The embedded board will allow Android deployments to run on a system with a faster processor and support for higher resolution screens. VIA is also announcing the release of an Embedded Tool kit that will allow those developing machines using the EITX-3002 and Android to monitor and control peripherals through the Android OS. That is an important capability in a device that might not be attached to a touchscreen.

The EITX-3002 is an Em-ITX form factor mainboard that uses a 1.2GHz VIA NANO X2 processor or a 1GHz VIA Eden X2 dual-core processor along with the VIA VX900 MSP. The board uses the front and back of the mainboard for smaller packing. The integrated VX900H media system processor supports dual screens and full HD video playback.

This little EPIA-P900 board is very small and packs in a dual-core CIA Eden X2 processor. The board also has a VIA VX900H media system processor. Combined the two chips allow machines based on the EPIA-P900 mainboard to process smooth video in 1080p resolution. This new version of the mainboard has 4GB of DDR3 RAM, HD audio, HDMI output, VGA, and LVDS connectivity.

The board uses the ChromotionHD 2.0 engine and has advanced filtering and post-processing. Other features include pin headers for five USB 2.0 ports, a LPC connector, PS/2 support, and a lot more. The board will support two SATA devices. This is the industry’s first Pico-ITX mainboard that has dual core processing.

The Gen 3 PCIe slot promises to be 200% faster than a Gen 2 slot. The mainboard also uses high-end MIL-810STD Certified Military Class II components and has MSI OC Genie II tech onboard to overclock the system and improve performance with a push button overclocking function. The board also gets a new BIOS design called the Click BIOS II. The new BIOS is designed to make tweaking easy.

The BIOS has an interface that promises to be good enough for noobs, but robust enough to proved the OC vet the flexibility needed to get the most performance. The board supports NVIDIA SLI and CrossFireX along with virtu switchable graphics tech. The board conforms to the latest Intel design standards for Intel processors.

All of the boards in the series use the dual intelligent Processors 2 tech with DIGI+ VRM power delivery for precision power adjustment and control. The boards also provide extra DRAM power to increase stability and has a feature packed BIOS. It sounds like the family will be overclocker friendly.

The mainboards also supports SATA 6Gb/s storage interface with RAID 0/1/10 support. The chipset in the boards also supports USB 3.0 natively with no need for a secondary controller. Intel still lacks native support for USB 3.0 and all Intel chipset boards are using a secondary controller for USB 3.0 ports. There is no word on when these boards will land and how much they will cost.

The new mainboards include the Asus P8Z68-V Pro and the P8Z68-V. The boards both feature similar technology integrated into their designs with DIGI+VRM and UEFI BIOS tech. The boards also have LucidLogix Virtu switchable graphics technology that allows the supported second-generation Intel Core processors to deliver a seamless visual experience. The boards also have Intel Quick Sync video for faster video transcoding while offering the ability to switch to the latest NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards on demand.

The boards also feature Intel Smart Response Technology that uses a SSD cache to combine the speed benefit of a SSD with traditional HDD storage capacity. The DIGI+VRM tech offers full digital power control that improves power delivery, system stability, efficiency, reliability, and performance tuning compared to analog solutions that are on the market. The Asus UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) allows the user to easily access BIOS settings using mouse input, and it has an EZ Mode that gives new users access to tuning and set up options for the enthusiast. Both boards have hardware based Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, USB 3.0 ports, and SATA 6G ports. Pricing and availability on the mainboards are unannounced at this time.

It supports USB 3.0, SATA III, SATA II, has size dual channel DDR3 memory slots, and offers three-second generation PCI Express ports at x16/x8/x8 and a single older format PCI-E port at x4. The board is aimed at overclockers with solid capacitors and the Sapphire patented Diamond Black chokes with coolers that are common on some of the high-end Sapphire video cards.

The board has additional BIOS options for overclocking and to help optimize settings. The board has reset buttons for the BIOS onboard and has signal and voltage test points along with a LED that shows numeric error codes. Sapphire has also announced a board to be called the Pure Black P67 Hydra for supporting the Sandy Bridge processors from Intel. This board also has a Lucid Hydra chip to allow video cards of different brands to be used. Pricing and availability are unannounced on both boards.

