X-bit labs

X-bit labs CeBIT 2005 Coverage: Day 4

Category: Editorial

by Anton Shilov

[ 03/14/2005 | 03:41 PM ]

X-bit labs continues to bring you the creams of the show in Hannover and today we have some updates from ABIT, who is showcasing its concept remote controller to control the PC and an array of home appliances; Foxconn’s e-Bot barebone PC for AMD64 processors in addition to nForce Professional-based mainboard for single-CPU system; and also about 512MB graphics cards from Gainward and XFX.

Table of contents:

• ABIT Goes to the Living Room
  
• Foxconn Targets Gamers with New Mainboards, Barebone
  
• Gainward, XFX Show Off 512MB Graphics Cards
  
• Shuttle Likes it Hot: NVIDIA SLI Barebone Demonstrated
  

ABIT Goes to the Living Room

ABIT Computer is primarily known for its high-end mainboards designed for overclockers and enthusiasts, but those are not the only products that the company makes and yet intends to make. At CeBIT 2005 the firm showcases its RM-11 remote controller that is capable of controlling ABIT’s future mainboards as well as various home appliances.

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ABIT says its future mainboards, such as the one based on Intel’s upcoming 955X chipset will have a capability to be equipped with an infrared receiver and be controlled by the remote. Once set up, the RM-11 controller will not only be able to interact with ABIT’s EQ and Guru tweaking and overclocking capabilities, but also will do email and messaging alerts as well as control consumer electronics, such as DVD players, TV-sets, receivers, amplifiers and other.

One of the strong points the RM-11 has is context sensitive LCD touch screen, which vastly improves its functionality without significantly increasing complexity of the operation.

ABIT has never addressed the market of the so-called digital home and the introduction of the RM-11 alone is unlikely to change that. Nevertheless it is clear that the mainboard maker recognizes the ongoing trends and potential the market that converges home equipment and the PC has.

In addition to the RM-11 and Intel’s 955X mainboard, ABIT shows off its NI8 SLI and AN8 SLI mainboards based on NVIDIA’s nForce4 SLI Intel Edition and nForce4 SLI chipsets respectively. Both mainboards are tailored for enthusiast users: they are equipped with cooling systems for power supply circuitry and will come with ABIT’s special control panel – ABIT’s Power Panel which provides additional USB and FireWire connectivity, as well as traditional overclocking options.