CPU decision

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ratedm

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
233
I'm looking at picking up a new CPU for the HTPC I am putting together. I was initially looking into the Intel G860 but I just saw there is a coupon code on the egg for the AMD A6-3670K. So with that being said which would you choose?

A6-3670K $74.99
A6-5400K $74.99
Intel G860 $74.99

I'd like to stay under $90 for the CPU and my 'price-point' was $75. These seem to have plenty of power to hold me over for a few years. Are the graphics between the amd and intel chip much of a decision maker?
 
I would take the A6-5400K cpu over the other ones. It is a 65w cpu so even full loaded it will not be that bad power wise. As for the graphics, Intel isn't even in the same ball park as AMD's graphics.
 
If you're going to use it for any 3d stuff, the AMD parts will be better. If you're doing exclusively CPU-intensive stuff, the Pentium will crush the others, and use 2/3rds the power under load to boot.
 
I can pretty much say this will exclusively stream stuff from my NAS, play from the local HDD and BD-ROM, to my living room hdtv....
 
I'm unaware if APUs share this behavior, but I would assume so... GPU hardware decoding of media like blu-rays has always been faster and more power-efficient than leaving it all to the CPU. Assuming its true for APUs as well, I'd go with the newer A6.
 
My vote would be the same as what I'm running in both of mine
Intel G860

Really powerful cpu, less power usage, cheap h61 mobo's that are stable, works like a champ.
 
LAiN_OfTheWired said:
I'm unaware if APUs share this behavior, but I would assume so... GPU hardware decoding of media like blu-rays has always been faster and more power-efficient than leaving it all to the CPU. Assuming its true for APUs as well, I'd go with the newer A6.
Click to expand...

Intel's integrated graphics has perfectly adequate hardware-accelerated decode.
 
Go Intel unless you plan on some serious gaming which is where the AMD GPU will shine. Maybe also save yourself $5 and go with G850, you won't notice the difference!
 
Heck, you can save more money and go as far down as the G530. I have yet to meet the video it can't handle.
 
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6335/amds-trinity-an-htpc-perspective

Relevant to your interests. For me, I just rebuilt my HTPC with a slightly older Sandy Bridge Pentium G620 (I think that's it) but only cause I got everything super cheap (CPU, H77 mobo and 4 gigs DDR3 1600) for like $110 total. I dropped the 5450 from my previous HTPC into for video.

If I was buying today, all new, I'd go with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113288
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157334

If I need ITX then I'd go Intel:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116777
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116777
 
The A6 is fine for what you are trying to do regardless of which generation. I would consider the fm2 over fm1 but it depends on how much you want to spend on mobo.
 
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