Sapphire Pure Platinum A85XT Motherboard Review

This is our third review featuring the AMD A10 5800k since it was released earlier this month. The 5800k is ideal for a user who doesn't want to spend extra money for a discrete graphics card. As a low cost choice for a high definition multi media center or entry level gaming system it also makes a lot of sense.

The onboard HD7660G can generate smooth frame rates with titles such as F1 2012 and Dirt Showdown at 1080p with reasonably high image quality settings. We also wanted to supplement these initial findings by incorporating the Sapphire HD7950 Vapor X discrete solution and we have been impressed with the overall findings.

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.

As a stand alone gaming system, the AMD A10 5800k outperforms the Core i3 2105, similarly priced at the budget end of the gaming spectrum. It would be possible to use the A10 5800k without a discrete solution for some time, opting to upgrade with a HD7770, HD7870 or HD7950 later, when funds permit.

The Sapphire Pure Platinum A85XT motherboard is quite honestly better than I thought it would be, because I know from past experiences that early Sapphire BIOSES can be a little temperamental, especially when it comes to pairing up with high speed DDR3 memory. No such problems with this particular board as we used Patriot 2,133mhz memory today, after some manual intervention in the BIOS.

In regards to layout, we only have a few changes we would like to see in a next revision board. Sapphire could design the SATA ports on the board to be in parallel with the PCB, there is no need for three of them to be mounted vertically. This can cause an installation issue with the cables, especially if two graphics cards are in action. Also, I am still slightly bewildered as to why Sapphire felt it was a good idea to position the mSATA slot between the two primary graphics card slots.

Connectivity of the Pure Platinum A85XT is first class. There are no shortage of USB 2.0, USB 3.0 ports and there is also a Bluetooth adapter included, always a welcome addition.

Sapphire motherboards are normally slightly more expensive than competing products from Gigabyte or Asus, however you can currently buy this motherboard from Overclockers in the UK for £104,99 inc vat. This is a identically priced to the excellent Gigabyte GA-F2A85X-UP4 which we reviewed earlier this month.

The Sapphire motherboard has actually some additional features over competitor motherboards, such as Bluetooth support and the useful (if strangely positioned) mSATA port. We also highly rate the motherboard specific TriXX software tool which can be used in Windows for monitoring duties.

Pros:

• Very stable.
• BIOS is a good step in the right direction for Sapphire.
• 2,133mhz memory support was flawless.
• Can compete with ASUS and Gigabyte products.
• mSATA support.
• Bluetooth support.

Cons:

• A couple of unusual PCB design decisions.
• Sapphire supply the indepth user manual in digital form, on the disc. This needs to change.

Kitguru says: A very capable A85 motherboard and a good indication that Sapphire engineers are improving upon their early BIOS configurations.

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