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Motherboard manufacturers offer support for new AMD FM2+ Godavari APUs (Updated)

By Koh Wanzi - on 2 Jun 2015, 10:28am

Motherboard manufacturers offer support for new AMD FM2+ Godavari APUs

The MSI A88X-G41 PC MATE V2 is one of the more gaming-oriented boards in MSI's new motherboard lineup. (Image Source: MSI)

Updated on 2 June 2015:- This article has been updated with details on support for AMD Godavari APUs from ASUS and Gigabyte. 

Originally published on 11 May 2015:-

AMD recently took the wraps off its new Godavari accelerated processing units (APUs). Godavari is intended as a refresh of the existing Kaveri APUs and will utilize the same x86 Steamroller core and Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture.

Biostar and MSI are now leading the charge in offering support for the new APUs. MSI was first to the party, releasing a total of eight new FM2+/FM2 motherboards that will be compatible with upcoming Godavari APUs. The new motherboards will be available in ATX, micro-ATX and mini-ITX form factors and are backwards compatible with FM2 processors. This is good news for users still using Richland, Trinity, or any of the 5000 and 6000 series processors - they’ll be able to buy new boards first and upgrade to Godavari later if they wish.

MSI's new motherboards will be available in mini-ITX, micro-ATX and ATX form factors. (Image Source: MSI)

The new MSI motherboards include A68H, A78 and A88X motherboards and feature a diverse mix of performance and connectivity features. Gamers will probably be interested in the larger ATX-sized A88X-G41 PC Mate V2 motherboard, which offers more PCI slots and AMD Crossfire support. On the other hand, HTPC builders will want to look at the mini-ITX A88XI AC V2, which features built-in Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0.

A full list of supported motherboards from MSI can be found here. It's worth noting that the E45 boards are the only ones to feature the full complement of four DIMM slots.

On Biostar’s end, it has updated its motherboard line-up with three Godavari-compatible motherboards, including the Biostar Hi-Fi A88W 3D, Hi-Fi A70U3P and Hi-Fi A68U3P. However, unlike MSI, Biostar has opted not to release brand new motherboards and is instead updating some of its existing FM2+ to support the new APU.

The Biostar Hi-Fi A88W 3D will support AMD's new Godavari APUs and AMD Crossfire. (Image Source: Biostar)

Like the MSI boards, Biostar’s motherboards will be backward compatible with previous generation FM2+ and FM2 APUs. Many of the boards also feature only 2 DIMM slots. For more details on Biostar's new motherboards, please visit their product website

In addition, Gigabyte's existing line of AMD A88X, A78, A68H and A58 chipset FM2+ motherboards will now support the new Godavari APUs via a BIOS update that can be downloaded here

The Gigabyte F2A88X-UP4 motherboard is one of the FM2+ boards that will support AMD's new Godavari APU. (Image Source: Gigabyte)

To round things off, ASUS FM2+ A88X, A78, A68H, A58 and A55-series motherboards will also feature support for Godavari. The BIOS update can be applied using ASUS' USB BIOS Flashback feature, which involves simply downloading the update to a USB flash drive, plugging it in and hitting the flashback button. For more information on the USB BIOS Flashback feature, please refer here

The ASUS A88X Gamer board will support Godavari APUs via a BIOS update. (Image Source: ASUS)

Alternatively, the Windows-based EZ Update utility - accessible via EZ Mode in ASUS AI Suite 3 - can be used to update the BIOS with a single click. 

There's no news on local pricing and availability yet, but we'd expect these AMD motherboards to be positioned as budget offerings to system builders in lieu of Intel. AMD's APUs aren't intended to be performance parts for the enthusiast market, which explains why many of the boards here are a little sparse when it comes to features like PCIe and DIMM slots. 

If you'd like a more in-depth look at AMD Godavari, do refer to our more detailed article here

Source: ASUSBiostar, GigabyteMSI

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