FM2+ mobos compared, part 3: full-size ATX

"Why would you need a full-size ATX motherboard when you will install an APU" is a question I sometimes encounter on web fora.
These are not cruncher-fora because WE know: the APU provides you with a free GPU, cost-wise, and you can stick in up to three more GPUs in a decent full-size ATX board. And as any hard-core cruncher can tell you: GPU projects/applications are where the big credits can be earned.

What do the various brands have to offer when a cruncher wants to go all-out on the FM2+ platform?

Asrock
http://www.asrock.com/mb/photo/Angle...treme6+(m).jpg
Less gaudy than their top FM2 board (the FM2A85X Extreme 6, the perhaps best performance/value FM2 board ever offered), the Asrock top FM2+ offering, the FM2A88X Extreme6+ is another attempt by Asrock to deliver as much as possible for as little a price as you can imagine (less than 90 Euro's over here)
What do we get?

A88X Chipset
Supports DDR3 2600+(OC)*/2400(OC)/2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory, to a Max. capacity of system memory of 64GB
2x PCIe 3.0 x16 (PCIE2/PCIE4: single at x16 (PCIE2); dual at x8 (PCIE2) / x8 (PCIE4)), 1x PCIe 2.0 x16 (PCIE5 @ x4 mode), 2x PCIe 2.0 x1, 2x PCI
Supports AMD Quad CrossFireX™, 3-Way CrossFireX™, CrossFireX™ and Dual Graphics. Asrock seems to know their business.
Four Graphics Output Options : D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI, DisplayPort
7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1150 Audio Codec), Supports DTS Connect
Qualcomm Atheros AR8171 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
7x SATA3 (RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10, NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug), 1x eSATA, 6x USB 3.0 (2 Front, 4 Rear), 8x USB 2.0
8+2 Power Phase design

Personally I really hate the molex connector next to the first PCIe x1 slot -a feature already present with the FM2A85X Extereme 6-, but otherwise there's hardly anything to find lacking in this board. It even claims support for 2600+ MHz RAM..

Asus
http://www.asus.com/media/global/pro...sDiBEX_500.jpg
The only Asus FM2+ worth looking at (my personal opinion: if it's got to be gold, let it shine I say -a feature cheaper nowadays Asus boards lack awfully) and a worthy successor to the F2A85-V PRO -a board I still have the hots for for my A10-5700- is the A88X-PRO
Can it do better than the Asrock offering?

A88X Chipset
Supports DDR3 2400(O.C.)/2250(O.C.)/2200(O.C.)/2133/1866/1600/1333 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory, to a Max. capacity of system memory of 64GB
2x PCIe 3.0 x16 (PCIE2/PCIE4: single at x16 (PCIE2); dual at x8 (PCIE2) / x8 (PCIE4)), 1x PCIe 2.0 x16 (PCIE5 @ x4 mode), 2x PCIe 2.0 x1, 2x PCI
Asus only claims support of AMD 3-Way CrossFireX™ Technology, but with this hardware it should be possible to support AMD Quad CrossFireX™, CrossFireX™ and Dual Graphics too. Seems they don't have a clue what it actually is (see the specifications table here, claiming either Quad-GPU CrossFireX or N/A for the other Asus FM2+ boards).
Four Graphics Output Options : D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI, DisplayPort
7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1150 Audio Codec)
Realtek® 8111GR Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
6x SATA3 (RAID 0, 1, 5 10 and JBOD), 2x eSATA, 4x USB 3.0 (2 Front, 2 Rear), 12x USB 2.0
6+2 Power Phase design

The board to go for when you like black-and-shiny gold over black-and-red or black-and-a-little-gold here and there. There's the Asus brand name too of course, they're generally known to produce better boards than most competitors do.

Gigabyte
http://www.gigabyte.com/fileupload/p...709/8737_m.jpg
Gigabyte has laid of the peacefull blue and has adopted a more war-like red for their top FM2+ motherboard, the F2A88X-UP4, a thouroughly revised edition of their top ATX FM2 board, the F2A85X-UP4, that was a bit more bland. In general the Gigabyte boards are just as expensive as the equivalent Asus offerings, and held in the same high regard by their fans.
What do we get here?

A88X Chipset
Supports DDR3 2400(OC)/2133/1866/1600/1333 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory, to a Max. capacity of system memory of 64GB
2x PCIe 3.0 x16 (PCIE2/PCIE4: single at x16 (PCIE2); dual at x8 (PCIE2) / x8 (PCIE4)), 1x PCIe 2.0 x16 (PCIE5 @ x4 mode), 3x PCIe 2.0 x1, 1x PCI
Gigabyte only claims support of 2way CrossFire™ Support and AMD Dual Graphics technology, but with this hardware it should be possible to support Quad CrossFireX™ and 3-Way AMD® CrossFire™ Technologytoo. Seems they too don't have a clue what it actually is and that it involves the APU too.
Four Graphics Output Options : D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI, DisplayPort
7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec)
Realtek® GbE LAN controller 10/100/1000 Mb/s
7x SATA3 (RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10), 1x eSATA, 8x USB 3.0 (4 Front, 4 Rear), 10x USB 2.0
6+2 Power Phase design

Gigabyte is a bit failing in the Audio department compared to the other competitors here, otherwise there's nothing wrong. Personally I like the red-and-black better than gold-and-black. Like Asus, Gigabyte has taken the cooling of VRMs and FCH very seriously for this board it seems. For some unknown reason this board is not for sale in Europe at the moment...

MSI
http://cdn5.thinkcomputers.org/wp-co...i-gaming-2.jpg
The A88X-G45 Gaming tries to be MSI's über-ATX board, but can it do as well as it's little Gaming micro-ATX brother? The full-size ATX competition is much tougher, though.

A88X Chipset
Supports DDR3 2400(O.C.)/2133/1866/1600/1333 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory, to a Max. capacity of system memory of 32GB
2x PCIe 3.0 x16 (PCIE2 at x16; PCIE5 at x8; 1x PCIe 2.0 x16 (PCIE6 at x4), 3x PCIe 2.0 x1, 1x PCI
MSI only claims support of AMD 3-Way CrossFireX™ Technology, but with this hardware it should be possible to support AMD Quad CrossFireX™, CrossFireX™ and Dual Graphics too. Seems they also don't have a clue what it actually is.
Four Graphics Output Options : D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI, DisplayPort
7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1150 Audio Codec)
Killer E2205 Gigabit Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
6x SATA3 (RAID 0, 1, 5 10 and JBOD), 2x eSATA, 4x USB 3.0 (2 Front, 2 Rear), 12x USB 2.0
6+2 Power Phase design ??

They don't make it easier for me with a design that -at least in color settings- matches, or even improves on the Gigabyte offering. Unlike the A88XM Gaming, the A88X-G45 Gaming faces some real competition here and I can't declare a winner, it's a matter of personal taste. If you are an Asus fan and like gold, take the Asus board. When you always buy Gigabyte, please continue to do so. When you are totally into Asrock, rock on. They all seem very good boards.