Quo vadis AMD FX - future proof PC

[Andrew_j]

Hi all.

For some time I try to make a decision on which processors family I should build my work station PC.*

First I look for a PC to keep, manage and edit my photos as well as from time to time (not the main purpose) play an older game or newer on medium settings.
Main challenge for this rig is to be future proof. By this I mean if I will buy now PC with 1 x 8gb ram is should be very easy to save some money later on and add another 8gb when needed.

But main decision still is CPU. I was looking at AMD FX family for their power/cost ratio (which seems to be much better than i7 4700 for example) but recently I found an article that AMD is planning to abandon this platform totally in flavour for APC A10. This would mean that any mainboard for fx would be useless if I would like to upgrade to A10 or any other new processor on FM2+ socket. There is of course no guarantee that this socket will still be in use for future APU but since just released A10 7850k using this socket and there are new APU in pipeline this year there is fair chance that in the future I could still be able to upgrage my rig almost as easy as adding more ram.*

Here I need your advice:
1. Does what I wrote here make any sense?*
2. Would a10 7850k be a good choice?*
3. What would be the best main board for performance as well as upgradeable in the future?
4. Will I still get Battlefield 4 with a10? joke

My initial budget has been assumed around £450-550 and initial configuration I was thinking about was as follows:

AMD A10 AD785KXBJABOX 7850K Black Edition with Radeon R7 Series New FM2+ Kaveri HSA CPU
ASROCK FM2A88XPRO+ FM2A88X PRO+ FM2+ A88X ATX*
Kingston Technology XMP Beast Series 16GB 2400MHz DDR3 CL11 DIMM Desktop Memory Module (Kit of 2)*
WD Caviar 3TB SATA 6 GB/s 64MB Cache 3.5 inch OEM Internal Hard Drive Green*
24x DVDRW Optical Drive*
Corsair Builder Series CXM 500W Modular 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX/EPS PSU*
Zalman Cnps10x Optima CNPS10X OPTIMA*
Win 8.1 ( I know some may hate it I just like it

I am thankful for any advice.*

 

[PP Mguire]

Let me make it clear, AMD does not plan on continuing supporting the enthusiast dedicated CPU market. That article you read concerning FX means that they are concentrating on APUs which are weaker in actual power in favor of having a higher powered GPU.

In terms of power for productivity and gaming you should look at a 4670k. It is faster than any APU you can get and will be quite a while. In terms of gaming it will last a good 3-5 years if you aren't a hardcore gamer.

For RAM, don't waste money on fast RAM. Anything over 1600 is absolutely pointless. You also don't need an aftermarket cooler right off the bat.

 

[Andrew_j]

Thank you for your reply. You make me think again about Intel. I read more about i5 and price wise is close to a10 but indeed has higher performance.
Still that not all I am looking at. Correct me if I am wrong but Intel changes sockets every generation?

Current 4th generation is using 1150 socket when 3th uses 1155. I assume then any upgrade for future 5th generation will come with obligatory main board upgrade as well?
If that's correct this would mean much higher costs of future upgrades.

Still current 4th generation has been released in April and June 2013 should we expect 5th fairly soon then?

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[Andrew_j]

Just found another article about AMD fm2+ socket. It seems that this socket will support whole line of APU until 2015. So still AMD seems to bre more sustainable solution.

http://wccftech.com/amd-fm2-socket-...up-uptill-2015-adopt-ddr4-memory-carrizo-apu/

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[PP Mguire]

2nd and 3rd gen Intel CPUs were released on Socket 1155, and 4th gen is 1150 yes. Intel doesn't change sockets every generation, but only when there is a major change. For instance, a lot of the VRM circuitry is on the CPU for 4th gen which is why the socket change (as well as some other stuff I won't get into now). 5th gen is simply going to be a Haswell refresh meaning 90% going to be the same socket, but here's the thing. Don't look at it like that because you're basically contradicting yourself.

You want to be future proof, that means you don't plan on upgrading for a few years right? Probably 3-5 I'm assuming. You will be upgrading your whole core system in 3-5 years time anyways. Neither Intel or AMD will have the same socket set because DDR4 is releasing the end of this year for HEDT. So unless you plan to upgrade your system every single year don't get stuck on the "socket" argument AMD fanboys usually try to use. The 4670k will be more powerful than any APU for quite a while, and in terms of its own performance will last you the duration you seek and maybe more. I have a 2nd gen and I plan on using mine for probably another 2-3 years myself. Why upgrade if you don't have to?

 

[Andrew_j]

I do see your point. I will need to read more about intel and see what I can get for my budget.
Still what is tempting is the fact that I can simply replace one chip and get both CPU and GPU for a price of around £100-130. And AMD already confirmed that socket FM2+ will be supported at least up to 2015.

Yes you are right I could get a stronger rig for 3-5 years or cheaper one and upgrade smaller parts more frequent.

My initial budget I was planning around £450-550 which will be quite stretched for i5 and reasonable GPU. On the other hand I can get a10 with 16gb ram and 3tb HDD.

The rig which I listed in first post using prices from Amazon I managed to get it below £580. Now if I will follow your advice regarding to ram and cooling it will bring it right into my budget

I still need to read more


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[PP Mguire]

Think about what you said for a minute. It's cheaper because the parts are exceptionally weaker. Why spend more to upgrade when you can get better than that now within your budget like you said?

Yea, 2015 is next year when the next APU series will come out supporting DDR4 which means new socket. It's 2014 now lol. That's upgrading every year as opposed to not needing to in 3-5 years

You also don't need 16GB of RAM now. 8GB is plenty for most all tasks. The extra RAM is something you can save for later.

 

[Andrew_j]

Do you know if the new Intel processors which are due in q1 of 2014 (as far as I know) are worth to wait? At least should bring current generation prices down

Would you be able to propose the rig based on i5, 8gb ram and 3tb HDD? (Space on HDD is crucial for me as I have tonnes of photos and videos on which I plan to do some work) which main board would you recommend? How about GPU? What would be close or better than integrated GPU in a10?

I will eventually base my decision on what I can get for my money now.
In the worst case scenario in year or two I will be changing only main board and CPU as rest will be there already yes yes and probably ram

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[PP Mguire]

Intel doesn't normally release CPUs until the spring, but on those no I don't think you should wait. It's just a refresh so performance gains are minimal and I doubt they will drive the current prices down anytime soon. 3rd gen is still almost the same price as 4th gen.

i5 4430, MSI or ASRock B85 board, and 8GB of 1600MHz RAM. As for a GPU, APUs have low end chips built in. Something like the 650ti Boost or Radeon 7770 are more powerful than any APU GPU. So either of those or better that fits your budget.

 

[Andrew_j]

Thank you for this I will check for prices and compare these two systems against my budget

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