ECS Debuts the HTPC-Oriented G43T-M3 Board

ECS, a leading manufacturer of computer motherboards, graphics cards, barebone systems and notebooks, has just unveiled a new product as part of its extensive lineup of computer platforms. The new motherboard, dubbed G43T-M3, is based on the Intel G43 Express chipset and is meant for users looking to build a high-definition computer system designed for home entertainment. The platform supports H.264/VC-1/MPEG-2 HD content decoding and enables HD video playback without the use of a discrete graphics card.

The chipset features Intel's integrated GMA X4500 graphics solution, which enables support for HD video decoding, consequently offering support for a feature-rich media center. The integrated graphics solution also boasts support for DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0 and OpenGL 2.0, enabling users not only to enjoy multimedia playback, but also some of those recent gaming titles released on the market. In addition to that, the motherboard is featured with a PCI Express 2.0 slot, allowing for a boost of graphics performance when the user adds a discrete graphics card solution.

Aside from the features mentioned above, the G43T-M3 mobo from ECS packs all of those features required by a fully fledged desktop PC. It offers 12 USB 2.0 ports, 6 SATA connectors, two DDR2 memory DIMMs, 2 PCI Express x1 slots, one PCI slot, Gigabit Ethernet, one VGA and one DVI connector and the AMI BIOS with 8Mb SPI Flash ROM. Packed inside a Micro-ATX form factor, the platform is ready to provide support for your very own Intel-based HTPC or small form factor desktop PC.

ECS is yet to provide the pricing and availability details of its latest socket LGA775-based motherboard, but when it becomes available this board will likely be at the base of some new HTPC systems on the market.