About this guide
The AMD A8-7600 is a 2014 Kaveri APU on socket FM2+, which means one important thing before you shop: new FM2+ motherboards are effectively extinct. What remains is old retail stock at inflated prices, plus a healthy used and refurbished market where the same boards go for a third of that. Below are the FM2+ boards genuinely worth hunting down, grouped by chipset — A88X if you want overclocking and USB 3.0, A78 or A68H if you just need the thing to boot. There is also an honest case, at the bottom, for not doing this at all.
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The picks, in detail
ASUS A88XM-Plus
The most commonly recommended A88X board and the easiest to find in working condition.
- A88X chipset
- Micro-ATX
- USB 3.0
- Supports overclocking
- 4 DIMM slots
- Widely available used
- Solid ASUS BIOS
- New stock runs $60-80 when it exists
- Micro-ATX limits expansion
Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H
The best-value A88X micro-ATX board, with more SATA ports than most of its rivals.
- A88X chipset
- Micro-ATX
- 8 SATA 6Gb/s ports
- USB 3.0
- Dual BIOS
- Excellent port selection
- Dual BIOS is a real safety net on old boards
- Used stock only
- VRM is adequate rather than generous
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme4+
The full-ATX A88X option if you want expansion slots rather than the smallest possible build.
- A88X chipset
- Full ATX
- Multiple PCIe slots
- USB 3.0
- Better VRM than most FM2+ boards
- Strongest power delivery of the group
- Real expansion room
- Hardest of these to find
- Priced as a collector board when it appears
MSI A88XM-E45
A dependable A88X micro-ATX board that turns up used more often than most.
- A88X chipset
- Micro-ATX
- USB 3.0
- Military Class components
- Common on the used market
- Reliable in service
- Plain BIOS
- Limited fan headers
Biostar Hi-Fi A88S2
A budget A88X board that shows up cheap because the brand is less sought after.
- A88X chipset
- Micro-ATX
- Onboard audio focus
- USB 3.0
- Usually the cheapest A88X available
- Full chipset features
- Weakest BIOS support of the group
- Sparse documentation
Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-DS2
The sensible budget pick: A68H does everything the A8-7600 needs if you are not overclocking.
- A68H chipset
- Micro-ATX
- 2 DIMM slots
- SATA 6Gb/s
- Cheap and plentiful
- Perfectly adequate for a locked 65W APU
- No overclocking
- Only two memory slots
ASUS A68HM-K
The most-produced FM2+ budget board, which makes it the easiest one to actually buy.
- A68H chipset
- Micro-ATX
- 2 DIMM slots
- ASUS EZ Flash BIOS
- Very common used
- Straightforward BIOS updates
- No overclocking or USB 3.0 on some revisions
- Basic VRM
ASRock FM2A68M-DG3+
A no-frills A68H board that is often the cheapest working FM2+ option on auction sites.
- A68H chipset
- Micro-ATX
- SATA 6Gb/s
- PS/2 and legacy ports
- Rock-bottom pricing
- Legacy ports useful for old peripherals
- Minimal features
- Two DIMM slots only
MSI A78M-E35
The middle-ground A78 chipset — a step above A68H, without A88X pricing.
- A78 chipset
- Micro-ATX
- USB 3.0
- SATA 6Gb/s
- USB 3.0 without paying A88X prices
- Reliable
- No overclocking
- Less common than the A68H boards
AFOX A88-MA5
One of the very few FM2+ boards still listed as a current product by its manufacturer.
- A88X chipset
- Micro-ATX
- Socket FM2+/FM2
- Occasionally available genuinely new
- Full A88X feature set
- Obscure brand with limited support
- Patchy regional availability
What each one costs
Typical price, cheapest first. Tap a name to jump to that pick and its buy link.
Compare any three
| ASUS A88XM-Plus | Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H | ASRock FM2A88X Extreme4+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $35-80 | $35-70 | $50-100 |
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Buying tips
- Check the board revision and BIOS version before buying. Some early FM2 boards need a BIOS update to accept a Kaveri chip like the A8-7600, and you need a compatible older CPU to perform that update.
- A88X versus A78 versus A68H comes down to overclocking and USB 3.0. The A8-7600 is a locked 65W part, so unless you plan to overclock the iGPU, A68H is genuinely sufficient.
- Buy the CPU and motherboard as a bundle where you can. FM2+ bundles on auction sites routinely cost less than the board alone bought separately.
- The A8-7600’s integrated Radeon R7 graphics benefit substantially from fast dual-channel memory. Populate both channels and aim for 2133MHz — this matters more than which board you pick.
- Be realistic about the money: a used A8-7600 runs under $25 and a used A68H board around $35, so the whole platform is about $100. Spending $80 on new-old-stock defeats the point.
- If the board is dead rather than just old, consider stopping here. A budget modern AM4 platform will outperform this by a wide margin for not much more than a rare A88X board now costs.
As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner, toptenpick.com earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability are subject to change.