Brag: Mobile Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme Edition?

The naughty folks at HKEPC posted some cool stuff about Intel roadmap. It would seem that Intel is planning to release an uber processor for mobile use! Woah, that's crazy stuff. While I know some would think "why would a laptop user buy that", it is important to note that while the processor is "mobile", it can actually be used as a desktop processor on specialized platform.

If anyone hasn't heard of MoDT (Mobile on Desktop), this is one platform where I see such processor being offered. Of course, mobile warriors who love to game on their laptop anytime rather than stucked on their bulky desktop will also benefit.

This processor is also good for custom-made high-end computing, such as a multimedia enconding device portable and small enough not to clutter a table. I am so excited about this new prouduct. Check out the specs and price below (click image for full picture).



Source:Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme Edition for laptop?

Press Release: AOpen MoDT Series Enters the Era of 64-bit Ultra-speed Computing Comprehensive Support for Intel® Core™ 2 Duo CPU (Merom)

Wow, another great news for the enthusiasts! Their line up of miniPC Duo and MoDT will now support the new processor from Chipzilla, Merom, that is the Conroe counterpart for mobile. Expand for more...

[Taipei, Taiwan] AOpen’s world famous miniPC Duo and MoDT (Mobile on Desktop) technology, using Mobile Computing technology in Desktop computer, anticipate supporting Core™ 2 Duo from now on. With the development name code Merom, Core™ 2 Duo is the CPU for the new generation notebook, that Intel® is going to introduce in the world on August 28. These products include AOpen miniPC Duo MP945-X / -VX / -VXR and MoDT Motherboard Series i975Xa-YDG, i945GTm-VHL / i945GMm-HL and i945GTt-VFA / i945GMt-FA. These products will be integrated with the Core™ 2 Duo (Merom) CPU to have unexpected top performance with optimized compatibility!

“AOpen is devoted to delivering consumers newer, more efficient and more energy-saving information appliance including AOpen miniPC Duo, which is world famous for its compact size and energy-saving, and the new generation MoDT motherboards, developed with innovative thinking. Also, in order to fulfill AOpen’s commitment to consumers, while Intel® is introducing their more computing-efficient and energy-saving Core™ 2 Duo (Merom) CPUs, the series of AOpen’s miniPC Duo and MoDT motherboards will provide supports synchronously. Thus those high quality products, which have been very efficient and energy-saving, will have an enhanced value as a whole!” said Mr. Tony Yang, the Marketing Senior Director. “From now on, all consumers in the world that buy AOpen miniPC Duo and the MoDT Series motherboards using i945 and i975 chipsets can choose complete Intel® Core™ 2 Duo (Merom) CPU. Moreover, for consumers who have already bought the products mentioned above, they can feel the AOpen’s sincerity in taking care of loyal consumers. They only need to visit AOpen’s website and download new BIOS and dedicated drivers designed for Intel® Core™ 2 Duo (Merom) of the products mentioned above. Then they can enjoy immediately the performance of better computing-efficiency and more economical energy-saving that is brought by Intel® Core™ 2 Duo (Merom) CPU!” followed the Senior Director Yang.

AOpen miniPC Duo MP945-VX / MP945-VXR can be integrated with complete Microsoft® Windows XP MCE™ 2005 operating system and remote control to become the most compact desktop globally with Viiv™ technology. Also, the built-in IEEE 802.11 b+g wireless network, 5.1 channel Dolby surround, the feature of S/PDIF digital output, the slim slot-in DVD±RW drive and 2.5’ HDD with large capacity for notebooks can meet the needs of digital homes with all features. AOpen miniPC Duo also provides DVI digital video output and TV signal output of S-Video / Y-Pb-PR. It not only can be connected to the LCD monitor of a computer, but also directly connected to the big size TV in the living room to bring you unprecedented and best visual enperience.

AOpen i975Xa-YDG is the top flagship of MoDT series motherboards. Also, it is the best presentation of that AOpen successfully uses its research and development ability and product originality. i975Xa-YDG integrates the powerful scalability of i975X chipset for desktop computers and the powerful computing and energy-saving of notebook CPU to create unprecedented total value. It includes the feature of overclock in 1MHz without re-starting the computer, integrated system turn on/off and Multi-function remote control for AV control and overclock control. It provides 2 PCI-Express x16 expansion slots, and supports ATI CrossFire dual graphic card technology and SATA II Hot-Swap feature that can be plug-and-play. The noise level of the fan in work is lower than 26dB. It also has 7.1 channel Hi-Fi Dolby surround output. Concluded from above, it’s the best choice for overclocking and game players.

