Help choosing cpu for new build

It's been a while since I've built a new desktop since scratch (not since 2007), and there are a lot more options available than there were back then. I've having a difficult time deciding which direction to go with this build. I'm really not sure if I should go with an FM2 board and APU, or an AM3+ board and FX CPU. I'm building on a budget and would like to end up around $500 for the complete system. Also, I'm not a gamer so high performance graphics are not required, though decent graphics are needed for light photo editing, HD video, etc...

I like the idea of getting Radeon 7000 graphics and a quad core CPU with the A10 Trinity for $129, but I'm concerned about upgrade-ability and overclock-ability with the APUs. At this point, there are only quad core APUs available and I'm not sure how well the FM2 boards overclock. On the other hand, FX series CPUs up to 8 cores are available and they seem to be great overclockers. I could get a quad core Vishera CPU for $129, but would have to spend more money to get a discrete Radeon 7000 series GPU.

At the end of the day, I'm tempted to go with an APU because it seems like a better value, but I'm uncertain about overclocking and upgrading FM2 boards and APUs. Any advice?

Welcome back to the Forums i would humbly ask you, why not consider going with Intel instead! Sometimes its better to look "outside the box as they say" let me say this. Right now in black November there are some super deals to be had,but the majority is on the Intel side. Let me try to put some ideas together and i will post them for you to see and let me know what you think! AJ.

1, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
2,http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
3, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150609

Well a total of $544.97 for the 3 items above all with Free Shipping and on Special Offer at this time.

juane414 said:

FX series CPUs up to 8 cores are available and they seem to be great overclockers. I could get a quad core Vishera CPU for $129,

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They do overclock pretty well. But long-term they do not like to be pushed hard on cheap motherboards. Nor do they like to be pushed hard without a pretty good air-cooler and many feel the need to be using mini closed loop water cooling. There are other considerations beyond just being a good overclocker.

Ajay57 said:

Welcome back to the Forums i would humbly ask you, why not consider going with Intel instead! Sometimes its better to look "outside the box as they say" let me say this. Right now in black November there are some super deals to be had,but the majority is on the Intel side. Let me try to put some ideas together and i will post them for you to see and let me know what you think! AJ.

1, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
2,http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
3, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150609

Well a total of $544.97 for the 3 items above all with Free Shipping and on Special Offer at this time.

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$550 for 3 parts, when his limit is $500 for the whole system, doesn't seem to me like a viable solution. He will still need a PSU, memory, HDD or SSD or both, an OS and a case at a minimum.

How about this:
A10 5800K, $129.99
ASRock FM2A55M-DGS, $54.99
G.Skill Sniper 2x8GB, $79.99
Cooler Master Elite 311, $38.99
A cheap fan for the front of the case, it only comes with one in the back.
SeaSonic SSR-360GP, $59.99
Segate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM, $49.99
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM, $99.99

Total cost, $513.93. The only thing I'm not sure of is the Motherboard, as FM2 boards are not my forte.

Well not to cut a finer point on it the OP did only mention a CPU+GPU in his post. But i would agree more choice in this matter is the better option for him to choose either way he cant lose! AJ.

Ajay57, thanks for the input. I would be willing to consider Intel except for the fact that the cheapest unlocked Ivy Bridge CPU is still $220. I could potentially be able to buy an i5-3570K and build a system around that but I wouldn't be able to spend as much on a GPU as you suggest. I realize that Intel outperforms AMD, but for this build I'm more concerned about budget than performance.

Dlaw, your suggestions are pretty close to what I've been thinking. I'll probably end up getting a 120gb SSD instead of a spinning HD though. Would suggest going with the A10-5800K over an FX series CPU?

juane414, if you live near a micro center they have a combo deal on a walk in, for the i5 3570k and ASRock Extreme 4 mobo for about $290.00

Thanks for the heads up on the deal Mandrake. I'm still really attached to AMD... even though Intel whoops them. I'm just not sure if I should go with an APU or an FX CPU. I will keep Intel open as a remote possibility.

juane414 said:

Ajay57, thanks for the input. I would be willing to consider Intel except for the fact that the cheapest unlocked Ivy Bridge CPU is still $220. I could potentially be able to buy an i5-3570K and build a system around that but I wouldn't be able to spend as much on a GPU as you suggest. I realize that Intel outperforms AMD, but for this build I'm more concerned about budget than performance.

Dlaw, your suggestions are pretty close to what I've been thinking. I'll probably end up getting a 120gb SSD instead of a spinning HD though. Would suggest going with the A10-5800K over an FX series CPU?

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On a budget build, absolutely go for the 5800K. If you were going for a performance build with a budget of double that, I'd say go for an FX, but since you don't plan on a whole lot of heavy computing, trinities are the way to go.

Dlaw said:

On a budget build, absolutely go for the 5800K. If you were going for a performance build with a budget of double that, I'd say go for an FX, but since you don't plan on a whole lot of heavy computing, trinities are the way to go.

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Ditto. Really a great performance to price ratio.

trents said:

Ditto. Really a great performance to price ratio.

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Another +1 to that. The power of my FM1 machine really surprised me for the price and FM2 is a step up from that.

Thanks for the input guys. Does anyone have experience overclocking the APUs, and/or do you know of a decent FM2 motherboard for overclocking? Like I said, I'm not looking for ultimate performance but this is OCForums after all... I would like to squeeze a little bit out of my PC

Read posts and articles on overclocking A10-5800K.
This is the best plan.
Asrock A75M-DGS FM2 no HDMI Plug/audio is Realtek ALC662 CODEC/ no mention of overclock on newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157331

Asrock FM2A55M-DGS as above
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157332

Biostar TA75MH2 FM2 HDMI still Realtech ALC662 heatsink on VRM (2X4GB RAM INCLUDED) $78.98 (Ripjaws 1600)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138367

woboy said:

Biostar TA75MH2 FM2 HDMI still Realtech ALC662 heatsink on VRM (2X4GB RAM INCLUDED) $78.98 (Ripjaws 1600)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138367

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Doesn't look like a bad deal to me.