Presenting the winners of the BIOSTAR HiFi Contest. In April, we ran a Facebook giveaway in collaboration with BIOSTAR, giving away three A85W-HiFi socket FM2 motherboards to participants from the US, with a catchphrase that best describes the awesome Puro HiFi integrated audio solution you with with these motherboards. Without further ado, the winners:

• Andrew from Minneapolis, MN
  
• Jesse from Coeur d'Alene, ID
  
• Daniel from Folsom, CA
  

Huge congrats to you guys! Have fun with your new A85W-HiFi! TechPowerUp will return with more interesting contests.

Noctua today announced the availability of an alternative mounting option for its NH-L9a low profile heatsink. The new option does not make use of a backplate and thus now permits to install the NH-L9a on AMD mainboards that have components in the area at the rear side that is reserved for the backplate in the AMD specifications. The new mounting parts will be provided to NH-L9a users free of charge.

"The SecuFirm2 mounting system of the NH-L9a complies strictly to the AMD specifications and guarantees 100% compatibility with mainboards that follow these specifications", explains Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "We've been overwhelmed with the great press and customer feedback on this cooler, but unfortunately, some mini-ITX mainboards do not follow the AMD specifications, so the NH-L9a could not be installed on these. We have now designed an alternative mounting option and will provide the new parts to customers who need it free of charge."

ASUS augmented its socket FM2 motherboard lineup with the F2A85-V, a lite variant of the F2A85-V Pro the company kicked off its Trinity APU-compatible motherboard lineup with. The new F2A85-V trims down on a few things over the -Pro variant, such as simpler independent VRM and FCH heatsinks with no heat-pipe connecting them, fewer APU power phases, and a lighter expansion slot layout that isn't ideal for multi-GPU setups.

To begin with, the F2A85-V features a 6-phase APU VRM that draws power from a 4-pin ATX connector, compared to the 8-phase one drawing from an 8-pin EPS, on the F2A85-V Pro. The FM2 socket is connected to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting a maximum of 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory; and a single PCI-Express 2.0 x16. Other expansion slots include a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, wired to the A85X FCH), two PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and three legacy PCI slots.

In addition to the FM2A85X-ITX, ASRock expanded its socket FM2 motherboard lineup with the FM2A85X Pro. This slim ATX form-factor motherboard, as the name suggests, is based on AMD A85X chipset, supporting socket FM2 APUs. By ATX standards, the board has a very slim feature-set, which should keep its price considerably low. To begin with, the FM2 socket is powered by a cost-effective 5-phase VRM, which draws power from an 8-pin EPS connector. It is wired to just two DDR3 DIMM slots (32 GB max., dual-channel DDR3-1866); and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 connector.

In addition to a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 that's wired to the APU, the FM2A85X-ITX features another long slot, only this one is electrical 2.0 x4, and wired to the A85X FCH. Three PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and two legacy PCI make for the rest of the expansion slot area. The board features a total of eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, but are spread apart in two clumps of four ports each. Connectivity is pretty basic: dual-link DVI, D-Sub, four USB 3.0 ports (two rear, two by header), 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, PS/2 mouse and keyboard; and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports. We expect this one to go for around $80, if not less.

In what could bring an ear-to-ear grin on DIY NAS/home-server builders, ASRock launched the industry's first mini-ITX motherboard with a total of eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports (of which one is eSATA 6 Gb/s). The new FM2A85X-ITX, as the name suggests, is a socket FM2 motherboard based on the AMD A85X chipset, in the mini-ITX form-factor. Everything on this board is just where you'd want it to be: the centrally-located APU socket is powered by a fairly strong 6-phase VRM, which along with ancillary phases, draws power from 24-pin ATX and 4-pin CPU power connectors.

The APU socket, which supports today's AMD A-series "Trinity" APUs, and likely tomorrow's A-series "Richland" APUs, is wired to two DDR3-DIMM slots supporting a maximum of 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 memory; and the lone expansion slot, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16. The AMD A85X FCH wires out seven internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports (with RAID 0/1/10 support), and an eSATA 6 Gb/s port. Display connectivity includes one each of dual-link DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. The board features a total of four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two by headers). Gigabit Ethernet, 8-channel HD audio, PS/2 keyboard, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports make for the rest of the connectivity. The ASRock FM2A85X-ITX is expected to be priced around US $110.

