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Which A88X-Based Board Should You Buy For Your Kaveri APU?

Which A88X-Based Board Should You Buy For Your Kaveri APU?
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Enthusiasts are a vocal bunch, and they're quick to point out when certain companies force obsolescence more frequently than others. A good example was when Intel switched from LGA 1156 to LGA 1155 for the sake of integration. The platform controller hubs themselves were interchangeable, and many of the folks shopping for upgrade parts couldn't fathom replacing an entire platform for the sake of a relatively-insignificant component.

Fans of AMD see their brand of choice a little differently, pointing out that the company has used the same processor interface over and over again. Minor alterations often allow previous-gen CPUs to drop into new platforms. By necessity, the reverse typically isn't true, though. AMD often leaves owners of older motherboards unable to upgrade their CPU. At least the motherboard makers are happy.

Not that we fault either company either way. Yes, we're quick to fire off criticism when a company kills a platform after just one generation. But we also understand that changes to power delivery, on-die functionality, and requisite pin-outs take precedence over forward or backward compatibility.

Our A88X block diagram looks familiar, as it should. The chipset claims a new XHCI version for improved peripheral compatibility and/or stability. Typically, changes that small would qualify as a new stepping of the previous product, rather than an update deserving of a new model designation.

Personally, I believe that the primary reason for the new chipset name is to assure builders that they’re getting PCIe 3.0-capable circuitry. Also, AMD's “new” socket is meant to prevent builders from accidentally putting Kaveri-based APUs into boards that haven't been updated to accept it.

Welcome to AMD’s version of Intel’s LGA 1156 to 1155 transition, with the usual AMD twist that you can at least upgrade your motherboard while using your old CPU, even if we don't expect a whole lot of that to happen.

Rather, Kaveri is the only reason we can think of for anyone who owns an A85X platform to take the A88X plunge. Fortunately, that's a pretty compelling justification to upgrade all on its own. AMD is hoping to leverage its work germinating the HSA Foundation, back software development of heterogeneous computing-aware applications, and ultimately demonstrate its GCN-based graphics hardware accelerating workloads beyond gaming. Some of our benchmarks already utilize AMD's shaders via OpenCL, and our hats are off to AMD for its role in advocating the use of whichever hardware resources yield the best overall experience. Hopefully, more developers follow suit.

A88X ATX Motherboard Features
 ASRock
FM2A88X+ Killer
Asus
A88X-Pro
Gigabyte
F2A88X-UP4
MSI
A88X-G45 Gaming
PCB Revision1.001.013.01.1
ChipsetAMD A88XAMD A88XAMD A88XAMD A88X
Voltage RegulatorSix phasesEight phasesEight phasesSix phases
BIOSP1.80 (02/20/2014)0904 (02/19/2014)F5c (02/06/2014)1.0 (01/23/2014)
100.0 MHz BCLK99.80 (-0.20%)99.98 (-0.02%)100.51 (+0.51%)100.48 (+0.48%)
I/O Panel Connectors
P/S 21111
USB 3.04446
USB 2.04222
Network1111
CLR_CMOS Button1NoneNoneNone
Digital Audio OutOpticalOpticalOpticalOptical
Digital Audio InNoneNoneNoneNone
Analog Audio5566
Video OutVGA, DVI-D, HDMIDisplayPort, HDMI, VGA, DVI-DVGA, DVI-D, HDMI, DisplayPortVGA, DVI-D, HDMI, DisplayPort
Other DevicesNoneDual eSATA, USB BIOS FlashbackeSATANone
Internal Interfaces
PCIe 3.0 x161 (x16 link)2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8)2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8)2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8)
PCIe 2.0 x161 (x4 link)1 (x4 link)1 (x4 link)1 (x4 link)
PCIe 2.0 x1223 (1-shared w/slot above)3 (2 share 1-lane)
USB 3.01 (2-ports)1 (2-ports)2 (4-ports)1 (2-ports)
USB 2.03 (6-ports)4 (8-ports)4 (8-ports)3 (6-ports)
SATA 6.0 Gb/s8678
4-Pin Fan2533
3-Pin Fan4None12
FP-Audio1111
S/PDIF I/ONoneOutput-onlyOutput-onlyNone
Internal ButtonsNoneMemOK, BIOS_FLBK, DirectKeyPower, Reset, CMOS selectorOC Genie, Power, Reset, CLR_CMOS
Internal SwitchNoneEPU, TPUNoneOC mode, Slow mode
Diagnostics PanelNoneNumericNumericNumeric
Other Devices3x PCI, Serial COM portSerial COM portSerial COM portSerial COM port
Mass Storage Controllers
Chipset SATA8 x SATA 6Gb/s6 x SATA 6Gb/s
2 x eSATA 6Gb/s
7 x SATA 6Gb/s
1 x eSATA 6Gb/s
8 x SATA 6Gb/s
Chipset RAID Modes0, 1, 5, 100, 1, 5, 100, 1, 5, 100, 1, 5, 10
Add-In SATANoneNoneNoneNone
USB 3.0ASM1042 PCIe
(2-ports)
ASM1042 PCIe
(2-ports)
VLI VL805 PCIe
(4-ports)
VLI VL805 PCIe
(4-ports)
Networking
Primary LANKiller E2205 PCIeRTL8111GR PCIeRTL8111F PCIeKiller E2205 PCIe
Secondary LANNoneNoneNoneNone
Wi-FiNoneNoneNoneNone
BluetoothNoneNoneNoneNone
Audio
HD Audio CodecALC1150ALC1150ALC892ALC1150
DDL/DTS ConnectDTS ConnectNoneNoneNone
WarrantyThree yearsThree yearsThree yearsThree years

All four major manufacturers are targeting the performance-mainstream market with full-sized A88X-based motherboards priced from $105 to $120, and the most expensive one includes a game certificate worth at least $20. Builders who value that title at full price will find a mere $15 separating the field. With pricing differences almost trivial, let’s take a look at what each of these boards can give us for roughly $112.

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  • 0 Hide
    Dirk_p_broer , 23 March 2014 12:16
    With the other three brands having their top-model compared, what did the Asrock FM2A88X Extreme 6+ do to be left out here?
  • 0 Hide
    Dirk_p_broer , 24 March 2014 20:26
    Prices and availability differ around the globe: Both Asrock mobo's (FM2A88X+ Killer for 76 Euro's, the FM2A88X Extreme 6+ for a little more than 80) can be bought for far less money than the Asus and MSI boards, that both cost a little more than 100 Euro's here. Gigabyte seems to have decided to not putting up their board for sale in Europe?