Asus AMD A-Series Motherboards 'Godavari' (That Is, 'Kaveri') Refresh Ready
Following AMD's announcement of the latest A-series APUs, Asus was quick to announce that all of its current A-series motherboards are ready for the newest refreshed APUs. The company's press release stated that Asus announced support for AMD A-Series "Godavari" APUs. (As we mentioned in an earlier post, though, the new line is a "Kaveri refresh;" "Godavari" was just internal nomenclature.)
The list of boards that support the new processor is quite long. Essentially all of the current A88X, A78, A68, A58, and A55 boards that Asus sells are included. Each of the boards will need to be flashed to the latest BIOS, which is available now through the EZ-Update utility.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Model Name | UEFI BIOS Version | UEFI BIOS Update Tool | Graphics Driver Version | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USB BIOS Flashback | EZ Update | ||||
| A88X | Crossblade Ranger | 1002 | Yes | Yes | V14.502.1013.0 |
| A88X-Pro | 1902 | Yes | Yes | ||
| A88X-Gamer | 904 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A88X-Plus | 2302 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A88XM-Plus | 2202 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A88XM-A | 2204 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A88XM-E | 1204 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A78 | A78M-A | 1501 | N/A | Yes | |
| A78M-E | 1301 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A68 | A68HM-Plus | 803 | N/A | Yes | |
| A68HM-E | 803 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A68HM-K | 803 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A68HM-F | 507 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A58 | A58-C | 804 | N/A | Yes | |
| A58M-A/USB3 | 1505 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A58M-A/BR | 1201 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A58M-E | 1603 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A58M-E R2.0 | 703 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A58M-K | 1302 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A58M-F | 1303 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A55 | A55-C Plus | 1004 | N/A | Yes | |
| A55BM-Plus | 2102 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A55BM-A/USB3 | 2701 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A55BM-E | 2501 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A55BM-E/BR | 1701 | N/A | Yes | ||
| A55BM-K | 1801 | N/A | Yes |
Owners of Asus A88X-Pro and Crossblade Ranger motherboards have an additional option for flashing their BIOS. These two top-end boards have support for a feature called USB BIOS Flashback. Using this method, users will save the BIOS file on a USB thumb drive. The motherboard simply needs power -- it doesn't even need a CPU or memory installed. With the USB stick plugged in, simply press the USB BIOS flashback button and the rest should be automatic.
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Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years.
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TechyInAZ I can't wait until all motherboards can upgrade their BIOSes without CPU or RAM installed.Reply -
toadhammer ReplyI can't wait until all motherboards can upgrade their BIOSes without CPU or RAM installed.
Excellent feature! I hope whoever developed this got a big bonus. If only ASUS would offer a mini ITX for FM2+. -
j0ndafr3ak ReplyExcellent feature! I hope whoever developed this got a big bonus. If only ASUS would offer a mini ITX for FM2+.
Agreed and possibly one mini itx board with a DP connector. No mini itx fm2+ board out there has it.. just the atx ones do...