14 DAY TRIAL // Despite the fact that AMD's upcoming Llano processors are pretty well suited for building compact HTPC systems, the number of mini-ITX FM1 motherboards available at this time is rather limited, so Asus has released two new such solutions based on the A75 chipset.
The two motherboards are the F1A75-I and the F1A75-I Deluxe and, just as its name implies, share a pretty much identical features set.
The layout is also nearly identical as both of these solutions are equipped with two full-length DDR3 DIMM sockets, a PCI Express x16 expansion slot as well as four SATA 6Gbps ports.
These are driven by the AMD A75 FCH, which also provides native support for four USB 3.0 ports.
However, Asus has decided to include only two such connectors on their mini-ITX boards and these have been routed to the rear I/O panel.
Right next to them users will find jacks for 5.1 channel audio, four USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit LAN port, an eSATA port, a PS/2 port, a digital S/PDIF audio connector as well as an HDMI and a DVI video output.
The Deluxe version adds to these features a Bluetooth transmitter and a DisplayPort connector.
The two Asus motherboards use passive cooling for both the AMD A75 chipset and the PWM, but the Deluxe model comes equipped with a more advanced Digi+ VRM.
Asus hasn't mentioned when these two models become available for purchase, or just how much these will retail for. The first AMD Llano processors are expected to arrive on June 14.
ASRock is the only other company to have released a mini-ITX Llano motherboard, which is dubbed the A75M-ITX, and features pretty much the same specs as Asus' two models. However, ASRock's solution lacks both DisplayPort and Bluetooth connectivity. (via ComputerBase)