As the home theater and entertainment market begins to hit mainstream saturation, more and more folks are (literally) buying into the whole idea of building or purchasing home media servers. The introduction of Windows Home Server has spawned a half dozen solutions that allow users the ability to watch streaming movies, listen to music, or view photos at the click of a button. Microsoft has been shipping a dedicated version of Windows with a built-in media solution since 2002's XP Media Center Edition, and Apple has been incorporating its application based version since Front Row made its debut in 2005.
Most would argue that the first real "mainstream" solution for this type of standalone device was the iTV from Apple when it hit in 2006, but what was really lacking in all of these solutions was a combination of low power, ability to expand disk storage, and the ability to upgrade components along with the higher-end basics that allow people to enjoy a high-definition experience. The Mini-ITX platform is the perfect solution to this problem. It's small footprint and low power combine everything into a tiny, expandable package yet doesn't break the bank.
On the Bigbruin.com test bench for this review we have the
ASUS AT3IONT-I Deluxe Mini-ITX motherboard, which is shown in the promotional image above. Before we take a closer look at the sample provided for review, let's check out some of the raw data on this feature packed motherboard taken from the
official product page on the ASUS website. If you're right to get right down to business, feel free to skip to
page three.
Features and Specifications:
» Brand: ASUS
» Model: AT3IONT-I Deluxe
» Combo Type: Motherboard/CPU Combo
» Bundle CPU: Dual-core Intel® Atom™ processor 330
» With Cooler: Yes
» CPU Socket Type: PBGA437
» CPU Type: Intel Atom
» FSB: 533MHz
Chipsets:
» North Bridge: NVIDIA ION™ Graphics Processors
Memory:
» Number of Memory Slots: 2×240pin
» Memory Standard: DDR3 1066/800
» Maximum Memory Supported: 4 GB, DDR3 1066/800 Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
» Channel Supported: Dual Channel
Expansion Slots:
» PCI Express x16: 1
Storage Devices:
» SATA: 4 x SATA 3.0Gb/s
Onboard Video:
» NVIDIA GeForce 9400M chipset
» Support CUDA technology
» Support PhysX technology
» Supports RGB with max. resolution up to 2048x1536x32Bppx75Hz
» Supports HDMI with max. resolution up to 1920x1080x32Bppx60Hz
» Dual VGA output support: RGB & HDMI
Onboard Audio:
» Audio Chipset: Realtek ALC887
» Audio Channels: 6 Channels
