Compared to most current Intel boards, MSI's FM2-A85XA-G65 is very clean looking, especially around the CPU socket. This particular board benefits from LucidLogix's Virtu MVP in addition to hybrid Crossfire present on FM2 boards and will handle proper Crossfire as it does have a pair of PCIe 16x slots. You could build an agile HTPC with this motherboard, with 8 channel sound available and D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort output all present. The board is currently available for $110, a full review can be found over at X-bit Labs.
"MSI mainboards look great, have very convenient layout and use only high-quality components. These boards are energy-efficient, fast and work well with default settings. However, there are quite a few things in their BIOS that could use some extra work and the boards do not keep the power-saving technologies up and running during overclocking. Everything we have just said is true for the main hero of our today’s review."
Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:
- ASRock FM2A85X Extreme6 Socket FM2 @ X-bit Labs
- Asus F2A85-V PRO @ X-bit Labs
- BIOS Option Of The Week – OS Select For DRAM > 64MB @ TechARP
- MSI Z77A-GD65 GAMING Intel LGA 1155 @ techPowerUp
- Asus P8Z77-V LK @ eTeknix
- MSI Z77A-GD65 @ eTeknix
- Asus P8Z77-V @ eTeknix
- MSI Z77A-GD65 @ Kitguru
- Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB Intel Z77 Motherboard Review @ PCSTAT
- ASRock Fatal1ty X79 Champion @ eTeknix
I have this board, it is only
I have this board, it is only using half of my memory. Can’t figure out what is wrong, i’ve tried reseating the CPU, tried reseating the memory, and replaced all the memory. Currently filling all 4 memory slots with 4GB G.Skill modules. When I go into the BIOS and look at the memory specs it shows the correct information for all 4 slots but it is only using half of it (8GB instead of 16GB). I can’t find anything that reserves memory for the APU video and updated to the latest BIOS. Really sucks. I figure it must have a memory slot with a bad pin somewhere. This is the last MSI board i’m ever buying.