Gigabyte F2A85X-UP4 Motherboard

Introduction

The Gigabyte F2A85X-UP4 is a motherboard based on the most high-end chipset for the new FM2 platform, the A85X (codenamed “Hudson D4”). It is targeted to the second-generation APUs from AMD, codenamed “Trinity.” Let’s see what this motherboard has to offer.

APU is a name that AMD coined for their CPUs with integrated video. They are also known as A-series, as models start with the letter “A” (A4, A6, A8, and A10).

There are three chipsets available for the new FM2 platform: A85X, A75, and A55. The A75 and A55 chipsets were released in 2011 with the FM1 platform, which is used by the first-generation of APUs from AMD. The A85X is a new chipset, released with the second-generation APUs. In the table below, we compare the main differences between these three chipsets. As you can see, the main difference between the A85X and the A75 is the addition of two more SATA-600 ports on the A85X.

Feature	A85X	A75	A55
PCI Express 2.0 x1	4	4	4
USB 1.1	2	2	2
USB 2.0	10	10	14
USB 3.0	4	4	0
SATA-300	0	0	6
SATA-600	8	6	0
FIS-Based Switching	Yes	Yes	No
UMI	2 GB/s	2 GB/s	2 GB/s

“FIS-based switching” is an eSATA port multiplier technology, which allows you to install more than one hard drive to a single SATA port. Click here to learn more. UMI stands for Unified Media Interface; it is the interface that connects the CPU to the chipset.    

AMD APUs have an embedded PCI Express 2.0 controller, with one PCI Express 2.0 x16 port and four PCI Express 2.0 x1 ports. Second-generation APUs allow the x16 port to be divided into two x8 ports. It is important to understand that this is a feature provided by the processor, not by the chipset.

The Gigabyte F2A85X-UP4 supports the Virtu Universal MVP technology, which allows you to combine the performance of the integrated graphics processor available in the CPU with the performance of any video card installed.

So far, Gigabyte has released four motherboards based on the A85X chipset. In the table below, we compare the main specifications of these motherboards. As you can see, the F2A85X-UP4 is, so far, the most complete model offered by Gigabyte. Prices were researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this article.

Specification	F2A85X-UP4	FA2A85X-D3H	FA285XM-D3H	F2A85XM-HD3
Form Factor	ATX	ATX	microATX	microATX
Memory Sockets	4	4	4	2
PCI Express 2.0 x16	3 (x16/x0/x4 or x8/x8/x4)	2 (x16/x4)	2 (x16/x4)	2 (x16/x4)
PCI Express 2.0 x1	3	3	1	1
Mini PCI Express	0	0	0	0
Standard PCI	1	2	1	1
CrossFireX	Yes	No	No	No
SLI	No	No	No	No
SATA-300	0	0	0	0
SATA-600	7	8	8	8
eSATA-300	0	0	0	0
eSATA-600	1	0	0	0
USB 2.0	10	8	8	8
USB 3.0	6	4	4	4
FireWire	0	0	0	0
Bluetooth	No	No	No	No
Gigabit Ethernet	1	1	1	1
Wi-Fi	No	No	No	No
VGA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
DVI-D	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HDMI	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
DisplayPort	Yes	No	No	No
Thunderbolt	0	0	0	0
Audio	ALC892	ALC892	ALC887	ALC887
Voltage Regulator	6+2	4+2	4+2	3+2
Price	USD 130	USD 100	USD 90	NA

In Figure 1, you see the Gigabyte F2A85X-UP4 motherboard. It is based on the standard ATX form factor (12 x 9.6 inches or 305 x 244 mm).

Figure 1: Gigabyte F2A85X-UP4 motherboard