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Biostar's TA75M+ motherboard is a micro-ATX entry level platform with relatively robust onboard graphics care of the AMD Fusion APU processor and thorough storage options via AMDs A75 chipset. Built around the AMD Fusion A75 chipset, the board supports socket FM1 AMD A8/A6-series processors which feature integrated graphics in the form of a Radeon HD 6550D/6530D graphics core.
78% Rating: 
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System Power Draw and Final Conclusions
PCSTATS
measures total system power draw (watts) with the aid of an Extech 380803 AC
Power Analyzer and A-PFC compliant Seasonic SS-760KM power supply. The meter is placed
between the 120V AC outlet and the PC power supply and the computer stressed.
Total system power draw is recorded and compared to the PC's idle
state.
| Total System Power Draw |
|
Idle
|
CPU
Loaded |
GFX
Loaded |
|
AMD A8-3850
nVidia Geforce GTX470
|
89W
|
183W
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230W
|
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AMD A8-3850
Radeon HD 6550D IGP |
27W
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120W
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80W
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|
(Idel @ desktop) |
(via Prime95) |
(via
3DM06) | |
It's
amazing just how little power the Biostar TA75M+ system requires while operating
on the AMD A8-3850's integrated Radeon HD 6550D graphics core alone - at idle,
the PC system sips a little as 27W! Under CPU-load conditions this figure jumps
to a not unreasonable 120W. With the IGP stressed by 3DMark the total power
consumption is a modest 80W. Adding a Geforce GTX470 videocard into the mix
introduces a significant power overhead, pushing total system power draw up
across the board.
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Biostar's Power Saving LEDs indicate the
status level of this feature.
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A Budget A75 Motherboard fit for
Workstations
Biostar's
TA75M+ motherboard is a no-frills approach to the AMD A75 chipset. It's a microATX
form-factor motherboard that can fit into nearly any case, has robust graphics
and storage options and most importantly is very economical.
 If you're building a media-center or home
theatre PC you'll find that the Radeon HD 6550D at the heart of the AMD A8-3850
CPU well suited; it supports (light) DX11 gaming, HDMI 1.3 output and typical
media playback on IGP graphics alone.
You can also take advantage of the Biostar TA75M+
motherboard's modest level of integration if you're building productivity
computers for an office or home business. The Biostar TA75M+ draws very little
electricity when paired with a low-wattage processor, so operating costs are
quite good if electricity is expensive in your part of the world. Given that the
Biostar TA75M+ retails for about $95 CDN ($95 USD, £55 GBP) and is paired with
inexpensive AMD A8/A6 series Fusion processors, it's not a hard platform on the
pocketbook..
Biostar did cut a few corners in order to get the
TA75M+ to a competitive price point, the most notable is the lack of brackets
for any of the onboard USB headers. There also aren't really enough USB 2.0
ports on the rear I/O. In this day and age, six USB ports is below the bare
minimum in our books... If you have a USB keyboard and mouse, this leaves you
with four USB ports for the rest of your devices!
If you can live within these limitations you'll be well
served by the microATX Biostar TA75M+ motherboard, as you've seen by its
benchmark performance. Bottom line, it's a good foundation for a cost-effective,
entry level AMD Fusion computer system.
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