Maximum PC

Alright... something has crossed my mind, and i'm extremely torn.

I'm thinking about building a small form-factor Micro ATX system that will tide me back for a while... while i wait until i can buy the serious system i've always wanted.

Not only for that reason, but i have an HD 4850 with an aftermarket cooler that i bought about a month/two months before i ran into problems and had to take it out. And i have an Ultra LSP 650W PSU. I'd really like to salvage these two parts, and build a system.

Maximum $350 mark. I'd post it in the help me buy/help me build, but i think it's unnecessary at this point. Seeing as i'm unsure if i'll even go through with it.

I'm going about this situation in many ways..

I've found this great build for $350

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv60r_cS ... ature=plcp

(minus the PSU)

With that build in mind, one question arises; If i'm using that A10 APU with its integrated graphics core... will i be able to use my 4850, so they work alongside each other? Or will it be problematic, seeing as the A10 APUs Graphics utilize DX11? The 4850 is aging... But still a card with excellent performance.

Plus, if they CAN work together, i'd be seeing some very, very nice performance...



My 650W PSU and 4850 with a Zalman VF770 cooler (which may or may not work... i'm praying it does!) are making me want to build this system.

Well...? How should i go about approaching this train-wreck of an idea?

It would be nice if you could Crossfire the 4850 card with the APU, the frame-rates will go a lot higher in games.

Nasty

I think that both NVIDIA and AMD did asymmetric multi-GPU processing, but I'm still kind of going "How does this work?"

EDIT: Actually, by the look of things, Microsoft axed support for asymmetric multi-GPU processing on Windows 7, claiming the whole process is unstable.

When you install the driver it probably detects the on die video and the video card, then Crossfires the two together. I don't see windows having anything to do with it at all.

Nasty

GAH!

Darn it all... no one's sure. Ahahaha.

But if you think about it... it REALLY would be a shame... if it didn't work.

The performance boost would be very, very welcome .

The APU's graphics core... which i'll have to research some more. Don't know what kind of equivalent power in comparison to another card it's putting out, but i know that it'll be turbocharged if my 4850 were in there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATI_Hybrid_Graphics

Looks like you can't use an HD4000 series with any of the APUs. And in fact, the HD4000 series has no support for hybrid graphics.

Awwww... that sucks.


I always wanted to make a compact Phenom II X4 system, though...

I was always looking at the 955/965 BEs. Very nice processors.

Still fast. Just as fast as that A10 APU.


The 5800K anyway. Shame though... what'll i do with my 4850, then...?! Bought a new cooler for it...

...e-bay and craigslist come to mind....

Nasty

Yeah... but... i'd like to make use of it, not just sell it for a pathetic price.

If i could get $70 back for the cooler, then that'd be awesome.

Why not just build a budget Phenom II X4 system?

Chances are no. I usually hack a quarter to half the cost of anything if it's been in use for any given period of time. Hell I'm not even expecting the $150 I want for my GTX 560 Ti if I were to sell them.

As mean as this sounds: suck it up. You made a mistake, learn from it.

You don't have to remind me of something i already established months ago...

I just want to salvage parts, and perhaps make use of what i have. Selling is a last resort for me.

I'd still like to use my 4850 in a budget build.

I've gained something more important, actually. Something more than learning from a mistake. I've gained a new curiosity.

New thread to follow in the coming days. When i feel like it, i'll post it.

Because i'm disappointed with graphics hardware. Although in one aspect.

I won't bother changing the topic here. But man... is it questionable.

First and foremost, a mATX build will more than likely do more than hold you over. Times change and I'm one to say that I'd rather have a mATX over a full tower any day. I go as far as going toe-to-toe with an iTX against full towers when it comes to performance. You can build a solid mATX on the low dollar and be happy.

The problem here is that you're demanding to keep your old parts to do, what I think, is an good deed. The A10 is GREAT...if that's all the graphics power you want. You're being sold APU (which is better than Intel in GPU/iPU), but you're still using a dedicated card and wanting more horsepower. The thing is, the A10 SUCKS BALLS compared to a discrete card.

Change your mentality: You don't want onboard (onchip) graphics that laptop users require, you don't want to settle for that crap, and you want to really get up to pace. The A-10 vs HD4000 is not for the builder so just toss that crap out to the side. You just don't need iGPU performance at all.

What you can do is get a stronger Intel CPU 1155 CPU, 8G DDR3, mATX z77 board, and have a baseline for a really good build. You can still use your 4850 if you want to keep costs down. You can use the OEM cooler on the CPU since you're not OC'ing. What I think you're stuck with is the pitch that AMD is better for gaming and you're sticking with it. You went A-10, that socket, and are still driving down that road that you need AMD for gaming. Your bottleneck here is that the CPU is teh suck and the APU doesn't matter. Compare the 4850 to the APU you have now...worth keeping? You PLAN to get another card?

There's always a PCIe slot ready for any card. Don't rely on APU/iGPU unless you're debating laptops. Build a mATX system and put whatever card you want in there. I'm typing from a 2500K w/ HD3000. Have I ever cared about the HD3000...no, there's a 560Ti in one of the TWO slots in the mATX build.

Yeah. but you have to keep in mind. I'm on a budget of about $350... So. I don't think that's going to be possible. And it's a shame i can't use my 4850 with the APU.

The combined graphics performance would be awesome.

But i'm starting to think i won't do this altogether...

I don't know. UGH...