Question 1

how do i know what cpus will work?

Accepted Answer

Any "Socket FM2" CPU will physically fit. As for performance, the slower of the two components will be the limiting factor. If you attempt to overclock a CPU beyond the abilities of the motherboard, you will more than likely damage the motherboard. Compare all specs between the two devices to ensure you get the full potential from each. This motherboard supports RAM up to 2400 MHz, so make sure the CPU also supports that RAM, or you will damage the CPU.

Question 2

dose this include a soundcard?

Accepted Answer

I know it has onboard support for 7.1 audio, and I haven't seen a recent motherboard without some kind of sound support onboard. So you should be fine.

Question 3

what wattage power supply do I need for this? I have a 400w and it's not booting. Can't find any power requirements in any of the documentation...

Accepted Answer

Anthony:  you should first try a PSU wattage calculator,  google it, look for psu mfr's, such as thermaltake.  
the cpu you choose can vary in wattage, and other factors come into play,such as: number and type (i.e SSD or mechanical hard drive) of hard drives, optical drives, fans , amount of Ram, etc; also, a dedicated graphics card, if used, usually has a minimum requirement of around 350-400 watts, and you generally want a psu that exceeds the minimum to run your components by at least20-25% or greater.
Also, check MSI's website  for cpu and memory support through newegg's link
a newer cpu even if it's on the list, may need a bios update;
also, check to make sure all components are seated properly ( ram, CPU, cables,etc;  try just one stick of ram at a time, and follow the MFR instructions to configure ram properly.  Try booting with nothing connected to the mainboard except for the 2 power connectors ( should be one 24 pin ATX and one 8 pin 12v connector) and the front panel headers for power switch, reset, etc.
consider a possible video output issue, and try the DVI or HDMI outputs, if you have an accommodating monitor/cable. Make  sure the board is not shorted to the case - you should be using standoffs.  Finally, contact MSI support if necessary.  GOOD LUCK!

Question 4

Pcpartpicker is telling me that this is not compatible with the Rosewill Challenger case because of a USB 3.0 front panel (after I've already bought it and it's being shipped). Can anyone tell me if this is an issue?

Accepted Answer

You will not have the additional front USB 3.0 panel. You can simply not use those ports and use the standard USB 2.0 panel. Though USB 3.0 is the new standard for USB. For your next budget build I suggest the following case. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146075 I've used this case on many occasions and it is one of the best budget cases out there. It allows you to customize your cooling very well. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146076 Here is the white version.

Question 5

I see someone said it supports 2 monitors natively. I don't game but want 2 monitors (at least), do I need a video card for the second monitor? If so, which one is best bang for buck on budget?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can display 2 monitors at once, with 3 options being DVI/HDMI/VGA. But it won't do 3, so pick 2/3.

Whether or not you need an additional graphics card depends on your CPU. Some have very good integrated graphics. This motherboard with the 3 video output options is ideal for a CPU with integrated everything.

Since you don't game, you probably won't have super high demand for VRAM. Try the AMD A6 for a decent dual core, or the A8 for a quad core, depending on how many tasks you will be running at once.

And make use of the optical audio jack to get some surround sound going.

Question 6

Is the MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB video card compatible with this?

Accepted Answer

This board has the proper controller and slots and space for a 7850.  It would make a very nice addition.  The drivers can get a bit odd so make sure you load the AMD chipset drivers prior to the graphics card drivers and only use the AMD automatic driver detector/downloader from their website.  Doing things differently resulted in blue screening and reinstalling Windows on some of my builds.

Question 7

Can i overclock with this mobo?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it's actually really simple. If your looking for overclocking it yourself and risking frying your parts then I would suggest another board. This one your just go into the bios and turn it onto turbo (if my memory serves me correct)

Question 8

What would you say is best memory to get with this board? Going to be doing some gaming.

Accepted Answer

A set of DDR3 1600MHz memory will do you just fine. If you really want to you can get some 1866MHz, but you'd probably have to set it to run at that speed in the BIOS. Tests have shown little to no difference in performance in games with boards using different speeds of RAM. Even so, the performance differences are like 1-3% which are near negligible.

What you want to look for is the higher MHz with the lowest CAS timings. Those will net you better results than anything.

But a set of G.Skill, Corsair, Team, Crucial, you can't go wrong with, and in a 2 x 4GB set, that will do you justice in just about anything you do. If you want to, buy two sets of 2 x 4GB as it normally is cheaper than buying a 4 x 4GB kit. But make sure to buy in pairs. A 2 x 4GB is higher performing than a single 8GB, even if the 8GB is higher rated specs.

Hope this answers your question quite fully!

Question 9

Does this support Richland CPU out of the box?  I see on MSI's website that the v2 BIOS that support Richland was released on 2013-05-03, and if this board ships with 1.x BIOS, a trinity cpu is needed for upgrading the BIOS.

Accepted Answer

I recently purchased this board with an AMD A10-6800K Richland 4.1GHz, and they worked right out of the box together. You should have no problems there.

Question 10

Is this board SLI compatible?

Accepted Answer

Looked in the manual this morning (I just bought this board a couple days ago).   It does not mention SLI compatibility, so I would agree with Daniel F.

Brand	MSI
Model	FM2-A85XA-G43

CPU Socket Type	FM2
CPU Type	APU (FM2 Socket)

Number of Memory Slots	4x240pin
Memory Standard	DDR3 1066/1333/1600/1866/2133/2400(OC*)
Maximum Memory Supported	64GB

PCI Express 2.0 x16	2 PCIE 2.0 x16 slots - PCI_E2 supports up to PCIE x16 speed - PCI_E5 supports up to PCIE x4 speed
PCI Express x1	3 x PCI Express x1
PCI Slots	2 x PCI Slots

Serial ATA (SATA)	8 x SATA 6Gb/s
SATA RAID	0/1/5/10

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MSI FM2-A85XA-G43 FM2 AMD A85X (Hudson D4) USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

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MSI FM2-A85XA-G43 FM2 AMD A85X (Hudson D4) - HDMI - SATA 6Gbps - USB 3.0 - ATX AMD Motherboard

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Warranty, Returns, And Additional Information

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Back I/O Ports	1 x D-Sub / 1 x DVI-D / 1 x HDMI / 1 x Optical S/PDIF Out / 1 x PS/2 / 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 / 4 x USB 2.0/1.1 / 6 x Audio Jacks
PS/2	1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port
Video Ports	1 x D-Sub 1 x DVI-D supporting Dual-link DVI
HDMI	1 x HDMI
USB 3.0	2 x USB 3.0
USB 1.1/2.0	4 x USB 2.0
S/PDIF Out	1 x Optical
Audio Ports	6 Ports

Onboard USB	2 x USB 3.0 + 6 x USB 2.0
Other Connectors	1 x ATX 24-pin power connector 1 x ATX 8-pin 12V CPU power connector CPU x 1 / System x 4 FAN connectors 1 x Front panel audio connector 1 x Front panel connector 1 x TPM module connector 1 x Serial port connector 1 x Clear CMOS jumper 1 x Chassis Intrusion connector

Onboard Audio
Audio Chipset	Realtek ALC892
Audio Channels	8 Channels

Onboard LAN
LAN Chipset	Realtek 8111E
Max LAN Speed	1Gbps

Physical Spec
Form Factor	ATX
Dimensions (W x L)	12" x 8.86"
Power Pin	24 Pin

Item#: 9SIAWFGKEU7240