14 DAY TRIAL // Micro-ATX motherboards seem to be coming out all the time these days, possibly because of the fact that they have gained the ability to support very powerful PCs despite their size. Biostar's latest model is called Hi-Fi H81S3.
Micro-ATX mainboards have actually been viable platforms for gaming systems for years now, thanks to how good CPUs and video cards are.
All it takes is to include the appropriate CPU socket and a full-power PCI Express 2.0 or 3.0 x16 slot and voila! Gaming at its best.
Sure, you won't get multi-GPU setups, but that's really the only limitation, and unless you have a huge TV or a multi-display setup, you don't need more.
On that note, the Biostar Hi-Fi H81S3, powered by the H81 chipset, has the LGA 1150 socket, for Intel Core i5/i7 CPUs with HD 4600 graphics.
It also has two DDR3 memory slots (DDR3-1600 MHz) and a PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot, plus a pair of SATA 6.0 Gbps ports and four SATA 3.0 Gbps connectors.
That leads to a top DRAM capacity of 16 GB and several terabytes' worth of storage space, with the extra benefit of Intel Rapid Start Technology and Intel Smart Connect Technology.
Biostar has also implemented audio and power regulation upgrades like Hi-Fi Power and Hi-Fi AMP, plus USB 3.0 support, both on the back panel and via headers (for top/front case I/O panels).
Finally, the new micro-ATX motherboard features a DVI and an HDMI output, complete with HDCP support (allows playback of even copy-protected content).
All in all, the Biostar Hi-Fi H81S3 has everything it could possibly need for a good and strong PC. Depending on the size and design of whatever case buyers select, it may end up in standard desktops, LAN Party systems (portable, via top-placed handle), normal multimedia systems (when no add-in graphics card is used), etc.