Aug 13, 2010 09:59 GMT  ·  By

Advanced Micro Devices is hurriedly working on its Fusion accelerated processing units (APUs) and it seems that one of the upcoming chips, part of the low-power Ontario platform, has already found a home in a certain mini-ITX motherboard that ASUS is reportedly developing.

That ASUS is working on a new motherboard is hardly odd, but it is quite interesting that the Ontario is already far enough along for reports of products that use it to already find their way to the web.

Basically, the hardware maker is creating a small form factor platform that will likely make it into HTPC (Home-Theater Personal Computer) systems.

On the other hand, the board may find more uses than just this one, considering what rumors are saying about the Ontario chip itself.

Supposedly, the performance will be on par with that of the AMD Athlon II X2 250W, only it will have the bonus of a graphics chip with DirectX 11 support.

What's more, the leaks that have surfaced so far imply that the TDP of such processors will be of 18 W or even lower.

All things considered, it can be assumed that the Ontario platform will be a good alternative to Intel's Atom series of chips as far as mini-ITX motherboards go.

What's more, thanks to the inherent video capabilities, it is likely that the component will be at odds with NVIDIA's ION graphics solution as well.

Currently, NVIDIA provides netbooks and nettops with good multimedia capabilities through its ION 2, and an actual competition may sprout once its rival's new technology makes its appearance.

Regardless, it is too early to start guessing about what the board can or cannot do, especially knowing that AMD's Fusion chips are still a way off from release.

End-users interested in an item of this kind will have to wait and see what future leaks and reports uncover, and if ASUS somehow manages to slip up and provide at least a meager list of specifications.