ASRock has just launched their new A88M-ITX/ac motherboard, featuring AMD’s socket FM2+ and the A88X chipset. Interestingly, the DDR3 slots are orientated 90 degrees from the norm, enabling more efficient front to back airflow.
The FM2+ socket and 5-phase VRM is placed in the center with the chipset and dual band 802.11ac Wi-Fi module sitting between the socket and a single PCI-E x16 slot along the bottom edge. Six SATA 6Gbps ports are located in the lower right corner. The board also includes an 8 pin power input to help support those higher wattage APUs.
Rear I/O on the A88M-ITX/ac features;
- 1 x PS/2 port for either keyboard or mouse
- 4 x USB 2.0
- 3 x Video outputs
- 1 x DVI-D
- 1 x HDMI 1.4a
- 1 x VGA
- 2 x USB 3.0
- 1 x RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek 8111GR)
- 3 x Analog Audio (Realtek ALC887 and ELNA audio caps)
This board is clad in black and silver except for the chipset heatsink which is copper. While the absence of HDMI 2.0 will be a turn off for those looking for a HTPC to drive a 4K TV or monitor, it could still make for a small budget gaming build.
ASRock is not yet talking pricing or availability.
See more here.
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