Preview: AMD A75 Motherboards
With AMD launching its desktop Llano APUs very soon, we take a look at the new A75 motherboards that will support these upcoming processors. Here are some examples of what you can expect from ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI.
Fusion Desktops Incoming!
Earlier this month, AMD's Llano APU surfaced on the mobile platform and it certainly looked promising from a mainstream gaming perspective. In case you're still confused about the whole AMD Fusion and APU business, you can read all about the mobile Llano platform in our . It's a handy guide to what's coming up from AMD and it will be especially useful, as the desktop variants of Llano will be popping up in retail very soon.
The short version is that Llano combines a modified 'Phenom II' CPU architecture with Radeon graphics cores in a single die manufactured on AMD's 32nm SOI process. Like Intel's Sandy Bridge, the PCIe and memory controllers are on the APU, but AMD is focusing more on the graphics aspect and these APUs will have superior, DirectX 11 class graphics compared to Intel. AMD will also support a Hybrid CrossFireX technology dubbed Dual Graphics where users can pair the integrated graphics with a suitable discrete Radeon graphics card for better performance.
The desktop platform, which was codenamed Lynx, will consist of the Llano APU along with the supporting chipset/motherboard. This chipset is actually a 'Southbridge' (don't forget that the 'Northbridge' has been subsumed into the processor) or what AMD calls the A75 'Fusion Controller Hub' (FCH). Hence, we'll be calling these A75 motherboards.
Notably, the A75 FCH will provide native USB 3.0 support, along with the SATA 6Gbps support that AMD motherboards have enjoyed since the 800-series. Meanwhile, memory support on these boards is up to DDR3-1866MHz, though this is provided by the integrated memory controller within the APU. The APU also provides for the single PCIe 2.0 x16 slot on these motherboards, with the FCH accounting for the remainder, which generally boils down to a single PCIe 2.0 x4 together with PCI slots.
This is the A75 FCH, which is less than the size of a five-cent coin (Singapore).
At this moment, we can't reveal any performance numbers for a desktop Llano APU, but we can show you some of these A75 motherboards:
ASRock A75 Pro4
ASRock brings us an ATX implementation of the A75 chipset with the Pro4, which comes in mostly blue and white on a dark PCB. It's a fairly typical mainstream design, with ASRock adding some extras in the form of FireWire support and useful buttons for clearing the BIOS, power and reset. The memory frequency support too is now up to 2500MHz for those who don't mind a bit of overclocking, up from the standard 1866MHz.
There are no extra SATA ports besides what's given on the chipset so taking in the fact that there's an eSATA port at the back, there are only five SATA 6Gbps ports left onboard. ASRock has implemented the four USB 3.0 ports from the FCH and they can all be found at the rear panel. HD audio is provided by the very decent and popular Realtek ALC892 CODEC and there's also a Realtek Gigabit LAN controller.
With this chipset seemingly requiring little cooling, there is plenty of space for the APU cooler. We also found the expansion slots to be spaced properly for dual-slot graphics cards if necessary. Layout isn't an issue on this ASRock board.
ASRock's A75 Pro4 is a full ATX offering with enough expansion options for most consumers.
The rear panel is rather packed, with the three display outputs taking up a significant chunk of space. This means there are just six USB ports, of which there are four USB 3.0 ports in blue. ASRock also squeezed in a useful Clear CMOS button along with FireWire and eSATA 6Gbps.
There are only five SATA 6Gbps ports onboard; the sixth is the eSATA at the back. Onboard buttons for power and reset are also present, along with a debugging LED.
There's nothing unusual with the four DIMM slots, which support up to DDR3-2500MHz (overclocked) and up to 32GB in total capacity.
USB 2.0 headers and even a COM connector can be found at the edge of this board.
While there are two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, only the first PCIe x16 slot has the full 16 lanes of bandwidth. The other is only rated at x4. CrossFireX is however supported, though we won't recommend it given the bandwidth limitations. Of course, there are plenty of PCIe x1 and PCI slots given its ATX form factor.
The new Socket FM1 from AMD uses the same mounting mechanism for the heatsink/fan as current AMD processors, so it's not much of a change from the end-user point of view.
The VIA FireWire controller means that ASRock has covered practically all the current interfaces still in use.
ASUS F1A75-V PRO
ASUS too has gone for a normal ATX form factor for its F1A75-V PRO board. What we noticed first was the single heatpipe connecting the passive heatsink on the FCH to the rear heatsink at the motherboard's power delivery system. As usual, you can expect a host of ASUS technologies and features that are just too long to be listed here. Suffice to say that they are familiar names that have appeared in other ASUS boards this year.
Some of the extras include an Asmedia USB 3.0 controller that gives this board up to six USB 3.0 ports. There's also an additional SATA 6Gbps port onboard and an eSATA 6Gbps port, both provided by an Asmedia SATA controller. ASUS also uses a Realtek ALC892 CODEC for audio and like the ASRock, supports CrossFireX, though with only 4 lanes of PCIe bandwidth for the second card.
What this board does lack are onboard buttons for power and reset. Clearing the CMOS too is done via jumpers and the only onboard buttons are for ASUS' proprietary features like MemOK! and its TPU. Of course, we doubt that this will matter to the consumers in this segment and we do get the same, excellent UEFI BIOS that's found on current-gen ASUS boards.
ASUS too sent us a full ATX motherboard for the A75 chipset. It uses the same blue color scheme that we are accustomed to from ASUS.
