Biostar is the latest company to introduce motherboards to support the latest APU from AMD. However, these motherboards aren’t brand new models. Instead, some of Biostar’s current lineup of FM2+ boards will be updated support the Godavari APU.
Depending on your budget, you can choose from three updated boards — the Hi-Fi A88W 3D, the Hi-Fi A70U3P and the Hi-Fi A68U3P.
The A88W 3D is the highest-end board of the three, featuring one PCIe x16 3.0 slot, one PCIe x16 2.0 slot, two PCIe x1 2.0 slots, and two PCI slots. The board also has four DIMM slots supporting up to 64 GB of DDR3 RAM. There are also two USB 3.0 ports (with one USB 3.0 header) and four USB 2.0 ports (along with two USB 2.0 headers). Video inputs include one each of HDMI, DVI, and VGA. The board also has eight SATA 6 Gb/s connectors.
The A70U3P is a mid-tier option. It doesn’t have as many PCIe lanes, with just one PCIe x16 3.0 slot and a PCIe x1 2.0 slot, as well as one PCI slot. The number of DIMM slots is cut from four to two, with a maximum memory capacity of 32 GB. The board also doesn’t have DVI video output, leaving VGA and HDMI as the only two options. Instead of eight SATA 6 connectors, there are only six available on the A70U3P. Most of the USB ports are the same as the A88W 3D, with the exception of the USB 2.0 ports, with the A70U3P only having two instead of four.
The A68 board has some similar features to the A70U3P, so if money is tight, it’s still potentially a worthwhile option for a build. It has the same number of PCIe and PCI slots, supported memory capacity, video inputs, and SATA 6 connectors. The only difference is that it doesn’t have a USB 3.0 header. There are still two USB 3.0 ports in the rear, as well as support for two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 2.0 headers.
For those looking for a processor upgrade, the upcoming Godavari APUs could be promising. AMD is keeping the specs close to its chest, and the exact release date for Godavari is still unknown, but with more companies quickly announcing support for the new APU, it could be just around the corner.