i945GTm-VHL uses i945GT+ICH7M-DH chipset and its top performance can meet the needs of general offices, SOHO and household consumers as well as comprehensive supports for Viiv™ technology. It is designed based on Micro ATX standard specification and is one of the most popular and mainstream products among MoDT series motherboards. Also, i945GTt-VFA also uses i945GT+ICH7M-DH chipset but is designed based on the specific Flex ATX (mini ITX) to reduce the motherboard size dramatically. It retains related scalability that desktop computers require within its compact design, second only to the AOpen MiniPC. It also supports all Viiv™ technology! It is ideal for those who demand for scalability and compact size

Source:AOpen MoDT Series Enters the Era of 64-bit Ultra-speed Computing Comprehensive Support for Intel® Core™ 2 Duo CPU (Merom)

Tech Link (MoDT): Shuttle XPC X100 (Core Duo)

A pretty nifty systems is up on the testbench over at HardwareZone. And since this is armed with an Intel® Core™ Duo processor (aka Yonah, aka new Apple* processor), you can expect great turn out of performance for such a system. This little baby packs a whooping performance per watt, very very very nice for office and productivity and even good for gaming too since it is armed with an ATi Mobility Radeon X1400. The only problem I can see with this baby is a measly 512MB RAM (2x256MB DDR2-533 SODIMM), but that can be remedied (but SODIMM is pricey) if you have the moolah. Give it a spin and expand this posting.

Ever since the PC started encroaching into the living room space with the convergence of digital media and broadband, we have all been waiting for its Holy Grail - that perfect blend of style and performance which acts as the indispensable hub of your home entertainment system. Parallel developments like Microsoft launching its Windows XP Media Center Edition and the rise of AMD to challenge Intel in the processor arena in terms of cheaper and cooler chips have helped to drive this trend.

Source:Shuttle XPC X100 (Core Duo)

Tech Link (MoDT): AOpen MP945-VX SFF

The dogs over at Gruntville had some testing spree with a very attractive Mobile on Desktop platform (MoDT) based on AOpen MP945-VX. This is within the segment as an AOpen Mini PC MP915 I reviewed back in April. Anyway, this new platform suppors dual core system, so it's more powerful. Expand this article for more...

In the first of several reviews highlighting Intel’s’ Mobile on Desktop initiative, I will be looking at AOpen’s foray into the sub-miniature SFF systems – The MP945-VX.


First a little background:
Founded in 1996, AOpen was the first to deliver a 24x CD-ROM drive (1997)
Introduced:

The first “Colored” motherboard in pink the “AX3S Pro Sweet Kiss” (2000)
The first BareBook (Forerunner to the WhiteBook). (2001)
The first DVD+RW drive (2001)
The first XC Cube systems(2003)
The first Desktop Motherboard using the Intel Pentium M CPU - AOpen i855GMEm-LFS (2004)
The smallest Intel based PC, the Mini PC - code name: Pandora (2005)
The highest rated power supply, 700W (2005)

A full series of Intel Viiv platforms for digital home entertainment (2006)
This leads us to the newest sub-miniature SFF release from AOpen, the MP945-VX. This is an incredibly clean looking machine, reminiscent of the Apple Mini. It pulls away from the SFF crowd with an extremely small footprint, distinctive brushed aluminum case, High Definition 8 Channel Audio, Multi-TV out with 1080i resolution support and the ability to handle the T2700 CPU at 2.33ghz. The system is also Intel Viiv compliant which opens up a whole new area of multimedia benefits.
From the sleek brushed aluminum case, slot load DVD+RW, Integrated power button & indicator, 1080i resolution support, ingenious air flow design, Intel 945GM+ICH7M-DH and 667Mhz DDR2 RAM the MP945-VX is a truly innovative system.

Source:Gruntville

Tech Link (MoDT): AOpen miniPC MP915-B Super Multi System Review

PCStats has a new review up on their site. And it's none other than a really cute and really attractive AOpen Mini PC. If you have been visiting my site and checking my HomeGrown articles about this particular Mobile on Desktop (MoDT) you'll know that, yep, FanBoy have reviewed this AOpen MiniPc for quite some time already.

There is little doubt that Small Form Factor (SFF) computers have revolutionized the way technology fits into the home, media room, and our lives. Yet as computers continue to advance by leaps and bounds, the whole the small form factor PC trend seems to be stuck on the initial chassis design Shuttle Computers first introduced in 2001. Now mind you, the toaster-sized SFF PC box isn't bad, it just doesn't fit into all situations.