Unlike the ASRock before, ASUS has gone for the full complement of display outputs, including the newer DisplayPort. There's no Clear CMOS button, which arguably is not that critical on a mainstream chipset like this. No FireWire support either, though there's still an eSATA port.
Besides the standard six SATA 6Gbps ports from the AMD chipset, ASUS has added a controller from Asmedia that provides one extra SATA 6Gbps port onboard and the eSATA port at the rear panel.
ASUS claims to support up to 64GB of DDR3 memory, but that's only if you can find 16GB DIMMs in the market. 1866MHz is the maximum memory frequency supported.
ASUS' proprietary features, MemOK!, TPU and EPU can all be triggered via these handy switches and button.
Some of the connectors found on this ASUS board include USB headers and the front panel connectors. ASUS has a Q-Connector feature that makes connecting the front panel a breeze.
Again, the second PCIe 2.0 x16 slot here only gets 4 lanes of PCIe bandwidth, making CrossFireX possible but not recommended. However, we doubt that users will require this feature.
Minimal cooling for the power delivery system on this board hints at a relatively low power draw. Like most ASUS motherboards recently, digital VRMs are preferred.
This board comes with two extra USB 3.0 ports thanks to this Asmedia controller.
The onboard header for USB 3.0 ports have slightly more pins (19) compared to the standard USB 2.0.
Gigabyte GA-A75M-UD2H
The first microATX board in this preview is the Gigabyte A75M-UD2H. Clad in the blue and white shades that Gigabyte has been using for many generations, this board basically comes with less expansion options than the ASRock and ASUS. The crucial elements are still there: five SATA 6Gbps ports and one eSATA port, four USB 3.0 ports (two via headers) and there's even a pair of PCIe 2.0 x16 slots.
Despite its limited space, Gigabyte manages to pack in a FireWire controller from VIA and more impressively, has the full complement of display outputs (VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort) at the rear panel. There are six USB ports at the rear in total, two of which are USB 3.0 ports. Although there are two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots (with the second having x4 bandwidth), Gigabyte says nothing about CrossFireX support in the manual and while we await clarification from Gigabyte, it's quite likely that this is not supported.
The board itself feels slightly heavier than it looks, aided no doubt by Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 3 feature that calls for more copper content in the PCB. Like the ASUS, our slight peeve is that onboard buttons are missing. Gigabyte is also using a familiar Award BIOS that 'appears' to be non-UEFI, but they would say otherwise anyway with their Hybrid EFI implementation that provides the technical aspects of a UEFI, but not the visual aspect.
Overall, the smaller form factor has not adversely affected the layout on this board, which is pretty neat despite the number of features present.
We can't remember the last time Gigabyte changed its color scheme for its mainstream offerings but this microATX board is visually similar to Gigabyte's AMD 780G boards for example.
Gigabyte too has the full four display outputs but like the ASUS, has no Clear CMOS button. FireWire and eSATA however are present, along with optical S/PDIF output.
Like many mainstream Gigabyte boards, the SATA 6Gbps ports are aligned facing upwards, but their location are sufficiently close to the edge not to interfere with other add-on cards.
Up to 32GB worth of DDR3 1866MHz memory modules can be installed. Almost hidden below the DIMM slots is a TPM header in black and a parallel port header.
FireWire, USB 2.0 headers and even an USB 3.0 header can be found at the edge of this board.
Two PCIe x16 slots on this Gigabyte board with the second rated at x4 like the other A75 boards we have seen so far.
A simple, plain setup around the CPU socket, just like the other A75 boards.
FireWire support remains on this microATX board, with VIA once again the provider.
MSI A75MA-G55
The last A75 board, the MSI A75MA-G55 is another microATX implementation. MSI has kept it simple and besides its own Military Class II feature, this is as mainstream as you'll get. There's the usual display outputs, but MSI has left out DisplayPort. The rear panel is also missing an optical S/PDIF output that's found on the other A75 boards; there's just an onboard header for it. Don't count on FireWire or eSATA either, as one gets only the standard USB ports and audio jacks. There's also just a pair of USB 3.0 ports and no onboard header to extend that to the full four.
MSI did toss a bone to those holding onto their older legacy devices - a serial port header and parallel port header onboard. A TPM module connector ensures that this board will fit right in a corporate environment. Meanwhile, the dual PCIe 2.0 x16 slots does not appear to come with CrossFireX support, and the second slot is only PCIe x4 in any case.
While this board seems like plain vanilla A75, we did find the memory support to be limited to DDR3 1600MHz, which is lower than the standard 1866MHz. This could have some implications for the integrated graphics, as memory frequency has a direct impact on performance. At least the layout seems fine from what we can tell, with forward aligned SATA ports and well-spaced out expansion slots.
More 'Military Class' action from MSI in its microATX AMD A75 offering, the A75MA-G55.
The rear I/O panel on this board is spartan in comparison to the other A75 boards in this roundup. There's no DisplayPort output for one, no FireWire or eSATA ports and only six USB ports, of which there are just two USB 3.0 ones. There's also no S/PDIF output.
The standard complement of SATA 6Gbps ports.
Surprisingly, MSI states that the memory support for the four DIMM slots are up to DDR3 1600MHz. That's just a bit short of the 1866MHz that we find on other boards. 32GB of memory can be installed.
Some of the onboard headers include USB 2.0, serial and even parallel port connectors.
MSI manages to fit two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots but only the first slot has 16 lanes of bandwidth. The second just comes with four. And there's no mention of CrossFireX support either.
The FM1 socket surrounded by MSI' military grade components, like ferrite chokes and solid capacitors.
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.