|
Nano-ITX spotted in Japan
November 23, 2005 
VIA's long-awaited Nano-ITX boards have been spotted in the wild in Japan, by the good folks at Akiba PC Hotline. The boards on display (and possibly even on sale in small numbers) are a fanless EPIA N8000E running at 800MHz, and an fan-cooled EPIA N10000E running at 1GHz. Pricing looks to be around $350. Each version comes with a heatsink, not shown in the main picture - presumably removable to allow flexibility in chassis design, and also to allow access to the SODIMM slot.
The layout of the board has changed since several previous versions we've seen. Most notably the Eden CPU and CN400 Northbridge have been combined into one Luke package, but comparing with our non-working demonstration board circa 2004, there are many more subtle differences in the board layout. The main thinking behind the board however is unchanged: Low power consumption board, 12 x 12cm Nano-ITX form factor.
EPIA N board specifications: 800MHz or 1GHz Eden N CPU combined with CN400 North Bridge in Luke package (MPEG2 decoding, MPEG4 acceleration); VT8237R South Bridge; 1 x DDR SODIMM memory slot; 1 x (standard 40 pin) ATA133 IDE connector; 1 x 44 pin IDE connector; 1 x Serial ATA; 10/100 RJ45 LAN interface; 1 x standard 15 pin D-Sub VGA connector; 1 x S-Video connector; S/PDIF or RCA combined connector; 10 pin Nano-ITX power connector (with 20 pin ATX converter); Mini-PCI connector on reverse of board (not shown)
 |  |  |  | EPIA N8000E
| Fanless heatsink | Heatsink & fan | Components |
We can't help but think VIA have missed a trick here. Nano-ITX has had a long and public gestation period, and has obviously undergone at least one and possibly two redesigns along the way. In the meantime the Mac Mini has shown what can be fitted into a similar board size. We'd like to have seen DVI output instead of VGA, and another SATA connector squeezed in there. Availability in the Western world looks to be currently scarce, but promising for early 2006. Early production boards often slip out onto the market before mass production ramps up. After a long wait, the Nano-ITX could finally be here. Almost.
Recent Stories • Thin Mini-ITX on display at Computex 07 Jun 11
• Commodore USA reanimates the C64 07 Apr 11
• XBMC Guide updated to version 10.0 25 Jan 11
• Building a Green PC 06 Aug 10
• Building an ION powered HTPC with XBMC 15 Feb 10
• Intel revamps the Atom with Pine Trail 14 Jan 10
• The M350 Universal Mini-ITX Enclosure is extremely versatile 13 Sep 09
• Zotac ION-ITX-A Motherboard Review 12 May 09
• Zotac ION-ITX Atom Mini-ITX Board Unboxing and Salivating 04 May 09
• NVIDIA's ION reference platform reviewed, benchmarked 04 Feb 09
News Archives • June 2011
• April 2011
• Full Archive *Advert* Tiny ARTiGO Pico-ITX Kits! *Advert*
Plenty in stock at the Mini-ITX.com Online Store. We serve the UK, Europe, USA and beyond. Order in-stock items before 7.00PM GMT and we'll ship same day! |
|
* Back to Mini-ITX.com *
|
