AMD A8-5600k APU Processor Review

We also want to talk through a bit about the chipsets on offer too as there are a total of three arising from the FM2 socket platform. Due to the APU models that we spoke about on the previous page, will all depend on the type of user that you are and of course, the type of market that the APU is aimed at. With this in mind, AMD have tried to tailor the chipset and therefore motherboards to the user also.

The three chipsets supporting FM2 are A55, A75 and A85X. The first thing that you’ll notice is that the A55 and A75 chipsets have been updated from the Llano FM1 platform, by adding support for the new FM2 socket APU processors. With this, the feature set has remained the same on these two chipsets, but we will briefly talk through the features of each, with special focus on the new A85X chipset as we are enthusiasts at heart, right?

A55

The first chipset on offer is the A55 chipset which we originally saw with the launch of the FM1 Llano based APU processors. Feature wise we find recommended support for the A4 and A6 APU family, though the A8 and A10 range can also be used but would be classed as overkill. The chipset gives SATA II 3Gb/s support as well as the ability to have a single discrete graphics card.

A75

The second chipset you can use is the A75 chipset, which once again, originally graced us with FM1 and has seen the beneficial move to the FM2 range of processors. This chipset sees the recommendation moving to the A6 and A8 range though once again, A4 and A10 products can be used if you wish. The chipset offers up SATA III 6Gb/s ports and native USB 3.0 support. With native SATA III and USB 3.0, this chipset is open to quite a broad spectrum of users ranging from the budget conscious to those interested in a bit of light gaming.

A85X

Lastly we find the new addition of the A85X chipset which we find the recommended family of processors is the A8 and A10 series. The A85X is a completely new chipset, made especially for this new range of products and is aimed at the higher-end enthusiast market and gamers who can’t necessarily afford to spend more money by obtaining an AM3+ based system. The chipset offers eight SATA III 6Gb/s ports, native USB 3.0 support and also gives users the functionality of CrossFireX support.