800's or 900's?

Hey guys,
Been looking into books to start studying for Comptia a+, however I noticed that the majority of these or for the 801-802 exams with a new book pertaining to the recently released 901-902 exams. My question is, which one should I be studying for and which one matters in the real world today? Does it help to take both exams to go farther in the industry or is that a waste of time?

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quickman007

The all-in-one exam guide on Amazon is for the 901-902 exams. I would pick that up and watch Professor Messer's A+ videos (which is also for the 900 series exams) as well. Those two should be plenty to pass. Don't bother with the 800 series. That's the older exam and having both is pointless.

techtia

I grabbed this information straight from Professor Messers website

The CompTIA 220-901 and 220-902 A+ exam objectives have been released, and the new exams include both expected changes and a few surprises. Here’s the summary:
If you’ve studied for the 220-801 and 220-802 version of the A+ exam, then this exam should look very familiar. Roughly 75% of the exam objectives are identical to the previous version.

Some of the older technologies have thankfully been replaced, and some new topics have been added. Say goodbye to Rambus, CRTs, and Windows XP, and say hello to Windows 8, Mac OS, Linux, and Windows Phone.

The overall structure of the exams have been revised to make each exam more self-contained. Unlike the 220-802 exam that expected you to know the troubleshooting processes for every topic across both exams, the 220-901 and the 220-902 now have their own individual troubleshooting domains. You can now focus your study efforts on passing a single exam before clearing the slate and starting on the next exam. This will be a big change to every student’s study plans.

That is what is different and since CompTIA decided to update the exam, I am guessing it is better. 800 series will retire June 30th 2016. You don't need to take both exams, these are very entry level, one will do you just fine. The A+ will matter to employers who value certs.