Source:PCStats

Review: AOpen Mini PC MP915 Review (Mobile on Desktop Realization)

While it is not something new for the hardcore hardware enthusiasts, and embedded computing industry, a small-footprint system is not something common for the typical consumers and mainstream computing industry. While Small Form Factor systems has been in circulation for quite sometime, it hasn't reached peak maturity due to the fact that the component within it are those made for desktop computing, with the the exceptions of a few that makes use of mobile processor. But still, SFF that use mobile processors and chipsets are still not able to reach that even smaller footprint because subcomponents are still based on desktop peripherals such as power supply, hard drive, optical drive, and even regular full height memory modules.

In this aspect of ultra-small, and even highly portable desktop computing, AOpen develop a complete system that not only meets the needed size, but also went ahead and make it into a very aesthically pleasing system which they aptly call MiniPC. The components that made up the MiniPC are all well thought out, from the power supply, to memory modules to cooling, processor, and hard drive. Many will smirk at it as a clone of MacMini and it is really not that different when looking at the exterior of the system. However, the MiniPC in the testbench today is a bit more flexible than the MacMini and can actually compete in this target market segment.

Read the full scoop:AOpen Mini PC MP915 Review (Mobile on Desktop Realization)

Brag: MiniPC Review almost ready for posting

I have just finished all the necessary tasks that I need to do with the MiniPC review item that I have. I can't stress how much I am impressed with this little wonder-in-a-box. It looks much like a Mac Mini, but it isn't and can actually run various OS from Microsoft* Windows*, to Ubuntu*.

I already have the benchmarks screenshots, some of the product shots, as well as some of the nitty gritty detail such as "overclocking" portion. Anyway, I just want to post the brag so that those who might be wondering when I'm going to post review will have an idea. I am targetting on posting the review by Sunday because of work, work, work, and tending to the family while wifey is away. In the meantime, you may want to check the official Mini PC site here.

Tech Link (Digital Home): Tango Cocktail Mini PC VIIV, prettier than the Mini?

The onslaught of small and really compact machine for the living room is rolling out ever so aggresively. A Korean company SungJu International, has built a very nice looking Digital Home* ePC which the firm labeled as Tango* Cocktail Mini PC*.

The Tango Cocktail Mini PC* is a definite screamer with its Intel® Core™ Duo T2300 (1.66GHz) processor, and Intel® 945GT with graphics motherboard combination. It's a very sleek (as opposed to small) system that has a DVI and S-Video out, 1GB of DDR2-533MHz RAM, Wireless a/b/g, a 80GB SATA HDD, a DL and RAM DVD burner, Bluetooth, 3 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, a TV port, and Windows* Media Center Edition*. But the real kicker for this system is that it is already an Intel® Viiv™ certified platform.

Source:Akihabara News

Brag: Finally installed Intel® Core™ Duo T2500

Whew, after trying to find parts in and outside of the country, I finally got all the parts and completed installation of operating system for my MoDT (Mobile on Desktop). The engineering sample system seems to be holding up just fine, and is so quiet to run, I can't even hear any noise coming out from it.
The system has the following specs:
Intel® Core™ Duo T2500
OEM Motherboard based on Mobile i945G Chipset
2GB (2x1024MB) of SO-DIMM DDR2 (Adata)
80GB 2.5" Fujitsu SATA Mobile Hard Drive
OEM CD-ROM
OEM TV Tuner
10/100MB LAN
GMA950 Graphics

I haven't run any benchmarks yet, trying to figure out the drivers is always a challenge for ES parts. I'll try to run it as soon as I got time, but right now, I'm more concerned about functionality, usability, stability and reliability of this product. Supportability will come in next, then maybe, I can run benchmark and overclock the baby too =). Check out the CPU-Z validated link here.

Tech Link (Mobile): Intel® Core™ Duo T2600@28.766s SuperPi 1M@stock speed

While browsing for any interesting topics around the web, and watching the commotion happening at the military camp at the local TV channel, I happen to stumble upon one interesting forum post from the legendary kaz-n of Team Japan.

He manage to switch his T2600 with his Sony Vaio's T2300 and ran a quick benchmark. The result is amazing, hitting a 28.766sec with just a stock speed setting. This is really making the new Intel® Core™ Duo more and more attractive to tweakers.

