AMD A4-7300 socket: Socket FM2

What the A4-7300 is

The A4-7300 is a fast dual core Richland APU on Socket FM2 for responsive office desktops. It runs 2 Piledriver cores and 2 threads at 3.8 GHz base with turbo to 4.0 GHz. One megabyte of L2 cache covers office apps. Power is 65 W on 32 nm from August 2014.

High base clocks for a dual core keep single thread work snappy without tuning. Turbo to 4.0 GHz helps foreground bursts. The 65 W envelope fits slim towers with stock cooling. The socketed package swaps across FM2 and most FM2+ boards.

Radeon HD 8470D at 800 MHz drives desktop monitors for video. DDR3-1600 over two channels feeds cores and graphics. Buyers pick the 7300 where fast Richland dual threads must stay cheap on FM2.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The 7300 fits Socket FM2 on A55 through A85X boards. Most Socket FM2+ boards boot it after a BIOS check. DDR3-1600 DIMMs match stock operation. The 65 W rating suits all FM2 power designs.

Dual channel DDR3 serves the APU. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide covers AMD pairing. FM1 Llano boards never accept Richland.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

DDR3-1600 over two channels suits office desktops. One 8 GB kit covers multitasking with an SSD. Dual channel pairs help HD 8470D video.

PCIe 2.0 from the APU feeds one graphics slot. Most builds stay integrated. SATA SSDs transform feel on high base clocks.

Cooling uses FM2 stock coolers for 65 W. Quiet curves suit offices. The locked multiplier keeps thermals steady.

Upgrade paths

On the same socket, the AMD A4-4020 at 3.2 GHz below saves money with slower graphics, while the AMD A6-6420K at 4.0 GHz to 4.2 GHz unlocked above adds tuning. All share FM2 boards.

FM2+ Kaveri dual cores cover newer builds. The 7300 holds fast locked Richland duty.