Performance Advice

[DoctorFeuer]

I am looking for an upgrade from my current Pc to something with a little more to it. I currently have a basic computer with a few upgrades, one of which being the Nvidia gtx 550ti. The upgrade I'm looking at is the ASUS CM1745-US006S Desktop, which can be found on Amazon if you want to look it up. This specific PC come with the AMD 3.4 GHz A Series Quad Core A10 5700, which happens to have a built in APU graphics card (at least that's what I think it is). Anyway, my question falls as what is the APU? What does it stand for and what does it do? I was reading somewhere that on this particular processor, the APU packs a punch, so I was wondering if I should use the APU or use my 550, or both if that is somehow possible? I was also wondering if I should use my upgraded psu in the new PC, as I have read that it has fairly low power (mine is 500w). Also, are there any other pre-built PC's out there that would give me an even better value for my money (below $550 preferably); the graphics isn't as much of the focus as a good processor is.
Thanks.

 

[PP Mguire]

APU stands for accelerated processing unit and basically all that is is a CPU with a higher powered IGP strapped to it. The 550ti is going to be more powerful than any GPU in an APU.

What are your current specs? Odds have it simply upgrading the motherboard and processor in whatever you currently have would give you more performance per dollar than getting a whole new machine.

 

[DoctorFeuer]

What are your current specs? Odds have it simply upgrading the motherboard and processor in whatever you currently have would give you more performance per dollar than getting a whole new machine.

That's what I wanted to do originally, but I wasn't sure I would be able to do it myself. That, and my father offered to pay for half of the new system if I get one that is pre-built. Current specs to follow.

 

[PP Mguire]

If you've added a PSU and GPU to your current system then you've done half the battle.

 

[DoctorFeuer]

Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU
AMD A4-3420
RAM
8.00 GB DDR3
Motherboard
PEGATRON CORPORATION 2ACF (P0)
Graphics
1023MB GeForce GTX 550 Ti (EVGA)

 

[PP Mguire]

You already have an APU.....why do you want another one?

 

[DoctorFeuer]

I just want an entirely new cpu, something that is stronger and with more cores.

 

[PP Mguire]

What's your budget and what do you plan on doing with the new setup?

 

[DoctorFeuer]

Top dollar would probably be about $550, although closer to 500 would be preferable. I'd be using it mostly for moderate level gaming, i.e Battlefield 4, Arma 3, Just Cause 2, etc.

 

[PP Mguire]

Newegg.com - ASRock H87M Pro4 LGA 1150 Intel H87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-4430 Haswell 3.0GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I54430

Reuse your current RAM in that board. GPU will need to be upgraded eventually, I suggest this if you can push that budget a bit.
Newegg.com - EVGA 02G-P4-2763-KR GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support w/ EVGA ACX Cooler Video Card

Your PSU will also need to be acceptable. You said you had a 500w, but what brand/model is it? If the PSU isn't acceptable then you could always down that 760 to an R9 270x and get yourself something better.