We are currently about halfway through the release cycle of the most recent Intel processor family. Ivy Bridge has now been with us for several months and we are still several months from the release of Haswell, Ivy Bridge’s successor. For processor afficionados, these might be the doldrums, but for anyone looking to go Mini-ITX for a new HTPC or […]
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Last year Intel’s Sandy Bridge “TOCK” married the graphics processing unit (GPU) and CPU on the same die, making it a first class citizen in the system and introduced a true integrated processor graphics (IPG) solution. With HD audio bit steaming introduced in the previous generation, full hardware acceleration of VC-1, AVC (H.264), MPEG2 as well as 3D Blu-ray (MVC) […]
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J&W’s MINIX line of mini-ITX motherboards have consistently targeted the higher end of the market with unique features and a focus on quality components. My first experience with their boards was the fantastic MINIX 780G-SP128MB, a mini-ITX gem that made its way into several HTPC and home server builds I assisted with. J&W looks set to continue the trend of quality […]
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Intel may have been hogging the CPU limelight over the last few years, but AMD has been toiling away on its own processors and taking full advantage of their purchase of ATI several years ago to pump out competitive processors with superior graphics capabilities. Indeed, for a small form factor HTPC that will be completely dependent on its integrated graphics […]
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Zotac kicked off CES by showing some barebones HTPC love with the new Zbox lineup, but today Zotac gave some DIY HTPC love with the announcement of the D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme. Like most of Zotac’s mini-ITX motherboards, the diminutive board is packed to the gills with features and connectivity options. As you may have guessed from the name, the D2700-ITX […]
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ASRock has been a solid supporter of AMD CPUs over the last couple of years as evidenced by their high-end Fatality-branded motherboards. ASRock has also been a solid supporter of the Mini-ITX format. The A75M-ITX brings AMD and Mini-ITX together in one compact package. The lack of overclocking support shouldn’t be much of an issue for anyone looking for an […]
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Zotac makes a number of mini-ITX motherboards and has established a reputation for stacking a lot features on their little boards. They make two different Z68 Mini-ITX boards, the Z68ITX-A-E, for which we saw a review a while back, and the Z68ITX-B-E. The Z68ITX-B-E adds a couple of different features, in particular the built-in discrete Nvidia Geforce GT430 GPU. Intel has […]
Read moreHaving seen what Llano can do you may be wondering what the perfect motherboard would be for your SFF system. Looks like TECH REPORT is helping us out today with their shootout between two mini-ITX boards from ASUS and ZOTAC. AMD’s latest mainstream desktop platform boasts arguably the most potent two-chip combo in the industry. At the head, you’ve got […]
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New platforms are particularly interesting to us as home theater PC (HTPC) enthusiasts because it gives us a chance to clearly see how a generation of progress can be transformed into tangible benefits. Not long ago, integrated graphics processors (IGP) were strictly the choice of budget-minded consumers, but the recent relocation of the graphics processing unit (GPU) from the chipset […]
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Not that long ago it was a significant challenge to build a small and quiet home theater PC (HTPC). Mini-ITX was an option, but case selection was limited and more importantly the form factor was held back by the lack of decent integrated video performance and the power/heat dissipation requirements of the processor (CPU) and graphics (GPU). With both of […]
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