Other features of the board include USB 3.0, SATA 6Gbps and an HDMI interface. The board also has 3X powered USB ports that can charge the iPad faster than a normal USB port. The brains for the board is from the AMD E-350 dual-core processor combined with the Radeon 6310 GPU and HD Blu-ray playback. The board has 7.1 surround sound and a lot more.

The USB 3.0 ports are controlled by an onboard Renasas controller from NEC. The board uses Gigabyte Ultra Durable 3 tech that puts twice the amount of copper on the board as traditional designs for improved efficiency. Pricing for the board is unannounced at this time.

Of the two it’s the Gigabyte which seems more advanced. It allows for memory overclocking – from 1333MHz to 1800MHz – along with USB 3.0 support, multi-channel audio, VGA and DVI-I ports, and SATA connections for up to four drives; it also has a PCI Express x16 slot. The SOYO lacks the USB 3.0 support, but has six SATA ports, four USB 2.0 and HDMI/DVI/VGA outputs, along with PCI Express x16, PCI Express x1 and PCI slots

As for the E350 Zacate chip itself, that incorporates the dual 1.6GHz Bobcat cores along with a Radeon HD 6310 GPU with 80 stream processors. It also gets a UVD 3.0 engine and has an 18W TDP.

There’s also CrossFireX graphics support across the range, plus high-power USB ports for charging more juice-greedy devices like the iPad and Galaxy Tab. The H67A-UD3 also packs integrated Intel HD graphics, with VGA, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs.

The top-spec Gigabyte P67A-UD7, meanwhile, gets a full ten USB 3.0 ports (in addition to eight USB 2.0) and three Firewire, as well as dual gigabit ethernet and NVIDIA 3-Way SLI support. The new ‘boards should land in early 2011, alongside the new Intel Core processors. Full spec-sheets and more photos in the gallery below.

Thanks @Nicole_Scooter!

The TPU is an overhaul of the current TurboV design with a single processor with the sole purpose of speeding performance of the mainboard in real time and monitoring the system in real time to ensure stability. The TPU is able to remove some of the workload from the CPU during intensive tasks and tune system resources for ultimate performance. Overall output is boosted by 37% according to Asus.

The Asus exclusive EPU is the other processor. The sole purpose of this processor is to moderate power consumption by monitoring the usage of the system. The processor reduces consumption of power during idle times and gives full performance when high loads are detected. The system will be offered on a wide range of mainboards from Asus including the P7P55D-E Deluxe pictured here.

The tiny board supports HD video and digital resolutions up to 2560 x 1600. HD video up to 1080p is supported and the little board has up to 4GB of RAM. Dual SATA ports support HDDs and SSDs and the D510 processor runs at 1.6GHz.

The mainboard also has four internal USB 2.0 ports and a pair of external ports for accessories. Additional connectivity includes a COM port, S/PDIF, HD audio, Gigabit Ethernet, and a pair of mini-PCIe slots for WiFi and TV tuner options. The board supports Windows XP Embedded, XP, Vista, 7, Linux, and Windows Embedded Standard 7.

The new board is available in two versions with one using a fan and the Nano processor running at 1.6GHz. A version using no fan has the same Nano processor running at 1.2GHz. The board supports up to 8GB of RAM. The VX900 supports ChromotionHD 2.09 video engine with hardware acceleration for C1, H.264, MPEG-2 and WMV9 HD video formats.

Those formats are supported in up to 1080p resolution. The board has HDMI and VGA outputs with pin headers for dual channel 24-bit LVDS. Other features include a serial port connector, four USB 2.0 ports, onboard PCIe x4 slot, and three audio jacks.

The board uses an add in THX certified Quantum Wave Sound Card. It also has a 16 phase DrMOS PWM with titanium core capacitors. The board also has dual 8-pin power connectors for CPU overclocking and dual 6-pin power connectors for GPU overclocking. The extra power will help provide more stability when overclocking.

Easy Touch buttons are located on the board for overclockers working without a case and for convenience when working inside the chassis. An OC Genie button is also located on the mainboard. Six PCI-E slots are on the board the board supports Intel and ATI graphics solutions. The board has an Intel LGA 1366 socket for Core processors. Other features include eSATA port, 6Gbps SATA, FireWire port, dual USB 3.0 ports, and nine USB 2.0 ports. Pricing and availability are unknown.

