Explaining APUs (A8-3870K Review)

Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) integrate graphics functionality into a microprocessor. This video explains APUs in general, before providing a review of an AMD A8-3870 APU paired with a Gigabyte A75M-S2V motherboard.

[ExplainingComputers]

There will be more videos in 2013 -- both here, and on my ExplainingTheFuture channel (where I cover things like 3D printing). :)

[ExplainingComputers]

I use 2 PCs -- one is the Atom one I show in the "Building a Green PC" video here, which I do all of my writing and web stuff on. The other is currently a Core 2 Quad, used for video editing and 3D graphics. When this next blows up (all motherboards go eventually) I'll do a video of the rebuild, certainly. But I hope there is a good year in its motherboard yet! :)

[nfsfan]

I'm a computer technician and i use your videos to help customers understand computers

[ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for removing your previous personally abusive comment.

In this video I do not say that this APU is better than having a separate graphics card, and indeed my comparison charts show that high power graphics cards like those you mention do significantly outperform APUs. However, APUs do allow PCs with reasonable graphics power to be build for low budgets, and this what I am showing here. The bottleneck argument is part of the story and made by many -- including Intel and AMD.

[BasherHamade]

Congrats for 1 million, this still the best APU explanation video on YouTube

[ExplainingComputers]

No, the GPU part of the APU takes some of the system RAM for graphics processing.

[ExplainingComputers]

I am running Windows 7 -- just with a customized "classic" interface. :)

[solidsnakeliquidgas]

I really like the more personal perspective of this video as compared to your other vids!

[ExplainingComputers]

Yes, you got here before both me an the 720p version. :) The video is not even completely processed yet! :)

[ExplainingComputers]

It is a 10, 000rpm Raptor hard drive -- an early one, when they made a bit of noise! :)

[ExplainingComputers]

Yes, in many ways Intel do I think make the best CPUs/APUs. But at the lower end of the market AMD do provide some good value solutions. And here I was sent a motherboard and APU from APU for a review build! :)

[DaDigger]

It's amazing what tidbits of information, one acquires from watching explaining computers. Thanks again for such informative video!!

[boomwithpeter]

R5 2400G is the best miltimedia cpu of 2018 and 2019 (until December)

[daveb]

*VGA PORTS!!!!* I remember those. I wonder if he has a 2018 video like this.

[razvan-rosu]

Hello ExplainingComputers! Great job with another intertesting vid, however you didn't cover up the crossfire between AMD's APU with ATI's GPU. Tbh there isn't much info out there on how the graphic boost works(is the performance increase ratio based on the gpu performance, does it work with all ati gpus, does the gpu work at a slower clockspeed like 2 graphicboards do in crossfire?)
Do you think you can make a 2nd vid for this particular topic?
Cheers!

[taab]

it depend in your usage, take an APU if you want a budget gaming pc, for heavy multithreading applications, take an FX 8 Cores.

[BipolarTwinkie]

Great video! I always look forward to your videos!

[Bredification]

You.... Are a godsend. Thank you for posting these videos.

[prayfortruejustice]

I though you might go into some depth on buss speeds, I/O, Graphics pipelines and CPU context switching (compute to graphics) etc... Does the APU configuration utilize it's own internal cache buffer and then the DRAM on the memory bus?

[ehSnax]

More specifically, you would need an FM1 socket for the A8-3870K. There are certain sockets for different families of CPUs. For instance, you could not use an AMD Phenom processor in an LGA 1155 socket that is designed for Intel Sandy and Ivy Bridge processors. Even not all Intel processors work with the same socket. There is socket 1155, 1150, 2011, 1366, and a few others, all of which designed for different Intel CPUs. AMD has FM1, FM2, AM3, AM3+ and a few others for different AMD CPUs. :)