Socket to me VIA
At last, a tiny VIA motherboard that doesn't use a VIA CPU
5th September 2006 14:38 GMT
VIA’s Mini-ITX EPIA PN motherboard has been spotted on sale in Tokyo, Japan and while two versions use a VIA C7-M processor (choice of 1.5GHz or 1.8GHz if you really want to know), the third version has a 479-pin processor socket. Combine that with the VN800+VT8237R chipset combo and it’s a safe bet that the PN supports the Pentium M processor but not the later Core Duo processors.
The rest of the silicon is, naturally, also supplied by VIA so the graphics are UniChromePro, there’s a VIA Vinyl VT1618 audio codec and VIA VT6107 LAN. Mini-ITX measures a tiny 17cm x 17cm so the space is severely limited, but even so VIA has squeezed in a DDR2 memory slot, one PCI slot, two SATA connectors and two IDE connectors. The power connector is a regular 20-pin ATX item so there’s plenty of scope for building a tiny PC that is fully functional without resorting to exotic notebook components. On the I/O panel there are two PS/2 ports, VGA, dual LAN and four USB but you don’t get a TV-Out connector, which may be a disappointment for Media Center enthusiasts. In Japan the EPIA PN is on sale at 21,800 Yen which converts to £97, but as we Brits are all too painfully aware prices seems to suffer from a certain amount of inflation as they cross the English Channel. ®
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