There’s also a VGA port, gigabit ethernet, dual COM ports, four USB ports, a USB device port and audio jacks, and then there are plenty of headers for hooking up other devices and display options.  VIA also offer a range of wireless modules and I/O cables, and the EITX-3001 also has a USB touchscreen driver onboard.

VIA reckon the EITX-3001 will be of most interest to kiosks, embedded and other relatively dull applications, but we can see home users drawn to its low-power requirements, fanless build and HD output; it would make for an interesting HTPC unit, certainly.  No word on pricing, though it’s apparently available to customers now.

Press Release:

VIA EITX-3001 Shows that ‘Thin is In’ for Embedded Devices

VIA announce VIA EITX-3001, a slim-line Em-ITX form factor board featuring VIA Nano E-Series and HD video over HDMI

Taipei, Taiwan, 9 June 2010 – VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA EITX-3001, its latest Em-ITX form factor board and the ideal solution for a range of durable and fanless next generation devices in kiosk, HMI, POI and POS embedded applications.

Combining the latest VIA Nano E-Series processor and the VIA VX855 media system processor, the VIA EITX-3001 offers a full featured I/O specification on a specially developed slim-line board. Fanless devices based on the VIA EITX-3001 can enjoy absolute stability within a wide temperature range in a low profile system of less than 35mm high.

“With the VIA EITX-3001 we’re offering a full-featured board that is the ideal starting point for much slimmer, fanless and rugged devices,” said Daniel Wu, Vice President, VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. “The VIA EITX-3001 combines versatility with ruthless stability at extreme temperatures in a form factor that is ideal for space constrained industrial and commercial environments.”

The VIA EITX-3001: Slim, Stable and Fanless
The VIA EITX-3001 is powered by a 1.3GHz VIA Nano E-Series processor, bringing a performance optimized, 64-bit architecture to today’s modern embedded applications. The VIA EITX-3001 also takes advantage of the VIA VX855 media system processor, a feature packed all-in-one digital media chipset that brings excellent hardware acceleration for the latest HD video formats including MPEG-2, H.264, VC-1 and WMV9.

The VIA EITX-3001 is based on the unique Em-ITX form factor, placing both the VIA Nano E-Series processor and VIA VX855 MSP on the reverse side of the board, optimizing available board real estate and facilitating simple fanless chassis designs. The VIA EITX-3001 is guaranteed to be stable in passive cooling configurations at temperatures ranging from -10oC to 60oC.

The VIA EITX-3001 includes an onboard DC-to-DC converter that has both AT and ATX power modes, supporting a wide range of power input voltage from DC 7V to DC 36V, configurable through an onboard switch. An on board built-in 5-wire/4-wire USB Touch interface makes the EITX-3001 ideally suited for high-end interactive touch screen multimedia applications.
Dual I/O coastlines allow for a wealth of I/O ports including a HMDI port, VGA port, Gigabit Ethernet, dual COM ports, four USB ports, a USB device port, audio jacks and power and HDD activity LEDs. LVDS is supported through on board pin headers allowing for a range of multi-display options including CRT/LVDS, CRT/HDMI and LVDS/HDMI configurations.

The VIA EITX-3001 supports all 32-bit and 64-bit Microsoft Windows operating systems including the latest Windows Embedded Standard 7.

The VIA EMITX-30001 is available to customers now. To learn more about the VIA EITX-3001 please visit:

http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/embedded/ProductDetail.jsp?productLine=1&id=1210

The record setting system used the Rampage III mainboard, Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU, Asus branded GTX 480 video card and a Asus ROG 5870 Matrix Platinum. The machine set records for 3DMark 2003, 3DMark 2005, 3DMark 2006, and 3DMark Vantage for a single CPU system.

In 3DMark Vantage the system scored H51410 at high preset and at extreme preset the machine scored X39212. Both scores beat out a system using dual CPUs for the top spot. The Rampage III certainly makes for an extreme gaming rig.

