Fanless Nano-ITX Motherboard Reviewed 36
TheEagleCD writes "The first look at the fanless EPIA-N8000E Nano-ITX motherboard has just hit the internet. While some skeptics commented that this board is only 'for those who like VIA or want an even smaller footprint than a nano-notebook,' others say that 'the size, heat output and noise levels alone will recommend it to many projects.' It will be interesting to see how the market really receives this first Nano-ITX motherboard which is the de-facto successor of the Mini-ITX form-factor which made a strong statement by being seen on many company booths at this year's CeBIT."
Embeded use (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Embeded use (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Embeded use (Score:2, Informative)
An AMD Geode embedded processor uses 14 Watts for the fastest one, and 0.9 Watts for the "El Cheapo"
Assuming that all of the Watts is put towards heat, You'd need over 8 of the 'spensive ones to keep your coffee warm.
When they will deliver (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:When they will deliver (Score:2)
Some other place like eBay [ebay.com]?
Re:When they will deliver (Score:4, Informative)
-Charles
Re:When they will deliver (Score:2)
I've been waiting for these to hit for ages. Can't wait to try it out. I guess I was kind of resigned to the fact that they would never be released.
Cheers,
BJPirt
Re:When they will deliver (Score:2)
not that thats nessacerally a bad thing.
Nice review -- didn't mention CPU (Score:2)
I wonder who took the photos....and wrote the article....
Re:Nice review -- didn't mention CPU (Score:2)
That said, Via normally names their boards with a number that is 10x the CPU speed. The board is named the N8000, so that would indicate 800 MHz, like all the 130nm passive MiniITX boards. The benchmarks agree [epiacenter.com].
It's really quite sad that NanoITX only uses the old crappy CN400 chipset with the older 130nm Nehemiah core. I mean, the 90nm rev still sucks, but at least they can clock it higher
Site is fried... (Score:2, Informative)
Neato! (Score:3, Funny)
VIA (Score:2)
I didn't know that VIA actually had a following. Last I checked, there were two groups of people who used their stuff: those who tolerated it and those who didn't know any better.
I got a bad taste in my mouth with their AMD K6-2 chipsets (Apollo MVP?) and continued to have lackluster experiences with their mobo chipsets straight up through Socket A. As someone who prefers to use AMD (more bang for the buck) I've been sticking to nVidia nForce chipsets for the past
Re:VIA (Score:2)
At least I learned that you can't trust, when buidling computer for actual use, reviewers who build a machine from minamal number of standard components, run some benchmarks...and that's it.
Re:VIA (Score:1)
Re:VIA (Score:2)
Why (Score:1)
okay, yeah, you would think you could trust them
DVI and Dual Ethernet not included... (Score:1)
Another thing which most of these SFF boards lack is dual ethernet, or at least gigE. So much for routers, file servers, and networked DVR's.
Oh well, while I am wishing for the impossible, why not remove the BIOS and add a serial con
Re:DVI and Dual Ethernet not included... (Score:2)
Nope. The N-series has those ports you see but the NL-series has no ports, just headers. That includes an adapter for an LVDS or DVI connection. There is a miniPCI slot on bottom if you want to install a wireless card or something else mi
Re:DVI and Dual Ethernet not included... (Score:2, Informative)
Via IS listening to you, even if they move slow (Score:2)
Yup, seems annoying since I'd think that if someone wants a tiny system then they'd opt for an LCD panel and the analogue port is just wasted electronice. However there is the NL board that at least does away with the bulky 15-pin VGA port, though a small header connector and the DAC circuitry are still there.
Another thing which most of these SFF boards lack is dual ethernet, or at least gigE.
Actually Via and most other Mini-ITX board ma
Best quote in the article (Score:1, Interesting)
Heh.
Re:Best quote in the article (Score:2)
Re:Best quote in the article (Score:1)
DVI instead VGA (Score:1)
I might go one day with an ITX board but DVI is a killer argument for me.
O. Wyss
Re:DVI instead VGA (Score:3, Informative)
fanless, how? revealed. (Score:2)
VIA Luke CoreFusion 1.0GHz
A Luke processor is obviously only lukewarm, and as result doesn't need a cooler.
Re: (Score:2)
Nice! (Score:1)
Re:Nice! (Score:2)
Let me just put this in perspective for you:
For anything other than MPEG2 or MPEG4 viewing, or encryption, this processor will perform like a PII 350 or slower. Imagine running Gnome or KDE on a PII 350 with a TINY (64k) L2 cache, and you'll come to understand just how much this chip sucks.
Via claims that their philosophy is low-power computing, but the real deal is Via does not want to pay their design team to completely redesign the Winchip. The Winchip