14 DAY TRIAL // With all the publicity that the Intel Pine Trail platform has been getting, consumers are in danger of completely forgetting that there are alternatives to it. VIA, for one, has an entire collection of processors just waiting to be adopted by hardware makers. Knowing this, ASRock decided to experiment with the PC530 chip. As such, it came up with a micro-ATX motherboard that integrates said processor, as well as the full range of features that consumers look for in a platform.
The platform borrows its name from the aforementioned CPU (ASRock PV530). Said central processing unit was possible to add to the equation by means of the VIA VX900 chipset. As for what end-users can expect to find once they acquire it, the list of specifications comes with the full range of connectivity and I/O options, in addition to several proprietary technologies.
For one, the motherboard boasts a pair of SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, making sure a sufficient amount of gigabytes can be added to the PC at any given time. There is also a pair of DDR2 memory slots, along with a DDR3 slot for faster RAM. Furthermore, the platform comes with a PCI Express x16 slot, which means that advanced graphics capabilities will not be at all out of reach. As for connectivity and I/O, ASRock threw in 10/100 Ethernet, a D-sub output and even 5.1 channel audio (VIA V1705 codec), among other things.
It should probably be noted that, in addition to the 'regular' specs, the motherboard's creator implemented some of its own inventions, such as the Instant Boot instant-on OS and the OC DNA overclocking utility that allows setting to be shared between users. Finally, the device is EUP/ERP ready and can be seen in detail on its official product page. The price has not been mentioned yet.