New Windows 10 Intel APU system.

[martineyles]

I'm thinking it might be time to upgrade from this: viewtopic.php?f=23&p=481693#p481693

Thinking Windows 10 and an Iris pro 6200 would be an interesting combo. How are these chips likely to compare to my current setup (AMD Athlon X2 5050e Socket AM2 45W Energy Efficient Processor & Sapphire HD 4670 Ultimate Edition 512MB GDDR3 HDMI DVI VGA PCI-E Graphics Card) for gaming graphics?

Intel® Core™ i5-5575R Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.30 GHz)
Intel® Core™ i5-5675R Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz)

Would want to play SWTOR (The MMO, along with KOTOR and KOTOR II), Sim City, Half Life 2 and Civ 5 with better performance than now, and try my hand at Prison Architect, Skyrim and LA Noire (Steam library contains these: http://steamcommunity.com/id/theeyles/games/?tab=all), possibly play bluray in the future, but also use it for ripping CDs and general office type things.

[CA_Steve]

The iGP has about twice the graphics horsepower of your 4670. The CPU has about 4x the horsepower of your Athlon.

What's your monitor resolution?

[martineyles]

I got a little confused between C and R chips. I think it would end up being a Core-i5 5675C processor.

As for resolution, my monitor is currently set to 1280x960, as it is a 4:3 CRT monitor. I suspect I will have to move away from that monitor at some point, probably towards a 1920x1080 monitor, so my performance comparison is between the lower resolution on the old card and the higher resolution on the intel graphics.

[CA_Steve]

A 1080p monitor has 74% more pixels than your current one. So, if your game is CPU limited, it'll run 4/1.74 = ~2.3x faster. If it's GPU limited, then it'll run 2/1.74 = ~15% faster.

If budget gaming is your goal, the GTX 950 is due out next week. Probably around $150 and would be a huge upgrade. Combine that with a $60 Haswell Pentium CPU (about 3x performance of your Athlon) and it's a better fit for your needs.

Or, wait a bit more and see what Skylake brings for the masses.

[martineyles]

Thanks for the advice so far.

I've been thinking a little more about the aims.

Purpose wise, I'm thinking this may well also end up acting as a media pc, sitting by the TV (still to be bought - my current one, like my pc monitor, is still a CRT!) and being the way BBC iPlayer, 4OD, Youtube & DVD/Bluray are consumed, as well as handling any gaming and CD ripping.

Technology wise, I was thinking an APU would allow a simple elegant airflow pattern, where all the air goes either front to back or side to side, passing over the processor's cooler before going through the psu. I suspect that an under-voltage 80mm fan, a Scythe Ninja Mini or similar, a mini itx board and the right case might allow this to happen, but I'm not sure if there are any PSUs with straight through airflow, as opposed to a 90 degree bend in airflow, and I'm not sure if a single fan would be enough. Any ideas on this?

Therefore, I'm probably inclined to see what direction Skylake takes, rather than abandon the concept.