GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 AMD FM2 Motherboard Review
GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 AMD FM2 Motherboard
Without a doubt, GIGABYTE is one of the top motherboard computer component companies out there. GIGABYTE has a very extensive array of product ranging from computer mice, cases, cooling, motherboards, graphics cards and more. GIGABYTE didn’t stop at components though, they also have a line of Notebooks, and netbooks. There isn’t much that GIGABYTE doesn’t offer for the industry today. For now though, we are going to focus on the GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 AMD Socket FM2 motherboard. The GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 is the top FM2 motherboard in GIGABYTE’s FM2 product stack and retails for only $127.06 Shipped.
The GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 is loaded with features from the start. To start out the extensive list of features, the GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 is built using the latest AMD A85X chipset for the new AMD A-Series ‘Trinity’ APU’s. One of the biggest changes in the A85X chipsets is the addition of two addtional SATA III 6Gbps ports for a total of eight ports, and an additional two SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports which gives the AMD A85X chipset a total of four SS USB 3.0 ports.
The GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 is part of the Ultra durable 5 stack of motherboards. The Ultra Durable 5 technology is a combination of different technologies. For the CPU power delivery it is a combination of high current capable components for the CPU power zone that include IR3550 PowIRstage IC’s, 2X Copper PCB, and 60 Amp high current Ferrite Core Chokes. With these components combined the GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 delivers cooler temperatures and higher power efficiency. The GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 uses Digital Power via an exclusive Digital PWM controller array. This allows GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 5 motherboards like the F2A85X-UP4 to deliver much more control and precision to the x86 and GPU aspects of the AMD APU.
GIGABYTE has also implemented their 3D UEFI BIOS which is a definite step up from the traditional BIOS that we were working with on the previous generation AMD A75 chipset. In addition to the 3D BIOS, the GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 is also running dual BIOS chips. If the primary BIOS chip somehow gets corrupted, the secondary BIOS chip will restore it.
GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 AMD FM2 Motherboard Specifications:
| APU | FM2 Socket: AMD A series processors AMD Athlon series processors |
| Chipset | AMD A85X |
| Memory | 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 64 GB of system memory Dual channel memory architecture Support for DDR3 1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules Support for AMD Memory Profile (AMP)/ Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules |
| Onboard Graphics | APU:
1 x D-Sub port |
| Audio | Realtek ALC892 codec High Definition Audio 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel Support for S/PDIF Out |
| LAN | Realtek GbE LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit) |
| Expansion Slots | 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16) 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8) 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4) 3 x PCI Express x1 slots 1 x PCI slot |
| Multi-Graphics Technology | Support for AMD CrossFire technology Support for AMD Dual Graphics technology |
| Storage Interface | Chipset:
7 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors (SATA3 0~6) supporting up to 7 SATA 6Gb/s devices |
| USB | Chipset:
Up to 4 USB 3.0/2.0 ports Etron EJ168 chip: |
| Internal I/O Connectors | 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector 7 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors 1 x APU fan header 4 x system fan headers 1 x front panel header 1 x front panel audio header 1 x S/PDIF Out header 1 x USB 3.0/2.0 header 4 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers 1 x serial port header 1 x Clear CMOS jumper 1 x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header 1 x power button 1 x reset button 1 x Clear CMOS button |
| Back Panel Connectors | 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port 1 x D-Sub port 1 x DVI-D port 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector 1 x HDMI port 1 x DisplayPort 4 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1 x eSATA 6Gb/s connector 1 x RJ-45 port 6 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out/Rear Speaker Out/Side Speaker Out/Line In/Line Out/Microphone) |
| I/O Controller | iTE I/O Controller Chip |
| H/W Monitoring | System voltage detection APU/System temperature detection APU/System fan speed detection APU overheating warning APU/System fan fail warning APU/System fan speed control |
| BIOS | 2 x 64 Mbit flash Use of licensed AMI EFI BIOS Support for DualBIOS PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.6, ACPI 2.0a |
| Unique Features | Support for @BIOS Support for Q-Flash Support for Xpress Install Support for EasyTune Support for Smart Recovery 2 Support for Auto Green Support for ON/OFF Charge Support for 3TB+ Unlock Support for Q-Share |
| Bundle Software | Norton Internet Security (OEM version) LucidLogix Virtu MVP |
| Operating System | Support for Microsoft Windows 8/7/Vista/XP |
| Form Factor | ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm |
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