Rounding Up Brazos-Based Boards
Buying a low-cost, high-efficiency platform is kind of like choosing a cable package. For a few dollars more you can always get a killer feature that you really want. But then it seems like the features that are still missing really aren’t that much more expensive. It's a clever scheme to keep you constantly thinking about the next-best thing just a few dollars up the ladder.
You might face the same sticky decision when it comes time to shop for that inexpensive PC: go for the budget gold, or spend a few extra dollars on a faster processor (and then a few more dollars on a better graphics card, and a bit more on more memory, and...it really never ends). But AMD is hoping that its Brazos platform gives you enough compute horsepower, enough graphics performance, and enough value to squelch that never-ending desire to push just a little bit further. If you want a solid idea of what the platform includes, check out ASRock's E350M1: AMD's Brazos Platform Hits The Desktop First.
Today we have eight different Brazos-based platforms, priced from $115 to $175. If you're dead set on saving money, one of these setups should be able to satisfy you. Now it's time to figure out which tier in this little sub-market serves up the best value.
| E350 Fusion Motherboard Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | ASRock E350M1/USB3 | Asus E35M1-I Deluxe | ECS HDC-I | Foxconn AHD1S-K |
| PCB Revision | 1.00 | 1.01 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CPU | AMD E-350 APU | AMD E-350 APU | AMD E-350 APU | AMD E-350 APU |
| Chipset | AMD A50M FCH | AMD A50 FCH | AMD A50M FCH | AMD Hudson D1 |
| BIOS | P1.20 (02/24/2011) | 0902 (04/15/2011) | 4.6.4 (03/24/2011) | A931022 (04/19/2011) |
| 100.0 MHz Clock | 101.3 (+1.30%) | 100.0 (+0.0%) | 101.9 (+1.9%) | 100.0 (+0.0%) |
| Internal Interfaces | ||||
| PCIe x16 | 1 (x4-mode) | 1 (x4-mode) | 1 (x4-mode) | 1 (x4-mode) |
| PCIe x1/x4 | None | 1x mini PCIe (Filled) | 1x mini PCIe (Filled) | None |
| Legacy PCI | None | None | None | None |
| USB 2.0 | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) |
| USB 3.0 | None | 1 (2-ports) | None | None |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None | None | None |
| Serial Port | 1 | None | None | 1 |
| Parallel Port | None | None | None | None |
| Floppy | None | None | None | None |
| Ultra-ATA 133 | None | None | None | None |
| SATA 6.0 Gb/s | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| SATA 3.0 Gb/s | None | None | None | None |
| 4-Pin Fan | 1 | None | 1 | 2 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 1 | 2 | 1 | None |
| FP-Audio | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| CD-Audio | None | None | None | None |
| S/PDIF I/O | None | Output Only | Output Only | Output Only |
| I/O Panel Connectors | ||||
| P/S 2 | 1 | 1 | None | 1 |
| USB 2.0 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| USB 3.0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | None |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None | None | None |
| Network | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| eSATA | 1 | 1 | 1 | None |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical Only | Optical Only | Optical Only | None |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Video Out | DVI-D, VGA, HDMI | DVI-I, HDMI | DVI-D, VGA, HDMI | DVI-D, VGA, HDMI |
| Other Devices | None | Bluetooth Transceiver 802.11n Antennas | Bluetooth Transceiver | None |
| Mass Storage Controllers | ||||
| Chipset SATA | 4x SATA 6Gb/s 1x eSATA 6Gb/s | 4x SATA 6Gb/s 1x eSATA 6Gb/s | 4x SATA 6Gb/s 1x eSATA 6Gb/s | 2x SATA 3Gb/s |
| Chipset RAID Modes | None | None | None | None |
| Add-In SATA | None | None | None | None |
| USB 3.0 | EJ168A PCIe | 2x D720200F1 PCIe | ASM1042 PCIe | None |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None | None | None |
| Networking | ||||
| Gigabit LAN | RTL8111E PCIe | RTL8111E PCIe | AR8151 PCIe | RTL8111E PCIe |
| Wireless LAN | None | AR9285 PCIe | RTL8188CE PCIe | None |
| Wireless PAN | None | AR3011 USB 2.0 | AR3011 USB 2.0 | None |
| Audio | ||||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC892 | ALC892 | VT1708B | ALC662 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | Unspecified | Unspecified | DTS Connect | Unspecified |
| E350 Fusion Motherboard Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Gigabyte E350N-USB3 | Jetway NC85-E350-LF | Sapphire Pure Fusion Mini E350 | Zotac FUSION350-A-E |
| PCB Revision | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | Unspecified |
| CPU | AMD E-350 APU | AMD E-350 APU | AMD E-350 APU | AMD E-350 APU |
| Chipset | AMD A50M FCH | AMD Hudson-D1 FCH | AMD A50M FCH | AMD A50M FCH |
| BIOS | F2c (03/15/2011) | A02 (04/14/2011) | 0.31 (05/13/2011) | 1.01 (04/18/2011) |
| 100.0 MHz Clock | 100.0 (+0.0%) | 101.4(+1.4%) | 101.4(+1.4%) | 101.4(+1.4%) |
| Internal Interfaces | ||||
| PCIe x16 | 1 (x4-mode) | None | 1 (x4-mode) | 1 (x4-mode) |
| PCIe x1/x4 | None | 1x mini PCIe (Empty) | 1x mini PCIe (Empty) | 1x mini PCIe (Filled) 1x x4 (Open for x16) |
| Legacy PCI | None | 1 | None | None |
| USB 2.0 | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 1 (2-ports) |
| USB 3.0 | None | None | None | 1 (2-ports) |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None | None | None |
| Serial Port | None | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Parallel Port | None | None | None | None |
| Floppy | None | None | None | None |
| Ultra-ATA 133 | None | None | None | None |
| SATA 6.0 Gb/s | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| SATA 3.0 Gb/s | None | None | None | None |
| 4-Pin Fan | None | 1 | None | 2 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 2 | 2 | 1 | None |
| FP-Audio | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| CD-Audio | None | None | None | None |
| S/PDIF I/O | Output Only | None | Both | Output Only |
| I/O Panel Connectors | ||||
| P/S 2 | 1 | 1 | None | 1 |
| USB 2.0 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| USB 3.0 | 2 | None | 2 | 2 |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None | None | None |
| Network | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| eSATA | None | None | 1 | 1 |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical Only | None | Optical Only | Optical Only |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Video Out | DVI-D, VGA, HDMI | DVI-D, VGA, HDMI | DVI-D, VGA, HDMI | DVI-I, HDMI DisplayPort |
| Other Devices | None | None | Bluetooth Transceiver | 802.11n Antennas |
| Mass Storage Controllers | ||||
| Chipset SATA | 4x SATA 6Gb/s 1x eSATA 6Gb/s | 4x SATA 3Gb/s | 5x SATA 6Gb/s 1x eSATA 3Gb/s | 4x SATA 6Gb/s 1x eSATA 6Gb/s |
| Chipset RAID Modes | None | None | None | None |
| Add-In SATA | None | None | None | None |
| USB 3.0 | D720200F1 PCIe | None | D720200F1 PCIe | VL800-08 PCIe |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None | None | None |
| Networking | ||||
| Gigabit LAN | RTL8111E PCIe | RTL8111E PCIe | 88E8057 PCIe | RTL8111E PCIe |
| Wireless LAN | None | None | None | AR9285 PCIe |
| Wireless PAN | None | None | AR3011 USB 2.0 | None |
| Audio | ||||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC892 | VT1705 PCIe | ALC892 | ALC892 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