AMD's A-series "Trinity" line of APUs may have helped make the APU outsell CPUs in 2013, but it won't be long before they're replaced by the new "Richland" A-series APUs for desktops and mainstream notebooks. "Richland" is a tweaked version of "Trinity" which sees AMD stick to the 32 nm process, and retain the "Piledriver" CPU micro-architecture, but increase CPU clock speeds, add a faster DDR3-2133 MHz dual-channel IMC, and integrate a Radeon HD 8000 series Graphics CoreNext iGPU into the silicon. Desktop APU models will take up with A##-6000 series numbering scheme.

The series will be led by AMD A10-6800K, which features every component on the "Richland" silicon unlocked, which includes two "Piledriver" CPU modules amounting to four x86-64 cores, and all stream processors on the iGPU unlocked, with the highest CPU and iGPU clock speeds enabled in the lineup. The iGPU model for this chip is Radeon HD 8670D. The A10-6800K features unlocked multipliers, making overclocking a breeze. Trailing it is the A10-6700, which features all physical components unlocked, but with slightly lower clock speeds, and locked BClk multipler. It features the same iGPU as its bigger sibling, the HD 8670D.

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.

In addition to the AP2021 all-in-one desktop, earlier today, MSI rolled out the A85XMA-P33 socket FM2 motherboard. Nearly identical to the recently-launched A75MA-P33, the A85XMA-P33 is proof that AMD overproduced the chipset, and it's up to board makers like MSI to somehow get rid of it. Even as the AMD A85X chipset features eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, the board only features six, there aren't even eSATA ports to make up. Supporting AMD A-Series APUs in the socket FM2 package, the board features a 5-phase VRM, one each of PCI-Express 2.0 x16, PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and legacy PCI; four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two by header), DVI and D-Sub display outputs, 6-channel HD audio, and gigabit Ethernet. It is driven by UEFI BIOS. We see no reason why the board should be priced any differently from the A75MA-P33.

MSI's FM2-A85XA-G65 breaks world records again! Featuring MSI's new DigitALL power design with Military Class III components, the FM2-A85XA-G65 reached an astounding 2844MHz memory frequency and 170.5MHz BCLK with an AMD A10-5800K processor. The combination of MSI FM2-A85XA-G65 and AMD A10-5800K scores over 10000 Marks in 3DMark Vantage P mode. It shows that MSI FM2 series has great overclocking potential and brings better gaming experience to users.

AMD's new A10-5800K Trinity APU is a powerful solution that combines excellent CPU performance with unprecedented integrated GPU performance. MSI's FM2-A85XA-G65 is the excellent companion for AMD's latest series of APUs as it combines great performance features with a keen eye on power consumption. With the push of a button, OC Genie II will boost your APU and GPU performance. Graphics performance is boosted with both AMD CrossFire and Dual Graphics.

Jetway is now prepping its second motherboard powered by the AMD A85X chipset, the HA21-85X. This ATX board supports AMD's Socket FM2 APUs and features a 4+2 phase power design, four DDR3-1866 memory slots, an mSATA connector, five SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot, Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1 channel audio, two USB 3.0 ports, and D-Sub, DVI and HDMI outputs.

The HA21-85X's price tag has not been revealed.Source: hi-Tech.ua

Taiwan-based Biostar Microtech has now announced a new motherboard supporting AMD's FM2 APUs, the Hi-Fi A85W. Powered by the A85X chipset, this board comes with a bunch of audiophile-friendly features like a noise-blocking multi-layer PCB design (isolates analog audio signals from digital sources), a built-in amplifier, Non-Polarized Electrolysis Electric audio capacitors for each audio channel circuit, 'Hi-Fi' resistors, and the Hi-Fi Power technology (audio components have an independent power design).

Biostar's motherboard also has four DDR3-2400 memory slots, eight SATA 6.0 Gbps ports, two PCIe x16, two PCIe x1 and two PCI slots, Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1-channel audio (Realtek ALC892 codec), a debug LED, two USB 3.0 ports, and D-Sub, DVI and HDMI outputs. The Hi-Fi A85W has a recommended price tag of €124.90.

