[SOLVED] Ryzen 3 APU w/o GPU OR 3rd gen Core i5 w/GPU?

Sep 11, 2017
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Basically, these are my options:

-(All brand new) Athlon 3000G/ 16 GB DDR4 2667 MHz
-(All brand new) Ryzen 3 3200G/ 8 GB DDR4 2667 MHz
-(All 2nd hand) Core i5 3rd gen./ 12 GB DDR3/ RX 470*

*(or another GPU with similar or maybe less performance)
**CPUs will not be overclocked as I'll be using a basic motherboard.

I already have a good quality PSU, a case, peripherials, etc.

There is an important thing to note, which is that if I go with the AM4 build, I'm not gonna be able to buy a GPU in the foreseeable future. For good measure, I've been using a laptop from 2006 with a broken screen and touchpad as a main PC for more than half a year, so you can only guess my buying power lol.

Also, I like to play games like R6 Siege, GTA V, The Division, yeah that's about the heaviest things I play. Well there was this Arma 3 mod and this game Post Scriptum that didn't really run well even on my 3rd gen i5 with an RX 570, so I don't expect to play them with any build anyway.

Taking all of that into consideration, which one would you consider to be the best option?

Thanks a lot in advance

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EDIT. I don't think anybody is going to read this, but oh well.

In the end, I didn't have money to get a graphics card, but I did get a Core i5 4th gen with 8 GB of RAM and ngl I was pretty impressed, the processor itself is a tad faster than the 3rd gen i5 and the IGP is substantially better.

I can't play any of the heavy things I mentioned (Actually I havent even tried, If I had to guess, the only one that would be playable in the way I want it to, would be the division) but I can play a lot of games now so I'm still kinda happy.

Thanks to those who took their time to answer me though :)
 
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Solution
3400G isn't even comparable. The Rx470 is @ 3-4x more powerful all around. Vega 11 graphics are excellent for an igpu, but you are still dealing with graphics based on half a cpu vrs graphics based on something the size of a graphics card. Yes, the igpu uses system memory, so that's not a size limiting factor, but will be a speed limited factor, the APU's don't like ram that's too fast, even the 3400G prefers 2666/2933MHz. Yes, you won't have to worry so much about power supply, but instead need to worry more about the VRM's with the added power draw the igpu at full speed usage requires.

The 3400G will get better fps in simple, low core games like CSGO, but anything more complex and the graphics power of the Rx470 will just allow the...
mmmm Im a bit confused, what happend to the "3rd gen i5 with an RX 570"? Im guessing it broke?

For those games, I would go with the 3rd gen Core i5 + RX 470, none of the integrated GPUs in those two APUs you posted (Athlon 3000G/Ryzen 3 3200G) can't compete agaisnt the RX 470.

Only a Ryzen 5 2400G/3400G may had been a viable choice, so between those 3, I'll get the core i5 + RX 470.
 
Sep 11, 2017
86
1
4,665
mmmm Im a bit confused, what happend to the "3rd gen i5 with an RX 570"? Im guessing it broke?

For those games, I would go with the 3rd gen Core i5 + RX 470, none of the integrated GPUs in those two APUs you posted (Athlon 3000G/Ryzen 3 3200G) can't compete agaisnt the RX 470.

Only a Ryzen 5 2400G/3400G may had been a viable choice, so between those 3, I'll get the core i5 + RX 470.

I had to sell both the i5 and RX to pay school, so they are no more. Had a Core 2 Duo but eventually had to sell that as well.

The 2400G can only find used and the 3400G is avaliable brand new but they still cost 50% more than the 3200G and twice than the Athlon, so no can do.

Yeah probably the i5 one will be the best bet, it's kinda hard to decide still because I'll be getting on a dead end with little upgrade room, but still a lot better performance wise.
Thanks!
 

Karadjgne

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3400G isn't even comparable. The Rx470 is @ 3-4x more powerful all around. Vega 11 graphics are excellent for an igpu, but you are still dealing with graphics based on half a cpu vrs graphics based on something the size of a graphics card. Yes, the igpu uses system memory, so that's not a size limiting factor, but will be a speed limited factor, the APU's don't like ram that's too fast, even the 3400G prefers 2666/2933MHz. Yes, you won't have to worry so much about power supply, but instead need to worry more about the VRM's with the added power draw the igpu at full speed usage requires.

The 3400G will get better fps in simple, low core games like CSGO, but anything more complex and the graphics power of the Rx470 will just allow the i5 to dominate.

Vega11 is somewhat equitable to a GT1030. The Rx470 falls between the 1050ti and 1060.

You may not get the same fps on the 3rdGen i5 that you can get out of the 3400G, but with the Rx470 you won't be restricted to lowest graphics settings like you will with the 3400G.
 
Solution
Sep 11, 2017
86
1
4,665
3400G isn't even comparable. The Rx470 is @ 3-4x more powerful all around. Vega 11 graphics are excellent for an igpu, but you are still dealing with graphics based on half a cpu vrs graphics based on something the size of a graphics card. Yes, the igpu uses system memory, so that's not a size limiting factor, but will be a speed limited factor, the APU's don't like ram that's too fast, even the 3400G prefers 2666/2933MHz. Yes, you won't have to worry so much about power supply, but instead need to worry more about the VRM's with the added power draw the igpu at full speed usage requires.

