ASUS A88X-Pro FM2+ Motherboard Review
It is best to gauge a motherboard manufacturer’s capabilities not at their worst or even at their best, but at a crossroad where their design and manufacturing philosophy is put in a scenario that would force them to decide what compromise (if any) is necessary to be competitive. With the availability of the latest AMD APUs, it seems that now is a good time to see what ASUS’ “Pro” offering provides at $120 USD. Considering their Z87 Pro and X79 Pro models have the luxury of a $200+ price tag, naturally high-end components and features are still expected on the A88X-Pro, but to what extent?
Review Sample Provided by: ASUS
Product Name: A88X-Pro Motherboard
MSRP: $129 USD
Product was given in exchange for work done to produce this review.
Unlike its more expensive Intel Z87 chipset counter-part, the Pro version of the ASUS A88X is leaner, suited toward mid-range market. The box follows the gold/yellow color scheme of the ASUS 2013-release segment motherboards with the unique board features showcased in print in the front and back. Inside are two compartments separated by a white cardboard containing the golden motherboard itself protected inside an anti-static bag on the top while all the rest of the accessories are relegated in the bottom compartment.
Two pairs of SATA cables are included, two of which have a 90 degree connector while the other two are straight on both ends. Like all motherboards, an IO shield as well as a user’s guide with a driver disc is also included. Unique to ASUS boards however is the inclusion of a small packet containing the Q-connector kit, two pieces of labeled cable-end adapters for convenient front panel connector installation.
Specifications:
| CPU | AMD Socket FM2+ Athlon™/A- Series Processors Supports CPU up to 4 cores Supports AMD® Turbo Core 3.0 Technology * Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list |
| Chipset | AMD A88X (Bolton D4) |
| Memory | 4 x DIMM, Max. 64GB, DDR3 2400(O.C.)/2250(O.C.)/2200(O.C.)/2133/1866/1600/1333 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory Dual Channel Memory Architecture Support AMD Memory Profile (AMP) memory * The Max. 64GB memory capacity can be supported with DIMMs of 16GB (or above). ASUS will update QVL once the DIMMs are available on the market. * Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs. * Refer to www.asus.com for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists). * Due to OS limitation, when installing total memory of 4GB capacity or more, Windows® 32-bit operation system may only recognize less than 3GB. Install a 64-bit Windows® OS when you want to install 4GB or more memory on the motherboard. |
| Graphic | Integrated AMD Radeon™ R/HD8000/HD7000 Series Graphics in the A-Series APU Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DVI/RGB/DisplayPort ports – Supports HDMI with max. resolution 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz*1 – Supports DVI with max. resolution 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz – Supports RGB with max. resolution 1920 x 1600 @ 60 Hz – Supports DisplayPort with max. resolution 4096 x 2160 @ 60 Hz Maximum shared memory of 2048 MB AMD® Dual Graphics technology support *2 |
| Multi-GPU Support | Supports AMD 3-Way CrossFireX™ Technology |
| Expansion Slots | 2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8) *3 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode) 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 2 x PCI |
| Storage | AMD A88X FCH(Bolton D4) chipset : 6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), yellow 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s port(s), red Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10, JBOD |
| LAN | Realtek® 8111GR, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s) |
| AUDIO | Realtek® ALC1150 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC – Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking |
| USB Ports | AMD A88X FCH(Bolton D4) chipset : 4 x USB 3.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board) AMD A88X FCH(Bolton D4) chipset : 10 x USB 2.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, black, 8 at mid-board) ASMedia® ASM1042 controller : 2 x USB 3.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue) |
| Special Features | ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 4 with 4-Way Optimization : – The tuning key perfectly consolidates ASUS-exclusive DIGI+ Power Control, TPU, EPU, and Fan Xpert 2 optimize the digital power setting, system performance, power saving and whole system cooling configuration ASUS 5X Protection : – ASUS DIGI+ VRM – 6 + 2 Phase digital power design – ASUS Enhanced DRAM Overcurrent Protection – Short circuit damage prevention – ASUS ESD Guards – Enhanced ESD protection – ASUS High-Quality 5K-Hour Solid Capacitors – 2.5x long lifespan with excellent durability – ASUS Stainless Steel Back I/O – 3x more durable corrosion-resistant coating ASUS EPU : – EPU switch ASUS Exclusive Features : – GPU Boost – Remote GO! – USB BIOS Flashback – MemOK! – AI Suite 3 – Ai Charger+ – USB Charger+ *4 – Anti-Surge – Low EMI Solution – ESD Guards – ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface – Network iControl – USB 3.0 Boost – Disk Unlocker ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution : – Stylish Fanless Design Heat-pipe solution – ASUS Fan Xpert 2 ASUS EZ DIY : – DirectKey – Precision Tweaker 2 – ASUS O.C. Tuner – ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 – ASUS EZ Flash 2 – ASUS MyLogo 2 – ASUS USB BIOS Flashback – ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode – Multi-language BIOS ASUS Q-Design : – ASUS Q-Shield – ASUS Q-Code – ASUS Q-Slot – ASUS Q-Connector |
| Operating System | Windows® 8.1 , 32bit/64bit Windows® 8 , 32bit/64bit Windows® 7 , 32bit/64bit Windows® XP , 32bit |
| Back I/O Ports | 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s) 1 x DVI 1 x D-Sub 1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s 1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s) 4 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 1 x Optical S/PDIF out 5 x Audio jack(s) |
| Internal I/O Ports | 1 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.0 port(s) (19-pin) 4 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 8 USB 2.0 port(s) 1 x COM port(s) connector(s) 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s) 1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (4 -pin) 4 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (4 -pin) 1 x S/PDIF out header(s) 1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s) 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s) 1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP) 1 x System panel(s) (Q-Connector) 1 x DirectKey Button(s) 1 x DRCT header(s) 1 x MemOK! button(s) 1 x TPU switch(es) 1 x EPU switch(es) 1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s) 1 x USB BIOS Flashback button(s) |
| Accessories | User’s manual ASUS Q-Shield 4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s) 1 x Q-connector(s) (2 in 1) |
| BIOS | 64 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 2.0a, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3, F12 PrintScreen Function, F3 Shortcut Function and ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) memory information |
| Support Disc | Drivers, ASUS utilities, ASUS Update, Anti-virus software (OEM version) |
| Form Factor | ATX |
| NOTE | *1: *Only FM2+ APU can support up to 4096 x 2160 resolution display via HDMI port. *2: Refer to HYPERLINK “http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/dual-graphics/Pages/dual-graphics.aspx”http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/dual-graphics/Pages/dual-graphics.aspx#3 for the discrete GPUs which support Dual Graphics technology. *3: Only FM2+ Processors can support PCIe3.0. *4 USB Charger+ is only supported in Windows®7 and later versions. |
