Ok i was researching for a build im going to do and i dont really understand the diffence between and APU from a CPU. Does it have any advantages over a CPU like a AMD FX-6300 + 7870 vs A10-5800k + 7870. Can some one please explain?
To put it simply, an APU is just a CPU with more focus on built in graphics capabilities. While AMDs APUs are good if you're on extreme budget, you'd probably not want one if you're running a dedicated video card. Intel has virtue technology which has the integrated graphics help encode data for the video card, but the benefits are only slight. I believe virtue can also allow your video card to turn off and the intel graphics to take over on graphics when you're at desktop to save power, but I've heard the technology is a bit screwy. My friend complained at one point that virtue turned on while he was in game menus.
Here I am talking about virtue technology when we're suppose to be talking about AMD APUs and I don't even know if AMD has a competing technology.
Final thoughts, stay away from APUs unless you're on a tight budget or building something like a media or travel PC.
An A10-5800k is basically a FX4300 (the quadcore) with a free 6670 GPU bundled isnide the same chip as the CPU so no need to buy a seperate dedicated lower-end graphics card for video output. It also comes on a different socket platform (FM2 instead of AM3+). If you're already planning on buying a beast dedicated GPU then you should really NOT be considering an APU since you wont have access to the giant powerhouses of the 6 & 8 core processors out there. Get the FX-6300, you wont be disappointed.
Thank you both, the reason i was asking since my current build is a FX-8320 with a HIS 7870. just wasnt sure if the APU will make it more powerful or just hinder it.