The Board - Layout

The Biostar Hi-Fi A88W 3D features a very basic design for AMD's FM2+ sockets. It comes with a very subdued color scheme with a little bit of blue here and there, and the majority of the board is black, including all of its slots. The back of the board is pretty basic as well and, like so many other AMD products, features a full backplate for socket mounting, which is great since it ensures that your cooling solution is seated properly. I have seen a couple boards that only use the clips on top and no backplate, so the backplate is, while it may seem like a small thing, actually quite an important feature.


With very little around the socket, which leaves the area nicely open, insulation should be quite simple if you decide to go sub-zero with the Biostar Hi-Fi A88W 3D. The cost of the platform itself being so low, using AMD's FM2+ platform over a board by Intel for sub-zero sessions is also going to be easier on your pocket. The DIMM slots are full-fledged slots capable of 2400 MHz and more; that is, according to Biostar. Support for more than 2400 MHz will require some bus clocking, which is why it's rated the way it is.


With dual PCIe x16 slots, dual PCIe x1 slots, and dual PCI slots, expansion possibilities are pretty varied. All are supported natively by the APU or the Biostar Hi-Fi A88W 3D's A88X FCH. There are five fan headers on the Biostar Hi-Fi A88W 3D, and all five headers are 4-pin based.


A plethora of headers are here for connecting case cabling, etc.; USB 2.0, audio, and all the other usual suspects are also here, including a CIR header for remote-control support. All pin headers for the front panel are nicely color-coded to make installation that much easier, while the USB 3.0 header is not exactly in the most ideal location since it sits right above the lower PCIe x16 slot. I usually find USB 3.0 headers near the board's edge instead of the middle, so Biostar's poor choice of placement was a little disappointing.


The Biostar Hi-Fi A88W 3D features a backpanel with dual USB 3.0 ports, a quad set of USB 2.0 ports, VGA, DVI, HDMI, a LAN port, and an audio port. There is, unfortunately, no Displayport. SATA support is provided directly by the AMD A88X FCH, with eight ports in total available on the board's lower right edge.