cbrunnem :
avro arrow is a AMD fan, that needs to be said.
intel wins every price point so the choice should be obvious and the new Ivy bridge cpus should have really good integrated graphics.
I'm not an AMD fan, I just think that Intel's GPUs are possibly the most poorly executed piece of technology in the PC industry. cbrunnem seems to have the "stick with Intel and you're safe" syndrome. I myself have the "avoid Intel graphics at all costs and you'll be safe" syndrome. However, the other difference between us is that I don't pull things out of my lower intestinal tract and call them facts. Intel Ivy Bridge APUs have really good Integrated Graphics compared to what, VIA/S3 and SiS? Whatever do you base your fantasy on? The AMD A8-3500M APU in the $500 Acer Aspire 5560 literally CRUSHED Intel's HD 3000 in Sandy Bridge. Tomshardware has done a review of your darling HD 4000 in a Desktop Ivy Bridge APU and guess what? It STILL lost to the AMD A8-3850! Ivy Bridge's much-trumpeted (by Intel anyway) HD 4000 got beat down by AMD's last-generation APU.:
http/www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-benchmark-core-i7-3770k,3181-4.html
http
/www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-benchmark-core-i7-3770k,3181-5.html
http/www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-benchmark-core-i7-3770k,3181-6.html
What do you think is going to happen when AMD follows up Llano with Trinity? AMD will most likely see what has happened here and will start licking their chops. They'll throw everything they have in the graphics war chest at IB and will most likely have an IGP side that will put some current mobile GeForce discrete cards to shame and use far less juice in the process. By then, I'm sure that Intel and the people who love Intel will put a spin on the situation that their Intel GPU is "good enough" but AMD's CPU isn't "good enough" which brings a whole new question to the table. That other question is, "Is there really THAT much of a difference between AMD and Intel CPUs with regard to the end user's PC experience?"
http
/semiaccurate.com/2012/04/19/what-good-are-benchmarks-when-a-pc-is-good-enough/
Notice how Charlie states that even though GPUs have almost hit the same performance wall, they haven't reached it YET. He basically states that CPUs have completely outpaced software and the ability for human beings to notice a performance increase. It's blindingly fast and has been since the release of the Core2Quad / Phenom II X4 architectures. The biggest differences in performance come from HDD seek time, the limitations of USB2.0 and ISP bps rate. You call me an AMD fan but if you look at all my posts, I only recommend AMD for budget systems because the AMD system offers the most versatility (avoiding Intel graphcis at all costs!). Due to it's massively superior CPU but inferior GPU, there are many things that the Intel-based systems can do faster than the AMD-based system but the AMD-based system CAN STILL DO THEM. Due it's massively superior GPU but inferior CPU, there are many things that the AMD-based system can do that the Intel-based system CAN NOT DO AT ALL, PERIOD. A slower CPU will still get the tasks done, it just might take a bit longer. A slower GPU on the other hand, will make even the fastest Intel CPU-based computers useless when doing a task that is GPU intensive (like gaming). If your budget were up near $800-$1000, I'd be recommending an i5 or i7 with a Radeon or GeForce discrete GPU. How Intel wins at every price point (according to cbrunnem) is completely subjective when one of my coworkers has an ASUS K53E-DH51 that he got on sale for $600 and he drools at what my $500 Acer Aspire 5560-Sb401 can do. Note that he has an i5-2430QM and I have an A8-3500M. When he sees me playing Skyrim on medium settings with no chatter or lag, his eyes bulge out of his head because he long ago gave up on getting Skyrim to EVER work on his laptop that he paid $100 more for ON SALE. You say Intel wins at every price point. I call *BS!*