singer246

I just received the new VIA motherboard which supposedly has the Nano 1.6 GHz proc on it. I'll be posting some pictures shortly, as well as total system specs once it's up and running. I haven't even fired the thing up yet, but I'd like to get some feedback from you guys:

What kinds of tests would you like to see run on this board?

I'm going to try reproducing the TechReport benchmark suite that was used for the last Nano tests on TR, but I'd also like to do a little more. I've picked up two discrete, fanless graphics cards - an HD4550 (Gigabyte), and a 9400GT (MSI) - and I'll be running some gaming tests too, and I'd like feedback on what folks would like to see.

If you want any particular thing photographed, let me know!

Edit:
Main system specs:
VIA VB8001 motherboard
- Integrated Audio, Video, and CPU (1.6 GHz Nano L2200)
4 GB of Crucial DDR2 667MHz RAM
40 GB WD Caviar HD (WD400JD)
80W PSU included in iStarUSA mITX case

singer246

Out of the box:
Image

You'll notice it has a single heatsink for the CPU & Northbridge, and that the fan is integrated into the heatsink.


However, this means that if you're not happy with the way the fan sounds, you're probably stuck with doing some out-of-the-ordinary modifications on quieter fans to get them into place.

Removing the heatsink requires undoing some hex-nutted screws, as well as some plastic clippy things (not shown).


Also, notice that the mini-PCI slot is on the bottom of the board, which will make this motherboard incompatible with some mITX cases.

Good news, though:


It's definitely *branded* as a Nano!

Much like the Atom, this CPU is dwarfed by its chipset.


Though it's likely that under the packaging, these two pieces of silicon are closer in size than currently meets the eye.

Finally, how long can you keep using the same Southbridge?


If VIA's lucky, FOREVER.

Edit: Beware! Notice in the SB pic that the two USB headers are situated on the left side of the picture, closely surrounded by capacitors. Those connectors are actually smaller than standard (notice how closely packed the pins are compared to, for example, the Front Audio connector in the lower right corner of the picture), which means the cables that I have which cluster the female connectors all into a single black plastic block don't fit! That's really quite a pain, too, since there's only two USB ports on the back of the board.

homebrewer

Nice cute motherboard you got there. This is great for an HTPC setup don't you think? But VIA? meh.

KingVinnie

Cool, interested in benchmarks

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