AMD Athlon x4 vs A series, what's the difference? Intel builder trying AMD

[spellbinder2050]

I'm trying to make a budget build using an AMD processor/chipset, but I've only built Intel PC's in the past.

Anyone care to tell me the difference between the chipsets?

I'm trying to match this CPU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113379

with this motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128694

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The whole " A78 (Bolton D3)" in the name confuses me.

Is there anything else I should know as an Intel builder coming to AMD builds?

There seems to be a lot more CPU types for AMD: FX, Phenom II X4 and X6, A10, A8, and Athlon x4. Maybe a summary would be useful.

 

[DeathRabit]

This chipset support this CPU but Mobo will need first bios Update to Support this CPU.
But if you want OC on this mobo need some cooling on VRM.
What is your budget and Country, bulid for gaming, HTC, office work ?

 

[das_stig]

Yes it is compatible if using BIOS version F2 or later.

You should though, use a X88 chipset for best performance/overclocking potential.

GA-F2A88X-HD3 is the next model up from yours.

 

[spellbinder2050]

This chipset support this CPU but Mobo will need first bios Update to Support this CPU.
But if you want OC on this mobo need some cooling on VRM.
What is your budget and Country, bulid for gaming, HTC, office work ?

Will the board even boot with this CPU if the bios is not updated first? What do you mean by VRM?

I'm trying to keep my budget below 400, and it's a gaming build.

 

[spellbinder2050]

Yes it is compatible if using BIOS version F2 or later.

You should though, use a X88 chipset for best performance/overclocking potential.

GA-F2A88X-HD3 is the next model up from yours.

Could you tell me the difference between these chipsets? With Intel You can't use different chipsets for the same cpu's to my knowledge.

 

[Calculatron]

FX and Phenom II fit into the AM3+ socket, which comes in two classes: 970 and 990. The later is more overclock capable, and has more crossfire configurations.

The A-series and Athlon X2 and X4 go into the FM socket, which the most recent is the FM2+ socket. The FM2+ has four different flavors: A58, A68, A78, and A88. A58 is the most basic, entry-level product which is being phased out in favor of A68, which has more USB 3.0 connectivity. A78 has some more connectivity, in terms of USB and SATA, and sometimes can handle some overclocking. The A88X has the full FM2+ chipset features, with the most amount of overclocking, and multiple x16 PCIe 3.0 slots for crossfire compatibility.

http://www.amd.com/en-us/products/chipsets/a-series#

 

[ZENprime]

Current AMD processors :

FX line :
These are CPUs without any integrated GPUs in them so you need a GPU card to run them ..
These are the top performance CPU currently offered by AMD
All on AM3+ socket
FX 4000 series are 4 cores
FX 6000 series are 6 cores
FX 8000 series are 8 cores
They have weak single core power but great multi thread power ...
Phenoms are the series that was the predecessor to the FX series
X 2 = 2 cores
X 4 = 4 cores
X 6 = 6 cores
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AMDs APU :
These APUs combine a CPU and a GPU in the same chip , they are called APUs because they have a great GPU in them .
newer generations of these APUs require FM2+ motherboard
A10 = 4 cpu cores ( strongest gpu)
A8 = 4 cpu cores ( weaker gpu )
A6 = 2 cpu cores
modern athlon x4 = A10 CPU without a GPU
It is a great CPU if you want 4 cores and a discrete gpu of your choice
cheaper than the A10
-------------------------------------------------
About FM2+ FM2 FM1 :
These sockets were built for the APUs series
FM2+ : for Kaveri APUs ( 7000s series , athlon 860K )
FM2+ Chipsets (southbridge) :
A88X : 16 PCI-e 3.0 lanes (CF , SLI 8/8 ) , 8 SATA 6 Gbps , 4 USB 3.0 , 12 USB 2.0
A78 : same as A88X but no native CF or SLI and 6 SATA 6 Gbps .
A68H : same as A78 but 4 SATA 6 Gbps , 2 USB 3.0
A58 : same as above but no SATA 6 Gbps or USB 3.0
That native support
but motherboards producers puts others options on their motherboards lines
so you can get USB 3.0 on A58 but that depend on the producer

 

[DeathRabit]

Example bulid in your Price range. * you need ask in shop or local store for bios update.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($69.78 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A78M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Club 3D Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($126.63 @ Amazon)
Case: DIYPC M88-BK MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($32.42 @ Amazon)
Total: $402.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-02 17:19 EDT-0400

About CPU VRM Mosfet they are marked red.

In my curent build I have added VRM heatsinks
https://pcpartpicker.com/b/MKD8TW