The 3400G will get better fps in simple, low core games like CSGO, but anything more complex and the graphics power of the Rx470 will just allow the i5 to dominate.

Vega11 is somewhat equitable to a GT1030. The Rx470 falls between the 1050ti and 1060.

You may not get the same fps on the 3rdGen i5 that you can get out of the 3400G, but with the Rx470 you won't be restricted to lowest graphics settings like you will with the 3400G.

I see, in that case while a 1030 performance is not bad, I'd much rather something like a 1060. I guess that is the best option after all, Thank you
 

Karadjgne

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Oh, I wasn't disagreeing lol. Was just saying that none of the APU's will stack up against a card like the rx470.

The only downside is the platform. OP has nowhere to go but upto an i7 for help with more intense titles, and there's always the age of the motherboard than can fast become an issue. A new motherboard to fit the APU would be better, maybe one day upgrade the APU to a real cpu/gpu like 3600/1660ti and have no fps issues.

The i5/470 solves immediate issues but won't last and goes nowhere. The APU is nothing but the low level stopgap on the road UP to much bigger and better.

So not-so-immediate future plans should also be taken into consideration, it's a matter of 'ok now, not tomorrow' vs 'holding out for better, later'.
 
Oh, I wasn't disagreeing lol. Was just saying that none of the APU's will stack up against a card like the rx470.

The only downside is the platform. OP has nowhere to go but upto an i7 for help with more intense titles, and there's always the age of the motherboard than can fast become an issue. A new motherboard to fit the APU would be better, maybe one day upgrade the APU to a real cpu/gpu like 3600/1660ti and have no fps issues.

The i5/470 solves immediate issues but won't last and goes nowhere. The APU is nothing but the low level stopgap on the road UP to much bigger and better.

So not-so-immediate future plans should also be taken into consideration, it's a matter of 'ok now, not tomorrow' vs 'holding out for better, later'.

Agree, and yes sadly going with the 3rd Core i5 will once again put OP in a position with no many options to grow up.

Its a pitty that the combo can not be something like the B450 mobo + R5 2400 + RX 470. That would have been a really nice low budget platform with future plans availables.
But I imagine the price diference is probably huge compared to the 3rd gen Core i5 .
 
Sep 11, 2017
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Agree, and yes sadly going with the 3rd Core i5 will once again put OP in a position with no many options to grow up.

Its a pitty that the combo can not be something like the B450 mobo + R5 2400 + RX 470. That would have been a really nice low budget platform with future plans availables.
But I imagine the price diference is probably huge compared to the 3rd gen Core i5 .

I couldn't really find basic B450 or B350 motherboards, only mid end ones that cost more than twice than the cheapest AM4 motherboard I could find, and as I said, 2400 or 3400 are both pricey and the 2400 has avaliability issues.

While yes it's not ideal to go for 1155 or 1156, now that I think it more thoroughly, makes more sense, I've used 775 for the majority of the time I've owned PCs and only once I ran into compatibility issues which turned to be fixable (R6 Siege), never felt performance was specially detrimental since I knew what to expect and don't really play AAA games. That's why it doesn't bother me to go into an outdated platform since I've never actually owned a modern one.

Btw turns out someone bought the RX470 lmao, wanna go for something like an RX 460 or GTX 770 which should still be a hell of a lot better than any Vega IGP.
 

Karadjgne

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If you can get the 770 4Gb version, that'd go much farther than the 2Gb more common version. At a resolution like 1080p, having more vram is a bonus to reproducing frames, over and above what the card runs at.

A Rx460 isn't 1 step back, it's 2 steps from the Rx470. Both the 1050 and the 1050ti get considerably better results.

I had a 2Gb 660ti for years and the difference between that (even oc'd to 124%) and my 4Gb 970 is seriously noticable, especially on the more intensive scenes.
 
Sep 11, 2017
86
1
4,665
If you can get the 770 4Gb version, that'd go much farther than the 2Gb more common version. At a resolution like 1080p, having more vram is a bonus to reproducing frames, over and above what the card runs at.

A Rx460 isn't 1 step back, it's 2 steps from the Rx470. Both the 1050 and the 1050ti get considerably better results.

I had a 2Gb 660ti for years and the difference between that (even oc'd to 124%) and my 4Gb 970 is seriously noticable, especially on the more intensive scenes.

Well for my budget (would be around 90 USD), I've searched and you can't really get a 1050 for that little.
At this price point, the max I can get is a GTX 770 (which is actually underpriced, I'd assume the seller needs a quick buck) and that is assuming I get the money in time to buy it. I mean I can buy it in like 2 days, but then I won't have any money to buy the Mother+processor so I wouldn't know if it was deffective and cn't ask fora refund if it turns out it doesnt work, thats why i was planning to buy the card at last.

It's only downwards from here so I'll have to settle for whatever the RX 460 can do haha

thanks!