The ATI onboard GPU has its own dedicated graphics memory. The company didn’t get specific on exactly what GPU is on the board. We aren’t expecting nay earth shattering onboard GPU performance. Other features include a pair of PCI-e x16 slots for graphics cards along with four x1 PCI-e slots.

On the back panel is a HDMI output, which is apparently the only output for the onboard video card. Rounding out the features is a pair of USB 3.0 ports, eSATA, Asus ROG Link, SATA 6Gbps connectors and more. That Molex connector on the board is said to be for extra GPU power.

The board is full function but small and low priced at the same time. The board is for OEMS looking to develop UMPCs and other devices. The CPU is the Atom Z510 at 1.1GHz and the chipset is the Intel US15W. Up to 1GB of DDR2 RAM can be placed on the board.

It has six USB 2.0 post hosts, WiFi option, Bluetooth option, and a 20-channel GPS option. Onboard expansion slots include a microSD slot, ExpressCard slot, and Ethernet is built-in as well. The board has graphics supporting 3D and resolutions up to 1600 x 1200. The little board can run Linux or Windows XP Embedded.

Asus has unveiled a couple of its new mainboards officially that use the new 890FX chipset including the ROG Crosshair IV Formula and the Asus M4A89TD Pro mainboards. The Crosshair IV Formula has four PCI-E x16 slots for video cards and features Turbo Unlocker tech.

Turbo Unlocker adjusts the CPU core clock depending on the needs of the system and reduces the number of cores in use for ideal performance. Asus also unveiled the new M4A89TD Pro mainboard that is a cheaper alternative for enthusiasts featuring the same Turbo Unlocker features in a lower cost package. Both of the boards offer SATA 6Gb/s and have USB 3.0 ports.

Gigabyte announced that it has a new driver for some of its popular AMD and Intel mainboards that will allow the iPad owner to charge the device when the iPad is on or off. The new driver is called the On/Off Charge driver update. It is on the gigabyte website now for download.

The new drive supports a ton of gigabyte mainboards including those for the Intel X58, P55, H55, and H57 chipsets. AMD 800 chipset mainboards are also supported by the update.

The second board available now is the 890GX Extreme3. This is an AMD Phenom II X6 compatible board with 6Gb/s SATA ports, USB 3.0, and lots more. The board supports all Crossfire modes including Hybrid Crossfire and quad CrossfireX. The first of the boards coming soon is the 870 Extreme3.

This board supports AMD X6 processors and uses the AMD 870 + SB850 chipsets. It will offer USB 3.0 ports, 6Gb/s SATA ports, and will support Quad Crossfire and CrossfireX. The other coming soon board is the 770 Extreme3. This board uses the AMD 770 + SB710 chipsets and pack in SATA 6Gb/s along with multiple USB 3.0 ports.

Some pics of a new Gigabyte mainboard for compact computers using the mini-ITX form factor have surfaced. The new board is called the H55N-USB3 and as you can gather by the name of the board, it sports USB 3.0 connectivity. CPU support for the board is for Intel LGA1156 processors.

The board uses the Gigabyte 3x USB power feature to let devices connected to the ports get more juice if they need it. The tiny boards measures 17 x 17cm and offers a single expansion slot for a single slot x16 PCI Express video card from the looks of it. The board also has a pair of DIMM slots for RAM, four SATA ports, and USB 2.0 headers. The back of the tiny board has lots of connectivity with VGA out, DVI out, HDMI out, S/PDIFF out, Ethernet and lots more.

We don’t know anything about pricing yet, but we do know a few of the specs of the board already. The Rampage III Extreme will support Intel 1366 socket CPUs like the Core i7 parts. It has the Intel X58 chipset and uses triple-channel DDR3 RAM.

The board is built around overclocking features and crams in SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0 tech. The overclocking features can be accessed via any Bluetooth mobile phone. Check out the gallery below for more pictures.

The new board uses the new 890GX chipset and sports a new AMD integrated graphics core. Support for ATI CrossFireX and Hybrid CrossFireX is integrated along with several overclocking features designed to unlock performance in AMD Phenom processors. The board supports USB 3.0 with a pair of external USB 3.0 ports available.

