Intel's mini-ITX Cedar Trail Atom motherboards are here

[siopao1984]

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With CES going on we almost missed that Intel quietly added all of its new Cedar Trail powered mini-ITX motherboards to its website. The company has launched five new models targeting a wide range of different market segments and some of the boards are actually quite decent, considering we're talking Intel motherboards here.Intel seems to have skipped a couple of models that were initially expected, although in this case it would just have been some minor differences between the boards, such as DVI connector or not for one model and the other would've been given a CPU boost and a DVI port. Most of the new boards are not intended for consumers, although one or maybe two models could be quite appealing for HTPC builders, while the other three models aren't very likely to appeal even to your granny.

Starting at the very bottom we have the D2500HN also known as Houlton and this is a legacy board with very basic connectivity and as the model name implies, an Atom D2500 CPU. Intel was supposed to launch a model of Houlton with a D2700 CPU and a DVI port, but this board seems to have been scrapped. Intel is targeting this board towards entry-level desktop systems which in Intel speak these days seem to mean developing countries.Although not on the picture of the board we have, there is a SKU of the D2500HN that will apparently have a mini PCI Express slot for Wi-Fi or WiMax support. Other features include a pair of SO-DIMM's for up to 4GB of RAM, a PCI slot, two SATA ports, a PS/2 port, four USB 2.0 ports, a serial and parallel port, a D-sub connector, Gigbit Ethernet and stereo audio.

Intel's only other Atom D2500 model is the D2500CC or Canoe Creek as it's also known as. This model is for industrial applications and digital signage and he basic feature set is the same as for the D2500HN, although some things have been moved around a bit. The parallel port got moved to a header to make space for a DVI port and two serial ports and there are now two PS/2 ports as well as a pair of Gigabit Ethernet ports. The board also has an LVDS connector that would be used to drive an LCD screen, a feature you wouldn't find on your average consumer motherboard. The audio has also been upgraded to 5.1-channels, but everything else remains largely the same.

Next up we have the D2700MUD or Mount Union. This board is nearly identical to the D2500N but it has a faster Atom D2700 CPU. In addition to the faster CPU, the serial port has been replaced with a DVI port and the board has a special USB connector that can be fitted with one of Intel's Z-U130 USB SSDs which really are more of a glorified USB stick with SLC NAND on it, available in capacities from 1GB to 8GB. This board also has an LVDS connector as well as a mini PCI Express slot and it's targeting the same market space as the D2500CC.

Read more: Intel's mini-ITX Cedar Trail Atom motherboards are here by VR-Zone.com

[siopao1984]

By now we've gotten to Intel's only real consumer focused model, the D2700DC or Dry Creek. This is apparently Intel's solution for those interested in building an affordable HTPC. It's pretty much the D2500N, but without all the legacy connectors. Intel did add a couple of ports though, so in addition to a single DVI port, four USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port and 5.1-channel audio, you also get an HDMI port and an optical S/PDIF out. Internally things haven't changed, as you still get two SATA ports, a PCI slot, a mini PCI Express slot and the special USB connector for the Z-130 USB drive. If Intel has managed to deliver on all of its HD video playback claims with Cedar Trail, then this could actually be a good enough board for an HTCP and the passive cooling is of course a nice bonus here too.



The fifth and final board is a completely different kettle of fish though, as the DN2800MT or Marshalltown is a low-profile board intended for all-in-one PCs and for some reason features the mobile Atom N2800 processor. Intel will still sell it in retail which is interesting, but we can see a fair few HTPC builders going down this route over the D2700DC. The layout of the PCB is quite different as you can see with a half size mini PCI Express slot as well as a full size mini PCI Express slot which can be switched to operate in mSATA mode. The board also has two SATA ports, of which one would be defaulted if the mSATA slot is used. This is oddly enough also the only model with a PCI Express x1 slot which seems strange considering Intel's target market for the board.



Around the back we have four USB 2.0 ports, of which two can deliver extra power for device charging, a D-sub and HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet, a pair of audio jacks and a power connector. The DN2800MT has an on-board DC-DC converter and if you look closely on the board you'll notice a couple of power connector, one which allows the board to be powered from a DC-DC converter inside the chassis and one SATA style power connector for powering the SATA drives. The board also has headers for both serial and parallel ports, just in case, as well as a USB header for the Z-130 USB drive and more importantly for all-in-one PCs, LVDS and interestingly eDP connectors. If you disregard from all of the all-in-one PC specific features, this is still an interesting board for an HTPC, at least as long as you connect it up via HDMI to your TV and/or amplifier.

In terms of pricing, considering Intel is charging $11 (€9/S$14) less for the D2700 compared to the D525, with the D2500 costing the same as the single core D425, we expected to see these boards retailing for a fair bit less than Intel's previous generation of Atom boards. Sadly that doesn't appear to be the case with the pricing we've managed to dig up putting the D2500HN at €63 ($80/S$103), that's €3 more than the D425KT from the same European retailer. The D2700MUD comes in at €74.95 ($95/S$123), €5 more than the D525MW and according to Intel's transition guide; these are straight replacements for each other.

The D2500CC comes in at €76.95 ($98/S$126), with the D2700DC at €79.95 ($101/S$131) and finally the DN2800MT at €94.95 ($120/S$156). We did find some US pricing as well which is marginally lower, but that doesn't include tax and once you deduct that the European prices are actually lower. Not exactly bargain products, but if the CPUs live up to Intel's claims, these are at least the first decent Atom processors that would be good enough for most consumer applications. Even so, we'd much rather spend our money on AMD Brazos mini-ITX board, as in general you get more features for your money in this market space.

Source: Intel



Read more: Intel's mini-ITX Cedar Trail Atom motherboards are here by VR-Zone.com

[Rainerius]

Intel makes the ugliest boards with the most retarded prices