MSI Rolls Out A85XMA-E35 Socket FM2 Motherboard

[btarunr]

MSI rolled out its second socket FM2 motherboard for the week, following the A85XMA-E33, unlike which, the new board is built into a full-size micro-ATX (240 x 240 mm) PCB. Yet, designers couldn't find room for eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, which the A85X FCH is capable of handling, or four DDR3 DIMM slots. The FM2 socket is powered by a simple 5-phase VRM that's cooled by a chunky MOSFET heatsink, it's wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots, and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. Other slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and a legacy PCI. Display outputs include DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI; 8-channel HD audio, four USB 3.0 ports, and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of its notable rear-panel connectivity. Here's hoping that by simply opting for the A85X, without wiring out eight SATA ports, doesn't let MSI get away by making A85XMA-E35 any costlier than AMD A75-based boards with similar features.

[RejZoR]

Why on Earth they still waste the space with damn PCI slots on a brand new modern hardware in year 2013 is beyond me...

[Nihilus]

STILL only 1 mini ITX FM2 board on newegg. Oh, and that one is a FIRE hazzard. What gives?!

[Frick]

Originally Posted by RejZoR

Why on Earth they still waste the space with damn PCI slots on a brand new modern hardware in year 2013 is beyond me...

I think its nice to have. I have tons of various PCI cards. If say the onboard audio for some reason would stop work on a board beyond RMA i can just shove an old pci card in it. The same with nics, and if i wany serial ports or usb ports or whatever i just put that in it.