Source:Japanese Forum (I think)

Tech Link (MoDT): Shuttle X100 ultra-small media PC

When Chipzilla announced their latest products at CES, more and more exciting devices and appliance are being released. Most of these are geared for Digital Home and have very small footprint. One such device is the new Shuttle X100 ultra-small media PC*. Not only does it has great looks, but this small baby is packed with a very powerful Intel® Core™ Duo Processor. It's got great graphics because of ATI's Mobility Radeon X1600 onboard graphics accelerator with DVI/TV out, and multi-channel digital audio with SPDIF.

So, what do you think? A removeable drive? No, it's the actual Shuttle X100 ultra-small media PC, a step into the future for sure and a definite indication of how a media PC could look when it finally makes the move into your living room.

The XPC X100 is around the size of a compact scanner. Equipped with Intel's latest Core Duo mobile processor, ATI's Mobility Radeon X1600 onboard graphics accelerator with DVI/TV out and multi-channel digital audio with SPDIF, the XPC System X100 will certainly offer great performance. In addition, this preliminary specification also features a 250GB hard drive, 512MB of dual-channel DDR 2 SDRAM, Gigabit LAN, Wireless LAN, a four-in-one card reader, 4x USB ports and Firewire.

It might not be the most attractive of designs, but it's sure to catch the eye when it goes on display at the CeBIT show next month.

No release dates or prices are available from the company at present.

Source:Tech-Digest

Article: Intel® Mobile Processor + desktop board slowly invading review sites

It wil not take too long before we see more and more reviews about mobile processor on the desktop motherboard. Anandtech released an early preview of the processor in two parts, as can be seen here and here.

Many were thrilled to see how it performs. Why? Again, with Intel®, it's about Ghz versus the other camp's PR. Screw what the reviewer says about the other camp's low Ghz, their Ghz is low, but their price is based on their PR, so don't get so easily carried away by the fanboy bashing (even if we are a fanboy ourselves).

January 05, 2006 (PST) is coming in fast and it won't be long till Intel® announce a lot of their products. It is at this time that we can expect to see manufacturers showing of their very own products supporting these new technology from the Chipzilla. I can't spew out any more than I am allowed to, but hey, information about the web right now and I can share these to you.

For example, VR-Zone has an AOpen i975Xa-YDG motherboard newsbit posted on their site, which btw, I have posted already here as well (more reason to glue your eyes at this site). Another motherboard maker, Gigabyte, have been developing uATX board for the new mobile processor, and HKEPC has great early review and benchmarks already. If those numbers doesn't make you drool and wished you have that board, I don't know what will.

Here's an image of that board if you haven't seen it yet.


Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and wipe my drool off the table.

Article: Yonah + i975X + XFire + (SLI?)

Oh my, what else can you ask for? Truly, a dream come true for enthusiasts, overclockers, and even for users who just likes a silent but powerful rig. This is a must see. Expand this item to see the whole image, in the meantime, here's a crop version.


And here's the whole picture for you to drool over!
Be ready for the i975 Drool Picture

There's not much info as of the moment, the manufacturer is AOpen. I'll post more info as I get them...

Update: 12/29/2005
This link just came in, an easy overclock of 800Mhz FSB from 667Mhz FSB!

Update: 12/30/2005
Found a better motherboard imagere here. Shweeet!

Review: DFI 852GME-MGF+, Intel Pentium M 730 (1.6Ghz)

This is an old article I made and posted at TPC, so some benchmark claims might not be true anymore. Nevertheless, if you're curious as to how this Pentium M and i852 chipset can perform, then read on...

_{Credits (parts provided by):}
Motherboard and CPU: COOLTOYZ
AGP Videocard: jampax

I. Introduction

First and foremost, I'd like to thank COOLTOYZ for providing me with his expensive "toyz" to play with: DFI motherboard and Dothan CPU, and jampax for lending me his great eVGA FX5950Ultra 256MB videocard. Recently, reviews of Intel's Pentium M with Dothan core on the desktop have stirred up the interest of many enthusiasts. Where it used to be the major strength of laptop, the small, silent, low-heat, low-power but solid computing is now a reality on "regular" desktop platform. Among the motherboard manufacturers that took advantage of Intel's Pentium M acceptance at the desktop is DFI. Currently, DFI have two motherboard flavors, with their 855GME-MGF being released first and garner many recognitions, and their second one which we have in our test bed is the DFI 852GME-MGF.
_{Note: You can click all pictures of the motherboard
and CPU for larger image.}

