Asus F2A85-V PRO Mainboard - A Socket FM2 Mainboard With Good Performance (Part 7)

Conclusion

Asus F2A85-V PRO creates a positive impression.  It actually has a few weaknesses, like any other mainboard from any other mainboard maker, but they are not critical. However, when it comes to advantages, they have a lot.  So far we have only tested two mainboards as part of our Socket FM2 mainboard review series, so it's incredibly convenient gto perform side by side comparison between the Asus F2A85-V PRO and Gigabyte GA-F2A85X-UP4. Both mainboards are leading products in their respective line, they have features and functions quite similar and proportionate. They are full size mainboard, support AMD CrossFireX graphics configurations that can be constructed with three PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (1x16, 2x8 or x8/x8/x4).  Asus mainboard has two PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots and two PCI slots for expansion cards, while the Gigabyte mainboard has three PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots and one PCI.  Asus product boasts an intricate cooling contour with a heatpipe that covers all components in the processor voltage regulator circuitry that may run hot during work. Gigabyte mainboard does not have a heat pipe and is missing a heatsink. Asus's additional functions include the EPU and TPU switches, DirectKey, MemOK! and BIOS Flashback buttons.  Gigabyte Mainboard proud of its Power On, Reset and Clear CMOS buttons, POST-code indicator, DualBIOS and Ultra Durable 5 technologies.

Asus F2A85-V PRO creates a positive impression.

If we compare the BIOS functionality then Asus mainboard will look somewhat more attractive. It has automatic overclocking function, adjust the frequency of the graphics core has been implemented in a much more convenient way.  However, it's important to remember that both mainboards overclocked all system components identically. Both can save up to eight BIOS configuration profiles, but Gigabyte mainboard can save and load configuration from external media.  In addition, it also automatically save configuration after each successful boot.  Asus Mainboard cannot boast of anything like that.  Just like other company mainboards it doesn’t save the disabled startup image in the profiles and has no mention of the system hot keys on the screen beneath the startup image. Instead, it allows flexibility to adjust the startup delay, and if the boot image is disabled, it will display system information correctly on the screen.  One obvious drawback of Asus F2A85-V PRO mainboard is its inability to allow adjustment of the rotation speed of the processor's 3-pin cooling fan, while all four system fan connectors can lower their rotation speed with either connection. Gigabyte mainboard has automatic adjustment of the processor fan rotation speed, but only one system fan can allow adjustment with a three-pin fan. The boards perform almost equally fast in nominal as well as in overclocked mode, although Asus mainboard is often ahead of Gigabyte's.  However, it is giving way to the Gigabyte in terms of energy-efficient, and sometimes the difference is quite large.  In addition, while the mainboard is priced in the same range, the price of Asus's products is slightly higher.

AMD A75 chipset

We started our review of the Asus F2A85-V PRO mainboard by saying that it looked like a real fully functional mainboard, however the owner of Socket FM2 system would not accept this entirely, because most of them pay attention to lower prices, and this is not the advantage of Asus.  However, this is hardly a disadvantage.  Asus is more than capable of creating and supporting a diverse range of mainboards.  The company has less expensive mainboards on the AMD A85X and even cheaper mainboards on AMD A75 and A55 chipsets. Therefore, I am sure anyone can find one product will satisfy the needs and desires of their own.  For Asus F2A85-V PRO, a product like that is not only desirable but also necessary, because it is targeted for users that are not willing to compromise and always go for the best.

One obvious drawback of Asus F2A85-V PRO mainboard is its inability to allow adjustment of the rotation speed of the processor's 3-pin cooling fan

Technical specs ·         CPU: AMD Socket FM2 Athlon™/A- Series Processors; supports CPU up to 4 cores; supports AMD ® Turbo Core 3.0 technology ·         Chipset: AMD A85X FCH(Hudson D4) ·         Memory module: 4 DIMM, Max. 64GB, DDR3  400(O.C.)/2250(O.C.)/ 2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/ 2000 (OC)/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory, Dual Channel Architecture; support memory channel AMD Memory Profile (AMP); maximum 64 GB memory capacity that can be supported with DIMMs of 16GB (or higher).  ASUS will update QVL (List of Qualified Provider) when DIMMs are available on the market.; * Refer to www.asus.com or user manual for QVL memory (List of Standard Vendors).; * Due to OS limitation, when installing total memory of 4GB capacity or more, Windows ® 32-bit operating system can only recognize less than 3GB. Installing the operating system 64-bit Windows ® when you want to install 4GB or more memory on the mainboard. ·         Graphics card: AMD Radeon ™ HD 7000 Series Graphics - A-series APU, supporting Multi-VGA output:  HDMI / DVI / RGB / DisplayPort ports, support HDMI with resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz; supports DVI with max resolution.  2560 x 1600 @ Hz; supports RGB with resolution up to 1,920x1,600 @ 60 Hz; supports DisplayPort port resolution up to 4,096x2,160 @ 60 Hz; maximum shared memory up to 2048 MB; supports dual graphics technology AMD® * 1; support DirectX 11. ·         Support Multi-GPU: Support AMD 3-Way CrossFireX™ technology; supports Lucidlogix ® Virtu™ MVP * 2 function. ·         Expansion Slots: 2 PCIe 2.0 x16 (x16 or 2 x8); 1 PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode); 2  PCIe 2.0 x1, 2 PCI ·         Storage: AMD A85X FCH chipset (Hudson D4) ·         LAN: Realtek ® 8111F, 1 Gigabit LAN Controller ·         Audio: Realtek ® ALC892 8-channel CODEC Audio HD ; audio features:  Optical S / PDIF output on the back ·         USB ports  ASMedia ® controls USB3.0: 2 USBs 3.0 ports (2 on the back, blue, green), the A85X AMD FCH (Hudson D4) chipset: 4 USBs 3.0 ports (2 on the back, blue, 2 at mid-board);  AMD A85X FCH (Hudson D4) chipset: 10 USBs 2.0 ports (2 on the back, blue, 8 at mid-board) ·         Overclocking Features: ASUS C.P.R.  (CPU save parameters) ·         Port I/O on the rear:  1 combined port for keyboard / mouse PS / 2; 1 DVI; 1 D-Sub; 1 DisplayPort; 1 HDMI; 1 eSATA; 1 LAN port (RJ45); 4 USBs 3.0 (blue); 2 USBs 2.0; 1 Optical S/PDIF output, 6 audio jacks ·         I / O Ports on the inside:  1 USB 3.0 connector supports 2 additional USB 3.0 ports (19-pin); 4 USBs 2.0 connectors support 8 additional USB 2.0 ports; 1 COM connector port; 7 SATA 6Gb/s connectors; 1 CPU Fan connector (4x -pin); 4 Chassis Fan connectors (4 x-pin); 1 S / PDIF out header(s) port; 1 24-pin EATX power connector; 1 8-pin ATX 12V power connector, 1 audio jack connector (AAFP); 1 System panel; 1 DirectKey button; 1 DRCT head, 1 MemOK! button; 1 TPU switch, 1 EPU switch, 1 USB BIOS Flashback button ·         Accessories User manual, I / O Shield, 4 SATA 6Gb/s cables, 1 Q connector (2 in 1) * 3 ·         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, Screenshot taken function by pressing F12 key; F3 shortcut key gives access to quick functions and access memory information ASUS DRAM SPD ·         Support disc: Drivers, ASUS utilities, ASUS Update, Anti-virus software (OEM version) ·         Type of design:  ATX form-factor ·         Dimensions: 12x9.6 inches ( 30.5x24.4 cm )