BIOSTAR, a manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, industrial computing systems and peripherals, has officially launched their latest editions to their AMD FM2 motherboard lineup, the Hi-Fi A85S3 and HiFi A75S3. These are the most cost effective solutions that support AMD Socket FM2 CPUs and offer native support for SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and dual-channel memory up to DDR3 - 2400 in over-clocking mode.

Socket FM2 is a CPU socket used by AMD's Trinity Fusion APU's which will also utilize AMD's new A85X and A75 chipset. The Hi-Fi A85S3 and A75S3 have also received the official Windows 8 hardware certification from Microsoft.

ECS, the world's top motherboard maker, now announce its "ECS Trinity Challenge" Online OC Competition with FM1/FM2 platform motherboards on HWBOT. Meanwhile, ECS is proud to announce its second cooperation with HWBOT for online OC competition globally. ECS would like to take this chance to introduce a series of new FM2-based motherboard to enthusiast community through this competition.

The competition starts from November 1st, runs until November 30th. There are two competition stages for overclockers. First stage- AMD FM1 platform: It is open to all overclockers with ECS brand motherboards only and the benchmark is: 3DMark06. Second competition stages- AMD FM2 platform: It is open to all overclockers with all brands of motherboards in the market, and the benchmark is: 3DMark Vantage. HWBOT general benchmark validation rules apply to both stages.

ASRock made two additions to its socket FM2 motherboard lineup, based on the AMD A85X chipset. These include the FM2A85X Extreme4 (ATX form-factor), and FM2A85X Extreme4-M (micro-ATX). The FM2A85X Extreme4 is a notch below the feature-rich FM2A85X Extreme6. Built in the slim ATX form-factor, the board uses a simple 6-phase VRM to power the APU socket, which is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory, and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. While it has two long PCIe slots, one of them is electrical x4, wired to the FCH. Other expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and three legacy PCI. Seven out of eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports are assigned as internal ports, with one eSATA. The board features four USB 3.0 ports in total. HDMI, DVI, and D-Sub make up display inputs, gigabit Ethernet, and 8-channel audio make for the rest of the connectivity.

Moving on, the FM2A85X Extreme4-M is a compressed variant of the FM2A85X Extreme4, which features an expansion slot layout of one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 wired to the APU, a PCI-Express 2.0 x4 (physical x16) wired to the FCH, and one each of PCI-Express 2.0 x1 and legacy PCI. Much like the FM2A85X Extreme4, its display connectivity features DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI; seven out of eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports are internal, with an eSATA port; gigabit Ethernet and 8-channel HD audio make for the rest of the connectivity. The two are priced in the US $90-$110 range.

Biostar is currently preparing the release of two more motherboards supporting AMD's FM2 (codename Trinity) APUs, the Hi-Fi A85S2 powered by the A85X chipset and the Hi-Fi A55S2 equipped with an A55 chip. Since they are part of the Hi-Fi Series, both models feature an integrated independent audio power design and built-in amplifier, as well as a noise-blocking multi-layer PCB layout, the goal being to deliver a higher quality sound.

Both boards have an ATX form factor and pack 100% X.D.C solid capacitors, two DDR3-1866 memory slots, one PCIe x16 and two PCIe x1 slots, three PCI slots, Gigabit Ethernet, 5.1-channel audio, plus D-Sub and DVI outputs. The A55S2 also includes six SATA 3.0 Gbps ports and four USB 2.0 connectors, while the A85S2 comes with eight SATA 6.0 Gbps ports, two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 plugs, and an HDMI output. No word yet on pricing.

