Motherboard FM2: review, choice. Socket FM2

Choosing a motherboard is a rather difficult process. In addition to the fact that the user needs to decide on the manufacturer's choice, it is also necessary to understand the board format, connectors, necessary slots and characteristics in general. Today we will consider the motherboards FM2, which are now the most in demand among all models from the company AMD.

Connector

Before you find out all the available models with this socket, you need to figure out what kind of connector it is. FM2 is a slot for the chipset, developed for AMD's hybrid processor. This option was created on the updated architecture of the Piledriver kernel. This includes Trinity and Richland, as well as a couple of options that were removed from production.

If you carefully disassemble this connector, you can find out that it got 904 contacts. First appeared on the market in 2012. It should immediately be said that the previous connector, although it pushed the manufacturer to development, still did not become compatible with it. As a result, Socket FM2 is not backward compatible with Socket FM1.

Depending on the modifications, processors can have up to 4 cores. Chipsets of this format for server systems are "stuffed" with 20 cores. There is also a modification of FM2 + at this connector. This version is compatible with previous architectures and novelties such as Kaveri and Godavari.

Selection

Not surprisingly, such a popular connector has acquired so many models of both processors and motherboards. To choose the right motherboard Socket FM2, you need to learn and read a lot. Those who at least learn about new items and sometimes read reviews will easily cope with this problem. If you do not understand anything at all, it's better to contact friends or acquaintances. In extreme cases, talk to the manager in the store.

If you still have something to know about "motherboards", then you need to start looking for models of the desired format and connector for the chipset. Therefore, in order to ensure that there are no failures in the system, one should immediately think about compatibility. Most often, the buyer chooses first the processor, and then already under it "motherboard" and the rest of the components.

It also happens that the user wanted a brand new, more powerful processor, and his motherboard does not support the chipset. Therefore, you have to buy a new motherboard. Also, remember that in addition to AMD, Intel also plays a leading role in the production of processors and motherboards.

Variety

So, one and the second company has its absolute champions, which are in demand and, despite the newer versions, remain common. Intel has two such sockets: 1155 and 2011. The first is designed to install the 2nd and 3rd generation CPU. At the same time, the 1155 socket has a huge number of models, from the weakest Celeron to the latest Core i7. The second connector for Intel 2011 is usually represented by chips that are designed for overclocking and complex tasks. This option can be used not only for the latest versions of Core i7, but also for server processors.

AMD presents the motherboards FM2 and FM1, as well as AM3 and AM3 +. The latter variations are more "experienced". Despite the fact that this socket is obsolete, it is still common. Installed with support for Athlon II and Phenom II. Socket FM2 is designed for the A-Series, which also has a built-in graphics accelerator.

The form

Further, the choice of us leads to thinking about the form of the motherboard. There are many options: among them the most popular ATX, which is suitable for any PC case; There is an XL-ATX, a slightly enlarged format; MicroATX, on the contrary, a reduced version, etc. To understand what you need a motherboard form factor, you should answer the question: what is the purpose of the new PC?

For a compact computer MiniITX will suffice. To form a workstation, you have to choose CEB. But the everyday or gaming PC works well on the basis of the "motherboard" form factor ATX and MicroATX.

Also, FM2 motherboards must have all the necessary connectors for the buyer. Further it is better to pay attention to the cooling system. Understand whether you need an additional cooler or your own system to cope with cooling yourself. Well, the last option you can look at the appearance. Some buyers like to create a system with a transparent case cover and luminous components.

MSI

In general, as mentioned earlier, it's easy to find AMD FM2 motherboards. So, MSI has its own champion FM2-A85XA-G65. The model was delivered in bright packaging. In front, in addition to the name of the model, there is information about an intelligent overclocking system, as well as some proprietary technologies.

There are a lot of extra "buns" in the box. So, there are a couple of cables for SATA, M-Connectors and V-Check. Inside there are disks with drivers and software, a couple of instructions and even a copy of the certificate, which indicates the standard for manufacturing the board.

The appearance of the MSI motherboard under FM2 got interesting. The form factor has the most common - ATX. One of the main "chips" is the cooling system. It operates on the AMD A85X base. The operative memory is represented by four slots of the DDR3 format. As a result, you can collect up to 64 GB of RAM.

It is possible to connect two video cards at the same time: there are two PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots, as well as the AMD CrossFireX system. The only thing is that when you plug in one "viduhi" connector works as much as possible, if you connect a couple of accelerators, then both ports will work in a special mode.

There are many connectors on the interface panel. There is a place for connecting a mouse and keyboard, four video outputs, a network connector, analog slots and six USB two versions: 2.0 and 3.0.

ASRock

The motherboard FM2 is also presented by this manufacturer. In addition to the usual variations, ASRock created the ITX format model. "Motherboard" A88M-ITX / ac has excellent functionality, despite the size of the device - 17x17 centimeters. Chipset for it was AMD A88X. The board has all the functions necessary for the average user. For example, there is support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you can also find two antennas, which are responsible for data transfer with a speed of 2400 to 5000 MHz.

In addition to the fact that the option supports FM2, it also works with the updated version of FM2 +. Power is represented by five phases and eight contacts. There is a slot for the video card and a couple for RAM. You can install six pieces of storage, which is quite a lot for such a small area.

ASUS

Of course, this is not all FM2 motherboards. The review is worth continuing with the manufacturer ASUS, which for many years has successfully created excellent options. Model F2A85-M LE received a bright box. It immediately shows what the developer is proud of: a digital power management unit. Under the name of the model, modestly placed other technologies and specifications.

On the back of the package, as usual, detailed information about the "motherboard". Inside the box there is nothing superfluous. In addition to instructions, user's manual, a disc with "firewood" there is a sticker, a plug and a pair of cables.

It is interesting that the shape of the board is difficult to determine. Since it looks like mATX, but does not reach it just one centimeter. The model itself looks very fragile and heaped up. On the reverse side of the "motherboard" there is nothing, but the front one got a lot of slots and connectors.

Cooling is represented by modest radiators, which hints at the purchase of an additional cooler. Slots on the interface panel are a place for the mouse and keyboard, network cable, monitors, flash drives and headsets.

conclusions

It should be understood that sooner or later the user will need a new motherboard. Socket FM2 and its updated version - now the most popular connectors from the company AMD. Considering the fact that processors for this format have been released since 2012, there are a huge number of models on the market: from the most mediocre to super-productive gaming.

As practice shows, the "motherboards" from this company show, although not bad, but nevertheless relative to Intel's products a weak overclocking result. Therefore, these options are most suitable for ordinary users who are not familiar with overclocking and self-improvement of the PC. For those who are easier to install the entire periphery and do not bother with the setting.