Speaking of entry level PC gaming Tigerdirect is actually selling a PC with AMD's new A8-3850 APU for only $349.99:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=808302&sku=B69-0393

MSI A75MA-G55 AMD - MSI A75MA-G55 Mobo, AMD Quad-Core A8-3850 Radeon HD6000 APU, Corsair 8GB (2x 4GB), Seagate 1TB HDD, LG 24x DVDRW, Thermaltake V2 Mid-Tower, 450W Power Supply

Not bad for $349.99! This setup will easily beat the PS3 and Xbox 360 and is several times more powerful than a PS3/Xbox 360 and will run games at higher HD resolutions that the Xbox 360/PS3. Not only that it only cost's $50 more that the most expensive console. And with Steam's that's just icing on the cake for someone who want's to get into PC gaming without breaking the bank.

Now, don't get me wrong, the new Llano chips are going to shake up the market and allow for gaming on lower priced laptops, and that's fantastic. I'm actually surprised how close it is to eing considered a mid-range graphics card.

My point is, the Llano chip is best as a standalone product. If you're going to get a discrete graphics card with it, you might as well get a SB, because the Intel will give you better processing power.

And I don't understand your post including the wattage. Doesn't that just prove my point that when paired with switchable graphics, the intel has lower power consumption?

dk00111

On the discrete graphics card issue, it depends on discrete graphics card. AMD Llano based laptops can CrossFireX with mid-range Radeon HD Mobile parts.

On the watts issue,http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a8-3500m-llano-apu,2959-22.html

The power use in the above graph is a result of a controlled test on an external monitor, so we repeated this metric again, this time using the laptop's own display. The A8-3500M laptop lasted two hours and 12 minutes. Assuming the Intel laptop used the exact same battery, it would run for one hour and 22 minutes.

This is very impressive. Not only does the A8-3500M get about twice as much time out of its battery, it does so while delivering far better graphics performance. The implications of this are profound: a Llano laptop user might be able to play a mainstream 3D game for an entire two-hour flight with decent frame rates, while the Intel Core i5-based platform would only last for half of the flight with choppy performance. There does, in fact, seem to be validity in AMD's excitement over its improved power story, and of course this is a real advantage when it comes to mobile devices.

PS; I have Intel SB i7-2600 + Radeon HD 6950 big PC box.

If your friend bought a desktop for $1,000 and all it came with is an integrated processor, he got ripped off, whether it was an Intel or an AMD/ATI. And at this point, I don't know what you're trying to prove. I agree with you that in the loewr price range, the AMD Llanos are a better option, but I'm saying that at higher price ranges the Intel + a discrete is a better option. Heck, the benchmarks you posted even proves my point (although I would've liked to see how the . I do agree though, that MSI deal is quite a bargain. dk00111

Well, this isn't meant for $1,000 desktop. I agree with you that you would be foolish to buy $1,000 dekstop with this APU. This is meant for OEM's like Dell, HP or others like the deal from TigerDirect I mentioned. This is meant for $350- $400 price range desktops that can game at HD resolutions unlike anything from Intel at this price range which can't do HD. In that price range with AMD A8-3850 AMD would easily crush Sandy Bridge Core i5 2500K as proven by Gamespot's benchmarks running Dirt 3, for example.

i dont see this changing much the gpu is not very good. It makes pc gaming a little cheaper But noobs still wont upgrade

i dont see this changing much the gpu is not very good. It makes pc gaming a little cheaper But noobs still wont upgrade

dontshackzmii

It's vastly a significant improvement over what the current gen console have to offer in terms of having the ability to play at higher HD resolutions and for that matter anything on the PC market with Intel's stuff has to offer. For $350-$400, that's not too shabby.