Motherboard Specifications

This motherboard's main marketing point against its older brother 855GME is the official support for 133Mhz FSB with it i852 MCH. Though the i852GME chipset is primarily targeted for Mobile Pentium 4, DFI's engineering prowess have led them to enable the chipset for use with Intel's Pentium M 7xx line of processors, enabling the full 133Mhz FSB. The motherboard also sports impressive features which are often offered on high end motherboards with its 6300ESB IOCH,  a rather powerful chipset for such a small package. The 6300ESB might not offer feature-rich connectors, but this Southbridge makes up for its PCI-X support, USB 2.0, SATA RAID and IDE channels. This baby comes with VIA's Firewire, Realtek 6channel audio with S/PDIF and 1Gbps NIC. And oh, the Northbridge supports up to DDR333 with ECC support. Now, this is one motherboard suitable for some heavy duty super mini file server system.

CPU

• Intel® Pentium® M / Celeron® M processor - 400/533MHz system bus - Supports 64-bit host data bus and 32-bit addressing
• Processor socket: mPGA479M

Chipset

• Intel® 852GME chipset - Intel® 852GME Graphics Memory Controller Hub (GMCH) - Intel® 6300ESB I/O Controller Hub

Memory

• Two 184-pin DDR SDRAM DIMM sockets


• 2.5V unbuffered PC1600 (DDR200), PC2100 (DDR266) or PC2700 (DDR333) DDR
  SDRAM DIMM with ECC support

BIOS

• Award BIOS
• 4Mbit flash memory

Power Management

• Supports ACPI specification and OS Directed Power Management
• Supports ACPI STR (Suspend to RAM) function
• Wake-On-Events include: - Wake-On-PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse - Wake-On-USB Keyboard
  - Wake-On-LAN - Wake-On-Ring - RTC timer to power-on the system
• AC power failure recovery

Hardware Monitor

• Monitors CPU/system temperature and overheat alarm
• Monitors 5VSB(V)/VBAT(V)/1.5V/3.3V/5V/12V/CPU(V) voltages and failure alarm
  
• Monitors CPU/chassis/2nd fan speed and failure alarm
• Read back capability that displays temperature, voltage and fan speed

Graphics

• Up to 64MB of dynamic video memory allocation
• Display core frequency at 250MHz (default)
• Render core frequency at 250MHz (default)
• Intel® Dual-Frequency Graphics Technology
• Supports 2D graphics engine
• Supports 3D graphics engine
• Supports Graphics Power Management

Audio

• Realtek ALC655 6-channel audio
• S/PDIF-out interface

LAN

• RTL8110S Gigabit ethernet controller
• Supports 10Mbps, 100Mbps and 1Gbps data transmission

IDE

• Supports up to UltraDMA 100Mbps hard drives

Serial ATA with RAID

• Supports two SATA (Serial ATA) interfaces which are compliant with SATA 1.0 specification (1.5Gbps interface)
• Supports RAID 0 and RAID 1

IEEE 1394

• VIA VT6307
• Supports two 100/200/400 Mb/sec ports

AGP

• Supports 1.5V AGP 4x data transfers and 2x/4x fast write protocol (3.3V AGP card is not supported)
• AGP 2.0 compliant

Rear Panel I/O Ports

• 1 mini-DIN-6 PS/2 mouse port
• 1 mini-DIN-6 PS/2 keyboard port
• 1 DB-25 parallel port
• 1 DB-9 serial port
• 1 DB-15 VGA port
• 1 IEEE 1394 port


• 1 RJ45 LAN port
• 4 USB 2.0/1.1 ports
• Mic-in, line-in and line-out

I/O Connectors

• 1 connector for an external serial port
• 1 connector for 1 external IEEE 1394 port
• 1 front audio connector for line-out and mic-in jacks
• 1 CD-in internal audio connector
• 1 S/PDIF-out connector
• 1 connector for IrDA interface
• 2 Serial ATA connectors
• 2 40-pin IDE connectors
• 1 floppy connector
• 1 ATX power supply connector
• 1 front panel connector
• 3 fan connectors

Compatibility

• PCI 2.2, Intel AGP 2.0, PCI-X 2.2 and AC ’97 compliant
  Expansion Slots


• 1 AGP 4x slot
• 1 PCI-X slot
• 2 PCI slots

PCB

• 4 layers, microATX form factor
• 24.4cm (9.61") x 23cm (9.06")

Packaging

The DFI 852GME-MGF comes in a rather familiar way of packaging. With the box
adorned with 0's and 1's in limy green color, it is reminiscent of Matrix. The
packaging easily shows the features of the motherboard without having to flip it
backwards. You'll never miss the features of its touted strength of 533Mhz FSB (133Mhz QPB), as well as supported RAM, USB, AGP, Firewire, SATA, 6channel audio and PCI-X which are printed on the front left side of the box.

