14 DAY TRIAL // MSI is preparing to launch its second FM1 motherboard for AMD Llano accelerated processing units, the A75A-G35, and the first pictures of this entry-level solution have recently made their way to the Web.
Since the A75A-G35 is targeting budget users, the motherboard design is pretty basic and it packs only a limited set of features outside USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps support.
Fortunately, the layout isn't so bad, as the company's customers still get three PCI Express x1 slots, two 32-bit legacy PCI slots and a pair of PCIe x16 slots.
Even this configuration closely resembles that of more expensive FM1 motherboards, users have to keep in mind that the second one of these has only four PCI Express lanes routed to it.
Other cost-saving measures can be spotted when taking a look at the rest of the board, as the MSI A75A-G35 sports only two DIMM sockets for installing system memory, while the six SATA ports, driven by the A75 FCH, come with standard, non-angled connectors.
In addition, the USB 3.0 pin-header is placed in a pretty awkward position, that could prove to be hard to reach if a longer card is installed in the second PCIe x16 slot.
The two other USB 3.0 ports, that are available in the AMD A75 chipset, are routed to the rear I/O panel, where they are accompanied by four more USB 2.0 ports, two PS/2 ports, a Gigabit LAN port, 7.1-channel audio jacks and by D-sub, DVI and HDMI video outputs.
Only two of these can be active at a time and users have to manually switch between the available display connectors via two jumper blocks placed at the back of the board.
MSI hasn't provided any information regarding the shipping date of the A75A-G35, but the motherboard is already available for pre-order in Europe at €71.50. (via VR-Zone)
