Which CPU/APU would you recommend for my dad?

[crahs8]

I have been tasked with the daunting objective of building a computer for my dad. I know he wants a small and quiet computer and the price should preferably stay low. First I was thinking of going with an FX 6300, but then realised that no itx motherboards with AM3+ support exists. Now there is always the micro-atx size cases to consider, but I am really liking the look of the Fractal Design Node 304 case. Seeing as my dad doesn't really play in games, execpt for the odd flight sim from mid-2000-something, an APU from AMD like the a8 6600k should be sufficient. However, it is also very important that computer is still very snappy when many tabs and/or programs are involved simultaneously and he also does quite a bit of photo editing. This makes me think that a cheaper i7/i5 may be more appropriate.

Oh and he also uses Ubuntu, just in case you know of some incompatibility error.

Enough rambling, what are your thoughts on the matter? I would love to hear your input.

Edit: Node 302 -> 304

 

[boosted1g]

For everything else an i3 would have been exactly what he needs, but now that you are throwing the photo editing into the mix then an i5 would be worthwhile

AMD APU's are not snappy, their CPU portion is very weak and the BEST processor in the entire FM2+ lineup can not beat an i3.

I would also strongly suggest an SSD drive for OS/Programs and to get at least a GTX 750ti or 950.
Adobe Photoshop will utilize the CUDA cores in NVIDIA gpu's so his rendering time will be reduced by having an NVIDIA GPU.

 

[crahs8]

get at least a GTX 750ti or 950.
Adobe Photoshop will utilize the CUDA cores in NVIDIA gpu's so his rendering time will be reduced by having an NVIDIA GPU.

As I mentioned he will be using Ubuntu, so no Photoshop. I also suspect that a gpu will be less important since he'll mostly be editing in Darktable (like Lightroom), where the biggest time sink is exporting 100-200 photos. Correct me if I'm wrong, exporting should be more a cpu task, right?

 

[geofelt]

What is your budget?

The value of an APU is the superior graphics.
I see that as not a big benefit since current Intel HD530 graphics will meet his needs.

My first requirement for a snappy pc is to use a ssd for windows. Samsung 850 240gb would likely be sufficient.

With lots of photo editing, lots of ram helps. Buy a 2 x 8gb kit.

What do you need for internet?
All will come with lan connection on the motherboard.
ITX motherboards have only one slot.
If you need wifi it would be better to have it built in.
USB wifi dongles are not very strong.

For the cpu, look at the i3-6100.

I do not see node 302; perhaps you mean 304?

 

[boosted1g]

get at least a GTX 750ti or 950.
Adobe Photoshop will utilize the CUDA cores in NVIDIA gpu's so his rendering time will be reduced by having an NVIDIA GPU.

As I mentioned he will be using Ubuntu, so no Photoshop. I also suspect that a gpu will be less important since he'll mostly be editing in Darktable (like Lightroom), where the biggest time sink is exporting 100-200 photos. Correct me if I'm wrong, exporting should be more a cpu task, right?

Darkroom and Gimp can use GPU acceleration with CUDA cores.

An i3 has the muscle to handle the task fine, an i5 will just do it noticeably faster.

 

[crahs8]

What is your budget?

The value of an APU is the superior graphics.
I see that as not a big benefit since current Intel HD530 graphics will meet his needs.

My first requirement for a snappy pc is to use a ssd for windows. Samsung 850 240gb would likely be sufficient.

With lots of photo editing, lots of ram helps. Buy a 2 x 8gb kit.

What do you need for internet?
All will come with lan connection on the motherboard.
ITX motherboards have only one slot.
If you need wifi it would be better to have it built in.
USB wifi dongles are not very strong.

For the cpu, look at the i3-6100.

I do not see node 302; perhaps you mean 304?

Yes, I did mean Node 304, sorry.

First of all thanks for all the suggestions but right now I am only looking for a cpu. As for the i3-6100, I think the 2 cores won't be enough for photo editing. It's kind of difficult to say an exact budget as I live in Denmark and prices don't necessarily compare 100%. But to give a rough Idea, an I3-6100 is around 900kr and I would like to keep the build under or around 5000kr (Windows not necessary since he will be using Ubuntu).