Opening the box reveals a bland set of goodies. It is rather surprising to see such limited loot inside the packaging when thinking of the price, and then comparing it with their LanParty series on the desktop scene. This motherboard contains only the bare necessities, which is really rather disappointing when you realize how much this motherboard costs. Below, you can see that DFI bundle this motherboard with the backplate, floppy and IDE cables, a SATA connector/adapter, the obligatory CD, floppy disk driver, manual, and (thank goodness) a customized CPU heatsink and fan for the processor since regular cooler won't fit on this board.

Regarding the bundled cooler, I found out that it is missing a screw. The three(3) screws are securely fastened to the backing plate and I believe it's a factory miss since it's a bit tough to wedge out the screw from the heatsink, it isn't loose, and the heatsink is inside its own carton box. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to find out if it has any impact on cooling our little Dothan =).

Layout

At such a small form factor, let's visit how DFI cram the features and components of this mainboard. This motherboard, aesthetically speaking, is simply attractive. The black color commands superiority and stability to the users. It would be great to display this on a window-based mini ATX chassis with some lighting effects.

 

The CPU socket is in the familiar beige color, and looks very familiar like a socket 478 ZIF model. However, this CPU socket uses socket 479, a screw-type-slide to lock-in the processor. There are four mounting holes around this socket which is where you can mount an exact fit stock HSF for the processor. There are some tall capacitors which may provide some concern to those who would like to use other than the stock cooler. The fan connector is the traditional three-pin one, located very near the CPU socket. Keep this in mind when looking for non-standard CPU cooler.

As you can see here, this is where the WinBond hardware monitor is located. It is interesting to note that where this area of the motherboard shows the common 4pin Pentium 4 connector, this connector is not present in this motherboard. The low-power nature of the Pentium M just don't need that much power.

This motherboard is equipped with single channel MCH, and supports upto 2Gb maximum RAM. The two RAM slots just below the CPU is very easy to "use", not very stiff and yet, not too loose for comfort. Along the sides of the RAM slots are the IDE and FDD headers. Far to the bottom corner portion is another fan header. User of "older" generation 20pin PSU will not be dissatisfied with motherboard as this one still uses the 20pin standard. This ATX connector is conveniently located at the edge of the motherboard, and not in the middle as can be seen being done by other manufacturers on some desktop machines. There is also a red LED in here that lights up when the PC is powered on.

The Northbridge is passively cooled by an aluminum heatsink. This heatsink is clamped by the usual two wire clips, much to the dislike of some users who prefers mounting holes for some kind of customize cooling solution. Nevertheless, this heatsink proves just more than enough as this never gets warmer than 38c at full load.

Moving on to the peripheral card connectors, we can see the AGP 4x slot here, the single PCI-X, and two PCI card slots. Note that using monster AGP cards will occupy the adjacent PCI slot rendering it unusable. This is not a fault though, as the sheer small size of the motherboard is the limiting factor. Another noticeable thing to consider is that any monster sized videocard will provide some challenge when adding or removing RAM. But with such just two RAM slots, just fill both up before adding any video card and problem solved :). This area of the motherboard also shows the CD analog header, the Realtec and VIA chip, and clock generator. Another red LED is installed in here that lights up when the motherboard detects the presence of power even when the PC is still turned off. This is a very nice indicator to notify users assembling their rig to completely remove all power from the motherboard so as to prevent any accidental short circuit.

Next is the Southbridge area. I love the black passive cooler on the Southbridge, it's comfortably taller than some passive coolers I've seen before placed on Southbridge. This is the area where the SATA RAID headers are connected, and that all too important CMOS clear jumper. Notice that this jumper is just besides the Southbridge, I strongly suggest to overclock this motherboard outside of the chassis if you have a microATX chassis. Off to the far lower left is the front panel connector, and another fan header for your convenience.

The rear connectors of this motherboard shows just enough IOs. The VGA port is in here so you can instantly connect your monitor without adding additional video card. You'll also find some of the legacy connectors such as the parallel printer and serial port. There are four(4) USB and one(1) firewire connector available for use. The NIC and audio connectors are also in their familiar location.

