by Anton Shilov
11/27/2002 | 03:52 PM
VIA Technologies today launched their new EPIA-M mainboard with more advanced functions and higher performance compared to the predecessor announced back in April this year. Frankly speaking, the novelty has very little in common with the original EPIA: the mini-ITX form-factor, C3/EDEN EBGA processor and the LAN controller.
So that you were easier to learn the differences between the EPIA and EPIA-M, we made a table representing all the differences between mainboards.
| EPIA and EPIA-M Comparison Table | |||
| EPIA | EPIA-M | ||
| Form-Factor | Mini-ITX | ||
| Processor | Integrated C3 or EDEN in EBGA form-factor | ||
| North Bridge | PLE133 (VT8601A) | CLE266 (VT8623) | |
| South Bridge | VT8231 | VT8235 | |
| Memory Type | PC100/133 SDRAM | PC2100 DDR SDRAM | |
| Number of memory slots | 2 | 1 | |
| Integrated graphics core | Trident Blade 3D | CastleRock (Savage XP derivative) | |
| TV-Out | VIA VT1621 | VIA VT1622 | |
| Number of PCI slots | 1 | 1 | |
| IDE | ATA-33/66/100/133 | ATA-33/66/100/133 | |
| FDD connector | no | yes | |
| USB | USB 1.1: 4 ports | USB 2.0: 4 ports | |
| FireWire (IEEE1394) | no | VIA VT6307S controller | |
| Ethernet | 10/100 Ethernet ( VT6103) | ||
| Sound solution | VT1612A | 6-channel AC'97 VT1616 | |
Although FireWire ports does not seem to be something really necessary for the consumers of highly-integrated cost-effective platforms, they still present. On the other hand, a 56K modem is sometimes really needed (when the broadband connection is on maintenance, for instance), but there is no such device integrated in this all-in-one product.
The VIA EPIA M-Series Mini-ITX mainboard is available now through VPSD global distribution partners. The target retail price for both the VIA EPIA M9000 and the VIA EPIA ME6000 is below $200, according to VIA. Stylish cases from manufacturers including Casetek, CoolerMaster, G-Alantic, Morex, and Bleu Jour from France would be in place in the living room as well as the office.