HWBot.org Test lab put the A10-5800K APU through its paces by overclocking its CPU component to 5.242 GHz (124.8 MHz x42 @1.644V), and its Radeon HD 7660D GPU component to 1.58 GHz (up from 1.275 GHz), to yield a 3DMark Vantage score of P10002 (performance preset), a level of performance unheard of for integrated graphics. The feat was made possible by picking the best of three A10-5800K chips cooled by Der8auer Fusion rev3 CPU pot, a Gigabyte FM2A85X-UP4 motherboard, G.SKILL RipjawsZ F3-19200CL9Q-16GBZMD 2x 4 GB memory, Corsair AX1200i PSU, and Windows 7 OS. Find more details in the source link below.Source: HWBOT

Gigabyte announced its newest socket FM2 motherboard, the F2A85X-D3H. Built in the ATX form-factor, and as a pleasant surprise, with a black PCB, the F2A85X-D3H is based on AMD A85X chipset. The APU socket is powered by a simple 4+2 phase VRM, which has been featured on several of the company's micro-ATX models. The APU is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory; and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. Other expansion slots include a PCI-Express 2.0 x4 (physical x16, wired to the A85X FCH), three PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and two legacy PCI.

All eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports from the A85X FCH are wired as internal ports, two of which are angled. The board features four USB 3.0 ports, two at the rear panel, two via headers. Display connectivity includes dual-link DVI (capable of 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz or 1080p @ 120 Hz), D-Sub, and HDMI. Other connectivity includes 8-channel HD audio with optical SPDIF output (Realtek ALC892 CODEC), gigabit Ethernet (Realtek 8111F), eight USB 2.0 ports, mouse/keyboard PS/2 combo port, legacy COM header, and trusted platform module header.

Beating their own OC record of 7.384 GHz set earlier this week, overclocker alvinkenzo took the $122 AMD A10-5800K APU all the way up to 7446.41 MHz, achieved with a base clock frequency of 120.1 MHz and 62.0x multiplier. The core voltage was set at 1.992V, and one of the two modules were disabled, a discrete graphics card was used. Memory speed wasn't tinkered with, at DDR3-1600 MHz, a pair of G.Skill-made modules were used in dual-channel configuration. Seating it all was MSI FM2-A85XA-G65 motherboard. The CPU-Z validation for the feat can be found here.

Gigabyte made a late addition to its socket FM2 launch lineup, the F2A85XM-D3H. Based on the AMD A85X chipset, the micro-ATX motherboard builds on its feature-set with a few legacy connectivity options. The APU socket is powered by a 5-phase VRM that draws power from an 8-pin EPS connector. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory, and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. The memory is powered by a 2-phase VRM. Other expansion slots include one each of PCI-Express 2.0 x1, PCI-Express 2.0 x4 (long slot, wired to the A85X FCH), amd legacy PCI.

All eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports from the A85X FCH are wired out as internal ports. Display outputs include DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. The four USB 3.0 ports from the chipset are split in groups of two between the rear panel and on board as headers. Other connectivity includes 6-channel HD audio with 8-channel digital TOSLINK output, gigabit Ethernet, eight USB 2.0 ports, and headers for COM (serial), LPT (parallel), and trusted platform module. The board is driven by dual-UEFI firmware. It is built using Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 4 Classic construction. It is expected to be priced around US $129.99.

Apparently, AMD wasn't exaggerating with its 6.50 GHz over LN2 claim for its A10-5800K APU. Overclocker GASBK_TW achieved 7317.74 MHz clock-speed for the A10-5800K, with a base clock of 118.03 MHz, multiplier of 62x, and a staggering 1.956V core voltage. The APU was cooled by liquid nitrogen. Other key components include Biostar Hi-Fi A85X motherboard, 4 GB of G.Skill DDR3-1600 MHz memory, and discrete Radeon HD 7700 series GPU. The CPUID validation can be found here.Source: PC Games Hardware

AMD Japan teamed up with ASUS to display a concept 100% fanless (silent) HTPC build to buyers at Tokyo's Akihabara electronics shopping district. The build uses Streacom FC5 chassis with a CPU base modified for socket FM2. The base conducts heat from the processor using four copper heat pipes to the aluminum chassis, which doubles up as a heatsink. The build utilizes AMD A10-5700 APU, ASUS F2A85-M Pro micro-ATX motherboard based on AMD A85X chipset, 8 GB of AMD-certified DDR3-1866 MHz memory, and Corsair Force GT SSD. The concept build shows buyers that AMD's "Trinity" APUs are ready, willing, and able to power silent HTPC builds.Sources: FanlessTech, ITMedia.co.jp

ASRock unveiled a new line of motherboards for socket FM2 AMD A-Series "Trinity" accelerated processors. Spread across three chipsets - AMD A55, AMD A75, and AMD A85X; and three form-factors - ATX, micro-ATX, and mini-ITX; ASRock's lineup includes a total of six models. Leading the pack is the FM2A85X Extreme6 (ATX, A85X), followed by the FM2A75 Pro4 (ATX, A75), FM2A75 Pro4-M (micro-ATX, A75), FM2A75M-DGS (micro-ATX, A75), FM2A55M-DGS (micro-ATX, A55), and FM2A75M-ITX (mini-ITX, A75).

