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Asus F2A85-V Pro
The Asus F2A85-V Pro is a fantastic motherboard that is well equipped as a partner for the AMD A10 5800K. As we mentioned earlier in the review, we feel the Gigabyte F1A85X-UP4 is a more attractive design, comprising dark grey and black components. Asus have opted for light blue and dark blue slots which slightly ruins the overall appearance.
Technically, there are no shortage of connectors on the F2A85-V Pro, and we appreciate that all the SATA ports are 6Gbps rated on the A85X chipset. As these are backwards compatible there is no need to double check which port you are using with a new Solid State Drive. Simply plug and play for maximum performance.
The Asus F2A85-V Pro bios is rock solid and we received an update just before starting the review. There are plenty of options available for overclocking and we managed to push the A10 5800K to 4.6ghz with minimal effort.
The A85X chipset supports up to 64GB of memory, however unlike the Gigabyte F1A85X-UP4, the Asus motherboard has a built in BIOS setting for 2,400mhz rated memory. Sadly, we couldn't get complete stability at this setting, even when using cutting edge 2,666mhz rated Corsair Dominator Platinum sticks. The D.O.C.P feature didn't work for us either, although as it was pushing the memory to native speeds of 2,666mhz we didn't expect it would. 2,133mhz was the most stable limit, an identical result to the Gigabyte F1A85X-UP4.
The BIOS layout is worthy of a mention, as ASUS lead the way in this regard. They cleverly place all the overclocking and timings options within a single scrollable menu system, which is both intuitive and easy to navigate.
We have no confirmed price point yet in the UK for the Asus F2A85-V Pro, although our early price indications would point to between £100 and £110 inc vat. This means you can get the AMD A10 5800K with motherboard for £200 inc vat. Even though this is a high end motherboard, I do think the prices need to drop by £10-£15. I can't imagine anyone paying £95 for the A10 5800k will want to spend £100+ on a partnering motherboard.
Pros:
- Very stable.
- fantastic bios.
- memory support up to 2,666mhz via D.O.C.P.
- great connectivity.
Cons:
- Not the prettiest looking motherboard.
- We could only get 2,133mhz stable with 2,666mhz memory sticks.
- More expensive than the A10 5800k processor.
Kitguru says: A well equipped, stable motherboard that has plenty of options for overclocking and performance tweaks.
AMD A10 5800K
I have to admit, the A10 5800K didn't excite me initially. I started testing with a variety of FPU and bandwidth related applications such as Cinebench and Super Pi and found the results to be slightly uninspiring, especially when compared directly to the last generation AMD A8 3850 and A8 3870K.
For a gamer on a budget however, I was quite literally blown away. We have never seen current titles such as F1 2012 or Dirt Showdown playable from an integrated chip solution. If you had told me a few weeks ago that 2x anti aliasing was also possible at 1920×1080, I would have raised a eyebrow in disbelief.
When we compare again the 3770k with Intel HD4000 graphics, the differences are literally night and day. Not only does the A10 5800k deliver smooth, playable frame rates with F1 2012 and Dirt Showdown, but the image quality is significantly better.
As the foundation for a high definition media center we have no hesitation recommending the AMD A10 5800k, the image quality produced from the new processor is almost at the same level as a stand alone discrete solution, often costing 3 or 4 times as much money.
The A10 5800K delivers the best integrated graphics performance available today. It is an efficient chip design which could be partnered up with a modest 200W power supply. Additionally, there is reasonable overclocking headroom … to 4.6ghz without much of an effort.
If you are currently in the market for an integrated solution to play games, and have no desire, or limited funds to purchase a discrete solution then the AMD A10 5800k is the most viable and cost effective solution available.
You can buy from ARIA for £93.54 inc vat.
Pros:
- Only £95 inc vat.
- Outclasses the Core i3 2105 in all areas.
- fantastic integrated graphics performance.
- headroom for overclocking.
- image quality is approaching discrete solutions.
Cons:
- For processor intensive tasks such as 3D rendering and video editing, it can struggle.
- A85X motherboards are expensive.
Kitguru says: The A10 5800K is a fantastic budget gaming processor and it might be all that some people will ever need.
