a gpu that keeps his budget on track.