The FM2A85X Extreme6 comes fully-loaded with a 10-phase CPU VRM, 3-way multi-GPU support (x16/NC/NC; x8/x8/NC; x8/x4/x4), DDR3-2600+ memory support, seven SATA 6 Gb/s + one eSATA 6 Gb/s ports, and a suite of ASRock XFast technologies. The board eyes a price tag around US $149. The only other ATX socket FM2 model in ASRock's lineup, the FM2A75 Pro4, features a simpler 6-phase CPU VRM, single PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (the other long slot being electrical x4), with just about all the features accommodated by the AMD A75 chipset. The FM2A75 Pro4-M is a slightly miniaturized version of this board, which retains most of its features, with fewer PCI-Express x1 and legacy PCI slots.

Are you a first class sniper? Gather your friends and come take the "MSI Commando: Mission FM2" challenge together! The world renowned mainboard and graphics card manufacturer MSI, officially announced a series of mainboards equipped with the AMD FM2 chip, and is holding the "MSI Commando: Mission FM2" online activity. Participants who successfully solve the six puzzles related to the FM2-A85XA-G65 mainboard and strike the invaders within the given time, will have a chance to take home the all new MSI FM2-A85XA-G65 mainboard! This is a challenge that MSI AMD series mainboards enthusiasts cannot afford to miss! Hurry up and bring your passion and join the challenge

Continuing with the persistence for product stability and quality, the MSI FM2 series of mainboards use Military Class III components that have passed rigorous third-party laboratory tests, and are equipped with the AMD Dual Graphics technology that integrates the computing ability of the APU's built-in graphics card and a discrete graphics card, increasing 3D performance. They are also equipped with MSI's exclusive one-second overclocking technology OC Genie II, further increasing 3D performance to allow gamers to fully enjoy gaming fun.

With the availability of AMD's new lineup of APUs MSI, the world leader in extreme performance mainboards and graphics cards, is pleased to announce the availability of a new lineup of Socket FM2 mainboards. Amongst the models available are the full-fledged FM2-A85X-G65 Gaming mainboard, compact MicroATX models and a brilliant miniITX model with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Aiming to deliver the best gaming performance you will find the FM2-A85XA-G65 equipped with an amazing feature set to deliver an unprecedented gaming experience for the AMD platform. OC Genie II boosts the APUs CPU & GPU performance, Memory performance is enhanced with support for both AMP and XMP memory overclocking profiles. And MSI clock generator allows for much faster bus speeds which increases the performance of Dual Graphics and CrossFire even further! This is topped off with the first DigitALL PWM with Military Class III on a MSI mainboard.

In addition to the Hi-Fi A85W, Biostar unveiled a mainstream socket FM2 motherboard in the micro-ATX form-factor, the T-Series TA75MH2. Based on the AMD A75 FCH, the motherboard is designed keeping essential connectivity in mind, and is built in the compact micro-ATX form-factor. The FM2 socket, which supports the latest AMD A-Series "Trinity" APUs, is powered by a simple 5-phase VRM. Nevertheless, Biostar included a MOSFET heatsink. The FM2 socket is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory; and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot.

In addition to the PCI-Express 2.0 x16, the TA75MH2 features two PCI-Express 2.0 x1 and a legacy PCI slot. The AMD A75 FCH gives out six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, all of which are assigned as internal ports on the TA75MH2. Display connectivity includes DVI, HDMI, and D-Sub. The TA75MH2 packs legacy connectivity, including COM (serial) and LPT (parallel), via headers. Other connectivity includes 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, and four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two via header). The board is driven by UEFI BIOS. It is expected to be priced at US $70.Source: Hermitage Akihabara