Asus also rolls support for SATA 6Gb/s HDDs into the design. The overclocking features of the board include a Core Unlocker feature that can boost CPU performance by flipping a switch on the mainboard. Asus claims that on some Phenom processors a dual-core can turn into a 3-core or 4-core processor when using Core Unlocker. The board also supports Asus’ Auto Tuning and Turbo Key II overclocking features along with an Integrated GPU Boost Tool for overclocking graphics cards.

The board offers both USB 3.0 support and supports new SATA 3.0 HDDs. MSI is aiming the mainboard at HTPC user and the board supports the latest Phenom II processors. Both DirectX 10.1 and UVD 2.0 multimedia standards are supported.

Other features include OC Genie Lite for overclocking, solid state capacitors for stability, HDMI and DVI outputs, and Lossless 24-bit/192kHz HD audio. The chipset and other components on the mainboard are cooled using a HeatPipe design. Pricing and availability are unknown at this time.

That onboard GPU is capable out supporting two simultaneous outputs over VGA, LVDS, HDMI, DisplayPort or SDVO.  Other connectivity includes support for five PCI Express lanes, eight USB 2.0 ports, three SATA, one EIDE and a gigabit ethernet hook-up.  There’s also support for HD audio.

congatec reckon the conga-BM57 will find a home in gaming or medical-image devices, but we’d quite like to see SFF nettops and HTPCs using the board too.  A compact HTPC that’s not only high-definition capable but will play the latest 3D games can’t be a bad thing.

Press Release:

congatec Announces New COM Express Small Form Factor Module Based on Latest Intel® Core™ i7 Processor

New conga-BM57 Delivers Maximum Computing Performance Paired with Highest Graphics Speed from the Integrated Graphics Controller

International Gaming Expo 2010
SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–congatec AG extends its COM Express product family with the highest performance module conga-BM57. It features the latest Intel® Core™ i7-620M processor with a core speed of 2.66 GHz, with 4 MByte L2 cache and up to 8 GByte fast (1066 MT/s) dual channel DDR3 memory. The conga-BM57 is a two-chip solution which utilizes the powerful Mobile Intel® QM57 Express Chipset. The integrated graphics controller is supporting the Intel® Flexible Display Interface (FDI) in order to allow for two independent video channels on VGA, LVDS, HDMI, DisplayPort or SDVO interfaces.

The major highlight of the COM Express Basic (95x125mm) module with a type 2 connector pin-out is the boosted graphics performance. The 3D performance was increased substantially over the last generation of Intel integrated graphics. Paired with the additional computing performance of the Intel® Core™ i7 processor the conga-BM57 is an ideal solution for intense graphics applications which are often found in gaming or medical image applications.

The implemented Intel® Turbo Boost Technology provides an on-demand boost in the clock speed for one processor core if the other core is less utilized. This new feature improves the computing performance by as much as 25% – as measured by congatec during benchmark testing.

In order to keep the power consumption at about the same level as the predecessor generation, the Intel® Core™ i7 processor supports new power management states. The C6 state, already known from Intel® Core™ processors, saves the architectural state to a dedicated SRAM. Then the cores can be switched off to reduce the current to almost zero. The independence of the C6 states for each core boasts even greater power savings for the platform.

Five PCI Express lanes, eight USB 2.0 ports, three SATA, one EIDE and a Gigabit Ethernet interface allow for fast and flexible system extensions. Fan control, LPC bus for slow speed extensions and Intel® High Definition Audio complete the feature set.

Asus pulled the wraps off its new P7P55D-E and P7H57D-V mainboards. Both of the boards sport PCIe X4 bridge chips and support USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s. Asus also announced a new Bravo series of video cards that have Splendid Plus technology built-in.

Splendid Plus technology adds a light sensor to the mix allowing the screen to detect the light in a room and adjust accordingly for the best image quality. Asus also unveils a new soundbar for computers called the Cine5 Soundbar Speaker. The device reproduces multi-channel surround sound without needing rear speakers.

Both of the boards have similar features including overclocking with Asus apps that squeeze more performance out of the GPU and the CPU. The boards use GPU Boost technology allowing the user to overclock the GPU and technology also allows the user to reduce power consumption.

