14 DAY TRIAL // The 2013 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show hasn't started yet, but that doesn't mean PC and hardware makers are putting everything on hold for it. MSI definitely isn't.
The trade show that will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada between January 8 and 11 is where Micro-Star International will show off its latest creations.
Nevertheless, the company's existence is not dependent on that particular gathering, nor are its plans reactive to it.
Basically, MSI is launching products as usual instead of saving everything for that particular occasion.
The latest product to leave its labs is the FM2-A75MA-P33, a micro-ATX entry-level motherboard featuring support for an AMD A-Series Trinity accelerated processing unit.
Unlike other small motherboards launched over the past few months, this is not a full motherboard+CPU/APU kit.
Instead, it uses the A75 FCH chipset and the FM2 socket that comes with it. Thus, any current-generation APU can be installed on it. A 5-phase VRM delivers the necessary energy to the processor.
For memory, two DDR3-1866 memory slots should be more than enough.
Moving on, the FM2-A75MA-P33 boasts six internal SATA 6.0 Gbps connectors (SATA III), with RAID 0, 1 and 10 compatibility.
Other connectivity and I/O options include four USB 3.0 SuperSpeed ports (two type-A on the back panel, two as headers), LPT and serial (COM) ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 6-channel HD audio, a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports and, of course, video outputs (dual-link DVI and D-Sub).
Finally, the motherboard provides one PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot, for graphics cards, as well as a PCI Express 2.0 x1 and a legacy PCI slot.
Micro-Star International should be ready to sell the FM2-A75MA-P33 motherboard soon, for around $70 / 54 Euro. More information can be found on the product page, which is located here. It should be easy enough to set up a decent PC with it, even one strong enough for today's latest games.