MSI FM2-A85XA-G65 Pro Reviews

The FM2-A85XMA-G65 tackles the difficult task of taking the underdog processor platform and making it appealing to enthusiast buyers for both its features and price. All told, MSI walks this tightrope with confidence and a worthwhile product.

The MSI FM2-A85XA-G65 is simpler than the other three Socket FM2 mainboards we’ve tested recently, so it is also the least expensive of them. The ASRock board costs a little more, next comes Gigabyte, and ASUS is the most expensive one. We guess that we could also split them into two groups: there are good and there are not so good products and the former are substantially more expensive. This categorization isn’t general because ASUS may be criticized for its high power consumption whereas MSI, for example, is good in this respect. But in general, if you need a high-quality problem-free Socket FM2 mainboard then you best bet would most likely be the product from ASUS or, even better, from Gigabyte. The mainboards from ASRock and MSI may be a good alternative only if you are ready to put up with the challenges they pose for the sake of their lower price.

At $100, the MSI FM2-A85XA-G65 actually falls on the cheaper end of the range of FM2/A85X motherboards available. The MSI has some tough competition and does not really pull itself away from the rest of the pack unless you want easy-to-use physical read points or a nice system of additional software to deal with. When the results are placed side by side with some of the cheaper FM2 boards we have tested, the performance/price scales are often in favor of the competition, leaving the MSI as a choice if you are really gunning for an MSI build.