The boards both support USB 3.0 and SATA 6 and Asus uses a special expansion chip that allows for SLI or CrossfireX video cards without affecting the performance of USB 3.0 or SATA 6. The boards are designed for the Intel Core i7/i5 platform and are available in ATX and micro-ATX form factors. The boards will ship on January 7 at undisclosed pricing.

The big deal about the Big Bang mainboard is that the board has the Lucid Hydra 200 chip that allows it to support multiple video cards of different brands and models at once. This lets you get the extra performance from your old video card and you new card even if one is NVIDIA and the other is ATI.

Update: We’re told that the Lucid Hydra 200 chip has been delayed, and that the ‘board will use the NF200 chip.

The special Big Bang-Trinergy edition mainboard includes an exclusive Big Bang messenger bag, 8-year limited warranty, a SteelSeries KINZU mouse, and a SteelSeries QcK+ mouse pad. Other features of the board are the same as the basic Big Bang. Pricing is unannounced at this time, but the board will be one of the more expensive units on the market.

The P55 Express chipset is paired with up to 16GB of DDR3 memory, and there are five PCIe x16 slots and one PCI 2.2.  Support for both NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFireX is a given, and there are six SATA 3.0Gb/s ports, an Intel RAID controller (for 0, 1, 5 and 10 setups) and an external SATA 3Gb/s port for SATA On-the-Go.  You also get two SATA 6.0Gb/s ports, which certainly helps out with the future-proofing.

Ethernet is gigabit, of course, and there’s a USB 3.0 controller with two ports along with a USB 2.0 controller with eleven connections of its own.  There’s also twin FireWire, Bluetooth, S/PDIF and 10-channel surround sound, all in an ATX form factor.  No word on pricing, but we can’t imagine this will come cheap.

Press Release:

ASUS ROG Motherboard with Breakthrough Overclocking Interface Wows DreamHack Winter Attendees

P55-based Maximus III Extreme Supports Wireless Overclocking via Bluetooth Mobile Phones
Taipei, Taiwan, November 25, 2009 – Attendees of DreamHack Winter from November 26–29, 2009 are set to witness a milestone in overclocking history. ASUS will be debuting the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Maximus III Extreme, a bleeding-edge, P55-based motherboard that enables users to tweak system settings wirelessly over Bluetooth via a mobile phone. An extension of ASUS’ proprietary ROG Connect overclocking platform, RC Bluetooth will reshape how enthusiasts approach the art of overclocking.

New and Improved ROG Connect: Extended Functionality for Greater Convenience and Peace of Mind
The four-way CrossFire-capable Maximus III Extreme is a top-end addition to ROG’s celebrated Maximus III Series of motherboards. True to its ROG heritage, it sports a host of features tailored to overclocking enthusiasts and gamers. The foremost of these is ROG Connect, which was first introduced with the Maximus III Formula and Maximus III GENE. ROG Connect is an exclusive overclocking interface that enables users to monitor and tune their main systems through a notebook or netbook via USB, just like a race car engineer. The version released with Maximus III Extreme will extend ROG Connect’s functionality, adding BIOS updating and recovery, diagram viewing, and on-the-fly hardware-level voltage and frequency adjustment. BIOS updating from a notebook is a particularly welcome feature for overclockers, who will no longer have to fear bricking their motherboards due to a corrupt BIOS.

RC Bluetooth: Smashing through the Barriers of Conventional Overclocking
Perhaps the most innovative addition to ROG Connect, however, is RC Bluetooth, a feature which allows users to review the status of their systems’ hardware and tweak parameters wirelessly from a Bluetooth-enabled PDA phone. RC Bluetooth is also capable of performing standard Bluetooth functions, such as stereo music playback, Skype messaging, Internet access via a Bluetooth phone, and mobile phone or PDA synchronization. All it requires is the press of a button located on the rear I/O panel to toggle between overclocking and standard modes.

All Set to Astound Attendees of DreamHack Winter
The ROG Maximus III Extreme will make its first appearance at DreamHack Winter, the world’s largest LAN/eSports event, and a mainstay of hardware enthusiasts. The overclocking prowess of the ROG Maximus III Extreme will also be showcased at an overclocking competition to be held during the event. On November 27 and 28, 2009, the world’s best overclockers will use the ROG Maximus III Extreme to vie for the overclocking championship.