 

[crahs8]

get at least a GTX 750ti or 950.
Adobe Photoshop will utilize the CUDA cores in NVIDIA gpu's so his rendering time will be reduced by having an NVIDIA GPU.

As I mentioned he will be using Ubuntu, so no Photoshop. I also suspect that a gpu will be less important since he'll mostly be editing in Darktable (like Lightroom), where the biggest time sink is exporting 100-200 photos. Correct me if I'm wrong, exporting should be more a cpu task, right?

Darkroom and Gimp can use GPU acceleration with CUDA cores.

An i3 has the muscle to handle the task fine, an i5 will just do it noticeably faster.

So you would say an i5 + 950 would be better value than a top tier apu (a10-7890k)? I am asking since an i5 6500 is around 1600 Danish kr. and a 950 is around 1100 Danish kr. while the a10-7890k is around 1200 danish kr.

 

[geofelt]

A i3-6100 is a 4 thread processor.
Yes, it has two cores, but shares some resources among the 4 threads.
FX-6300 is similarly a 3 core processor with each core sharing resources to give 6 threads.
I3-6100 has a total passmark performance rating of 5500. That is the performance when all 4 threads are fully utilized. The single thread performance rating is 2102. That is when you have only a single threaded task.

By comparison, the FX-6300 has a passmark rating of 6344, a bit better when all 6 threads are fully utilized, but only 1408 when a single thread is needed.

I do not know much about Ubuntu.
But, I seriously doubt that it is heavily multithreaded .

One big plus for I3-6100 is that the motherboard that runs it can support a future cpu upgrade to I5 or Even i7-6700K.

A FX-6100 needs a very good motherboard to support a upgrade to fx-8350. that gives you more cores, but not more core speed.

 

[crahs8]

A i3-6100 is a 4 thread processor.
Yes, it has two cores, but shares some resources among the 4 threads.
FX-6300 is similarly a 3 core processor with each core sharing resources to give 6 threads.
I3-6100 has a total passmark performance rating of 5500. That is the performance when all 4 threads are fully utilized. The single thread performance rating is 2102. That is when you have only a single threaded task.

By comparison, the FX-6300 has a passmark rating of 6344, a bit better when all 6 threads are fully utilized, but only 1408 when a single thread is needed.

I do not know much about Ubuntu.
But, I seriously doubt that it is heavily multithreaded .

One big plus for I3-6100 is that the motherboard that runs it can support a future cpu upgrade to I5 or Even i7-6700K.

A FX-6100 needs a very good motherboard to support a upgrade to fx-8350. that gives you more cores, but not more core speed.

The upgradability of the intel side is definitely an advantage, but look at this comparison between the AMD apu and the i3, which are around the same price. You've got to admit that it is at least worth considering.

 

[geofelt]

The difference comes down to two things.
1. How much do you value the integrated graphics. The apu wins there.
2. How important is single thread performance? I3-6100 wins there.

of perhaps secondary importance:
APU is a 95w processor, intel is 51w.

 

[crahs8]

The difference comes down to two things.
1. How much do you value the integrated graphics. The apu wins there.
2. How important is single thread performance? I3-6100 wins there.

of perhaps secondary importance:
APU is a 95w processor, intel is 51w.

It's difficult, because I can't find any direct comparisons between the graphics part of the apu and a discreet card. Right now I'm thinking: If I can fit a 950 or similar in the budget, i3 wins. If not, apu wins. We'll see.

 

[Ecky]

Passmark is a poor benchmark. You may want to look at Anandtech's recently-released very thorough review:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/10543/the-skylake-core-i3-51w-cpu-review-i3-6320-6300-6100-tested

What CPU is best obviously depends on your specific use-case, but the i3 generally performs around the same as an FX-6300 in heavily multithreaded scenarios, and significantly better in not-well-threaded scenarios, while drawing less than half the power.

 

[crahs8]

Passmark is a poor benchmark. You may want to look at Anandtech's recently-released very thorough review:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/10543/the-skylake-core-i3-51w-cpu-review-i3-6320-6300-6100-tested

What CPU is best obviously depends on your specific use-case, but the i3 generally performs around the same as an FX-6300 in heavily multithreaded scenarios, and significantly better in not-well-threaded scenarios, while drawing less than half the power.

Wow that's very useful, thanks a ton