BIOS

I'll not bore you with too many BIOS bla, suffice it to say that the BIOS offers options for Overclockers for tweaking the following:
* RAM Timing (CAS-Active to Precharge-RAS to CAS-RAS Precharge)
* FSB in 1Mhz increment
* RAM dividers (Auto, 1:1 DDR200, 4:3 DDR266, 5:3 DDR333, 1:1 (Low GFX), 4:3 (Low GFX))
* PCI/AGP lock
* Clock Multiplier and Core Voltage (FID/VID) (1.308 max)
DFI's BIOS also offers stability testing options (MEMTest and CPUTest) right from the BIOS without booting off any software or operating system. Pretty nifty and useful for quick test.

Benchmarking

Ahh, now we enter the fun part, at least for me :)....but before the figures, let me just layout the test bed.
* Intel Pentium M 730 (1.6Ghz/2M/533Mhz SL86G) with stock cooler
* DFI 852GME-GMF (latest BIOS as of Dec. 2004)
* eVGA GeForce FX5950 Ultra (500/650)
* Geil Ultra Platinum PC4000 2x256Mb CL2-2-2-5@DDR266
* 1x80Gb Seagate Barracuda IDE
* 1xFDD
* 1x Optical Drive Samsung DVD Combo
* Enermax EG465VE ATX v1.3
* Thermaltake LANFire Midtower Chassis

Subsystem Testing

Sandra

Sandra's score is pretty interesting :), with the old chipset showing its age already by giving out a "normal" bandwidth score for a single-channel DDR266 system.

PCMark

Unlike Sandra, PCMark, on the other hand, has a pretty good outcome:

SuperPi 1M

SuperPi 1M is also very impressive considering this baby runs at a mere 1.6Ghz, single channel memory, and 533Mhz FSB.

Everest RAM Read/Write

Like the Sandra results, values here are nothing to write home about. This is mainly due to single channel nature of the memory controller and low RAM frequency.

Gaming

Note: Aquamark03 and 3DMark benches are run on their stock "configuration" and settings.

Aqumark03

It is nice to see that this little CPU and motherboard combo can score that high.

3DMark01SE

3DMark01SE is a good benchmark to test not only the GPU but also the CPU. With a stock GeForce FX5950, this 1.6Ghz Pentium M on a 533Mhz motherboard produce a decent score.

3DMark03

Unlike it's older brother 3DMark01SE, it's performance measurement is moving more on the GPU than CPU. The results is not too high, but not too low either.

3DMark05

3DMark05 is the latest incarnation of FutureMark's famous 3DMark benchmarks. This software is the most reliant on GPU compared to older 3DMark benchmarks.


As some may argue that 3DMark isn't reflective of real-world gaming experience, I decided to add more graphics gaming benchmarks: GunMetal and Doom3.

GunMetal

The score shown here is the average of two(2) runs of benchmark options 1 and 2, with the following settings: 1024x768, 32bit, 2xAA, High, On

Doom3

This benchmark is run on High Quality, 1024x768, 32bit, Full Screen. Breaking 50FPS on Doom3 is really an impressive feat here.

Running the Pentium M on the DFI board is really fun on stock settings, with tweaking here and there. However, I decided to play with it even more and see how this combo performs, and check the motherboard and CPU limitation.

Overclocking

I will not delve into analyzing the benchmark results here, but suffice it to say that a 2Ghz Pentium M/533Mhz/2Mb is a force to be reckoned with. It can match more expensive and more full-featured CPU available today. The CPU's multiplier is reduced to 11x, while the FSB is set to 202, giving a very good 804FSB and 2.222Ghz CPU frequency, and DDR404@CL2-3-3-7.

Sandra

PCMark2002

PCMark04

SuperPi 1M

Everest RAM Read/Write

Aqumark03

3DMark01SE

3DMark03

3DMark05

GunMetal

DOOM3

Temperature Reading:

I used Prime95 to push the CPU on it's full load for 4hours, during the hottest time of the day between 11am and 3pm. Idle reading is taken 30mins after the machine is booted up. Ambient chassis temperature reading shows 33c. Motherboard Monitor is used to record temperature readings.
On idle, the CPU is reporting 26c!!! While full load just reached 42c!!! Noise is not a problem with this baby!

Thoughts:

I won't be able to share my "conclusion" on this baby since I haven't really fully utilized this combo in a span of two weeks. However, I'd like to share, beyond numbers and graphs, my personal experience.

The DFI 852GME and Pentium M is a very powerful combination. This combo will make a very good HTPC, gaming PC, or even a file server for it's PCI-X support and Gigabit LAN uplink. The motherboard is very stable, and the whole system is very quiet I can't hear it running every time I power it on. The chassis and PSU fan are noisier than the CPU and the system never get that hot. The motherboard offers good features and ample connectivity, has integrated graphics which is useful even for light gaming, and ample storage options.

