ASRock FM2A78M-HD+ & FM2A78M-ITX+ Review

[Guest]

Today, we have a pair of AMD FM2+ boards from ASRock on the test bench: the FM2A78M-HD+ and the FM2A78M-ITX+.

ASRock FM2A78M-HD+ & FM2A78M-ITX+ Review : Read more

 

[FCsean]

At the time of this writing, three of the four boards retail for an average of $60. However, the ITX+ board is retailing for nearly 60 percent more at $84.99!

Not sure how 84.99 is 60% more than 60. maybe 40%.

 

[ktolo]

I still don't know why i keep seeing APU's tested with 1600 memory.. when the world and his dog knows that when you pair these chips with faster memory it unlocks a fair bit more performance. 2133MHz minimum for these APU's - the 7850K can work with 2400MHz

 

[Onus]

ktolo, you have a point for actual use, however he did mention in the beginning we're all using the same RAM which can allow some direct comparison across all our motherboard review articles.
For my part, as I test a variety of systems, despite sometimes notable benchmark differences, there is little practical difference in the end-user experience. In the bad old days of single and dual-core CPUs, everything mattered at the margin; now I think that is less true. This may be why AMD still manages to sell CPUs, as long as the price is right. Intel may indeed run rings around them, but in actual use the difference doesn't feel that great.

 

[TheTerk]

At the time of this writing, three of the four boards retail for an average of $60. However, the ITX+ board is retailing for nearly 60 percent more at $84.99!

Not sure how 84.99 is 60% more than 60. maybe 40%.

The ITX+ retails on Newegg for $95 bucks. It is currently on sale for $84 and it looks like the rebate is still available until the end of January.

 

[Crashman]

We love the Terk. Unfortunately, motherboard companies aren't loving AMD at the moment: Getting samples has been a problem. So if anyone knows about something released in the past year that we should have tested, speak up and we'll pester those companies.

 

[Cryio]

Bristol Ridge for APU fans couldn't come sooner.

 

[damric]

I have been known to crossfire on the A88X platform. The platform has numerous advantages over AM3+, including PCIE 3.0, CPU on-die northbridge, and lack of Hyper Transport bottleneck. Also Steamroller cores have more IPC and twice as many decoders per module as Piledriver cores. I'm not sure why anyone would purchase an AM3+ platform at this point actually, unless getting one very cheap second hand.

 

[RedJaron]

Jake, as you say, A88X boards tend to have somewhat better components than A78 boards. To the APU tweaker and tuner, the higher quality board would be appreciated in OCing. The value of FM2 and APU OCing is of course a whole 'nother topic, but if you're going to do it, I would generally prefer an A88X board.

You are quite right that a media and HTPC can do well on the cheaper A78, just like I'd go with a B85 or H81 on the Intel side for such a machine.

 

[logainofhades]

The newegg link, for the M-ITX board, on the last page, takes you to the M-ATX one, for some reason.

 

[Rexolaboy]

DDR3 1600mhz with an APU? At least see how adding the 2133mhz ram improves performance. We see overclocked GPU's in reviews, you even oced the CPU in this review, but 1600mhz ram is almost pointless in an APU platform, especially when the price difference is maybe $10-$15 for 2x4 gb. I would have liked seeing a current review of AMD Dual Graphics with the motherboard and new Crimson Drivers. Guess I'll have to watch more foreign youtube videos....

 

[RedJaron]

The RAM frequency was already explained above. It really is quite helpful to read before commenting. This is a motherboard review, not an APU review, not a dual-graphics review. The key aspect to a motherboard is consistency, that it's not handicapping the rest of your components, nor boosting them without the user's knowledge. To this end the benchmarks are conducted at stock settings so that other boards can be accurately compared.

 

[crazyperson214]

Does ASRock make comparable boards like these two for intel CPUs?

 

[RedJaron]

They make a lot of boards. You want them comparable how? In size? Price? Features?

 

[crazyperson214]

They make a lot of boards. You want them comparable how? In size? Price? Features?

I sort of got that these baords are part of a "line" of boards from Asrock for AMD. I thought maybe they had the same "line" of boards just with intel sockets?

 

[RedJaron]

Not so much. ASrock's main product lines are their Pro, Extreme, Fatal1ty Gaming, and OC Formula. Everything else gets a different moniker like HDS or DGS and I don't know what they all mean. If you're looking for an ITX board, Joe reviewed two a little while back and they also offer a B85 model. I did a microATX roundup last year that included two ASRock boards as well, one H81 and one B85. If you want a Z97 platform, we've reviewed an ITX and mATX model there as well, but that's far from exhaustive of everything available.

 

[toadhammer]

Hey, I see the spec table is wrong for audio...shows both boards as identical. The picture and rest of the article text make it clear the ITX+ has the extra ports.