[via SlashPhone]

That connectivity could include anything from CRT, DVP and TTL display support, HD Audio, IDE, USB 2.0, PCI Express, SMBus, GPIO, LPC, SDIO and PS2.  While separating the Mobile-ITX computer-on-system module from the IO board does seem a slightly disingenuous way of shrinking the CoS down, it means manufacturers will be able to create a job-specific IO adapter and then drop in a proven CoS without lengthy testing.

Meanwhile it’s a power-frugal setup, too, requiring as little as 5W.  The first commercial Mobile-ITX boards will show up in Q1 2010, though they’re really targeted at embedded systems rather than home users.

Press Release:

VIA Mobile-ITX Brings Further Miniaturization and Greater Flexibility to Embedded Devices

Incredibly compact, 6cm x 6cm Mobile-ITX form factor is 50% smaller than Pico-ITX, enables next-generation embedded devices

Taipei, Taiwan, 1 December 2009 – VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced Mobile-ITX, the latest VIA-developed open form factor specification for the creation of ultra-compact and portable embedded devices. Mobile-ITX defines a uniquely compact 6cm x 6cm computer-on-module specification designed to enable an easier and less resource intensive development cycle for a range of ultra-compact, portable embedded systems.

Vertical market segments including medical, transportation and military embedded markets have evolved to demand greater miniaturization and portability from today’s x86 platforms. Mobile-ITX addresses the need for a simple, modular approach to portable IPC design, making it easier than ever to bring to market ultra-compact and lightweight devices that offer comprehensive connectivity options and a rich, flexible feature set.

“With Mobile-ITX we have again pushed back the barriers that limit just how small an embedded industrial PC can be,” said Daniel Wu, Vice President, VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. “Mobile-ITX enables the creation of a new breed of ultra-compact, portable networked devices suitable for a range of applications, particularly in modern medical and military segments.”

Mobile-ITX – The Science of Small
Extending VIA’s reputation as a leading innovator and creator of ultra-compact form factors, Mobile-ITX at 6cm x 6cm, is currently the most compact computer-on-module form factor on the market, an incredible 50% smaller than the successful VIA-developed Pico-ITX form factor.

Mobile-ITX employs a modularized design that includes a CPU module card and an I/O carrier board. This offers greater flexibility for developers who can simply drop in the CPU module to a custom designed, application specific carrier board, negating lengthy developmental design and testing phases.

CPU modules based on the Mobile-ITX form factor integrate core CPU, chipset and memory functionality and I/O that includes the CRT, DVP and TTL display support, HD Audio, IDE, USB 2.0, as well as PCI Express, SMBus, GPIO, LPC, SDIO and PS2 signals, through customizable baseboards. In keeping with VIA’s signature low power philosophy, Mobile-ITX-based modules consume as little as 5 watts, ideal for always-on, mission critical systems.

This comprehensive range of advanced technologies can be implemented on a variety of Mobile-ITX compatible carrier board designs that can be adapted to suit almost any environment, or application specific criteria. The CPU module I/O signals are mapped to two unique high density, low profile connectors on the under side of the module, with a distance between the CPU module and the baseboard of only 3mm, making it ideal for ultra-slim system designs. The connectors can also withstand vibrations of up to 5Gs making Mobile-ITX systems suitable for in-vehicle and industrial machining applications.

More details about the Mobile-ITX form factor may be found at the VIA website where you can also find a detailed “Mobile-ITX Form Factor” white paper:
www.via.com.tw/en/initiatives/spearhead/mobile-itx/

The VIA Embedded Platform Division will announce the first commercial CPU module based on the Mobile-ITX form factor in Q1 2010.

MSI and Lucid have announced a new mainboard called the MSI Big Bang that uses the Lucid Hydra 200 SoC. The Hydra 200 is a real-time distributed processing engine that acts as an intelligent graphic load balancer.

What that means is that the Big Bang board is capable of allowing the user to mix and match multiple video cards of any model and any make. Not only can gamers use their 9800 GTX and GTX 280 in the same computer, they can use an ATI video card and a NVIDIA card at the same time. MSI expects the mainboard to be on the market in time for the holiday shopping season at undisclosed pricing.