Overclocking the motherboard was fun as well. As you can see from the benchmarks, I have been able to reach 202FSB. Thru testing and burn-in, I found that this is the motherboard's highest stable FSB. While I can take screenshot at 208FSB, it's not that stable to even do anything than run CPU-Z and take screenshots. I believe that with just a minor chipset tweak, this mobo can do beyond 202FSB. Would have been nice to voltmod the chipset too :).

The CPU's highest stable frequency is 2.304Ghz, on a stock multiplier of 12 and 192FSB. It's 704Mhz above stock or 44% overclock without even tweaking any voltage settings. I have been tempted to voltmod the CPU to push it even higher, but I figure that the motherboard's 202FSB ceiling (even with lowest clock multiplier of 6) will be the limiting factor, and I can only reach 2.4Ghz, besides, this combo isn't mine so I'd rather not fiddle it to the point of breaking it :).
However, even with lots of pros, I still encountered some problem with the board.

First, the motherboard didn't detect the CPU's FSB settings automatically. It still use 100FSB and thus, produce really slow and sluggish performance. I have to set the settings manually on the BIOS.

Second, some RAM dividers are flaky. I can sometimes make it work, use the PC and then after shutting down and rebooting, it'll hang. It turned out that it's picky on RAM timing and type of RAM. I tried async options, trying to push beyond DDR400 for the RAM, but everytime, I am stalled at around 150FSB 3:4 (DDR400 for the RAM).

Third, it has a lot of shortcoming for serious overclocking options. The lack of vCore options above the CPU's stock vCore, lack of vDimm options, lack of Northbridge voltage settings severely limit this motherboard to low-voltage system or to those parts that can overclock well on their stock voltage settings. Fourth, this motherboard hates CL2.5. For some reason, I can't tweak it to boot at CL2.5, not that CL2 isn't better than CL2.5, but for better compatibility with DDR that aren't rated CL2.

I also used it as a gaming rig for about three(3) to four(4) days, and I found out that this combo has that smooth gaming experience. Choppy gameplay on Doom3 did occur when there are a lot of actions and "physics calculation" is tracking all those explosions, particle movement, etc. It doesn't appear too often though, and it can be very well attributed to my 512Mb RAM.

Audio quality, subjectively speaking from my point of view, is enjoyable. I played MP3, Audio CD, and Windows Media Audio and I have no complaints. I never experienced stalling when watching video on this combo using VCD, WMV, DVD and
DivX enconding, even when using the integrated graphics.

In Closing...

I'd like to share my thanks to the people who made this review possible:
* Cooltoyz, who provided the Pentium M 730/1.6Ghz/533Mhz/2Mb CPU and DFI
852GME-MGF/533Mhz/AGP 4x

* Jampax, who lend me his eVGA FX5950Ultra AGP Video Card
Without these guys, my last two weeks would have been revolving around watching episodes of Lost on my laptop =). Without them, I would have not made the following (Pentium M 730@2.2222Ghz@804FSB) achievements:
* World Record Highest FSB on an unmodded motherboard of same chipset and CPU, running on air
for hitting 202FSB full stable (all these benchmarks), 205 SPi 1M stable (http://valid.x86-secret.com/show_oc.php?id=11917)
and 208FSB screenshot stable (http://valid.x86-secret.com/show_oc.php?id=11909).

* Reach Top 5, ranked #4 at PCMark2004 at Pentium M category:

http://service.futuremark.com/compare?pcm04=2923273

* Reach Top 15, ranked #11 at 3DMark2001 at CPU clocked between 2.000Ghz to
2.400Ghz and same video card:

http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=8540816

* Reach Top 5, ranked #1 at 3DMark2003 at CPU clocked between 2.000Ghz to
2.400Ghz, same video card and WHQL driver (too bad, I forgot to use a FutureMark
approved driver):
http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k3=3913730

* Reach Top 5, ranked #1 at 3DMark2005 at CPU clocked between 2.000Ghz to
2.400Ghz, same video card and FutureMark approved and WHQL drivers:

http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm05=791277

* Reach Top 10, ranked #6 at Aquamark03 at CPU clocked between 2.000Ghz to
2.400Ghz, same video card (has the highest CPU score on the Top 10):

http://arc.aquamark3.com/arc/arc_view.php?run=489145297

Image Gallery

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