VIA EPIA M9000 Mini ITX Motherboard
Ameya Dalvi, Mar 17, 2003 0000 hrs IST
A feature-rich, near perfect low-end multimedia hub from VIA.
Great features, High level of integration
No upgradeability, Average performance
Some wise man once said that 'Good things come in small packages'. Its unlikely that the guy actually could have come up with that remark after experiencing the VIA EPIA Mini ITX Motherboard, but the compliment suits this product fine. A lot had been said and heard about the Mini ITX boards from VIA in recent times and we finally managed to get our hands on the M9000 model. At 17 cm x 17 cm, it's easily the smallest motherboard we've come across. If its performance is in contrast with its size, we will soon figure out.
What's it got?
We received the board in a small blue box, which included the IDE and FDD cables. Also present was an add-on bracket with two USB 2.0 and Firewire ports. The driver CD, back plate and the instructions manual completed the package. The board has a couple of IDE connecters, one FDD connector and the ATX power socket. There is just a single DIMM that could accommodate a maximum of 1 GB DDR SDRAM (266 MHz). The only expansion slot present is a PCI slot.
The back panel is truly feature rich with a great assortment of connectors. It features the usual PS2 connectors, a VGA connector, a serial port, a parallel port, a RJ-45 (LAN) connector, and two USB 2.0 ports. It also features a 3 socket audio module, which can be switched between the normal Audio In, Out, and Mic option as well as a front, rear and center channels connector when using the 5.1 channel option for the onboard audio. It has S-Video as well as composite TV Out connectors, which support a maximum TV Out resolution of up to 1024 x 768 pixels in PAL and NTSC. The composite TV-Out also doubles up as a digital audio out with the aid of a small jumper setting.
The Onboard stuff
The motherboard is based on the VIA CLE 266 chipset (Northbridge) and the VIA VT8235 (Southbridge). The board comes with a preinstalled VIA C3 Eden processor running at 933 MHz. It has a 128 KB L1 and 64 KB L2 cache both running at full speed. The processor can neither be removed nor be upgraded. The M9000 has an onboard display that is powered by the VIA CastleRock chipset and supports AGP 8X. It supports 128-bit 2D and 64-bit 3D graphics. These specs may not impress the hardcore gamers, but this board is not meant for them anyways. It also features an onboard MPEG-2 decoder, which does the video crunching when playing DVDs to provide a smooth playback with a minimum CPU utilization. The M9000's 5.1 channel audio onboard provides very decent sound.
Now lets get down to the real thing... the performance.
Test Bench
To rate its performance, we compared this board/processor to a similarly priced processor + motherboard combo, the AMD AthlonXP 1700+ and a VIA KM-266 motherboard. Note that the AthlonXP and KM-266 combination was chosen only to give you an idea of the raw computing power available in that price bracket.
Configuration A:
- VIA C3 Eden 933 MHz Processor
VIA Mini ITX motherboard
VIA CastleRock AGP Onboard
Crucial 512 MB DDR Ram (333 MHz)
80 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM Hard disk
Configuration B:
- AMD AthlonXP 1700+ Processor
VIA KM-266 Motherboard
S3 ProSavage 4 DDR AGP Onboard
Crucial 512 MB DDR Ram (333 MHz)
80 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM Hard disk
Operating System:
- Windows XP Professional
Softwares used:
- SiSoft Sandra
PC Mark 2002
3D Mark 2001 SE
Quake3 Arena
Unreal Tournament 2003
Performance
SiSoft Sandra
PC Mark 2002
3D Mark 2001 SE
Quake3 Arena
Unreal Tournament 2003
One thing that is obvious from the benchmarks is that this motherboard/processor combo is not a high performance gadget. It loses badly to the KM-266 motherboard which itself is not a top end performer. Also on the graphics front we can see that it can't even compete against the S3 Savage4, which is a TnT2 level GPU (which is already outdated when it comes to playing recent games).
Now the obvious question that arises out of this is that, why has VIA come out with this motherboard and the 933 MHz processor when the rest of the world is fighting at 3 GHz plus speeds. The answer is as obvious. There's more to computing than 3D games and animation. This board is for doing all the rest in computing. You don't need 3 GHz plus processors and GeForce 4s and Radeon 9700s for watching VCD/DVD or DivX movies and playing MP3s or working with MS Office and surfing the Internet or for that matter even writing a C, C++ or a VB program. The power provided by this CPU/Motherboard combo is enough to do all of the above. Add to that, features like 5.1 channel audio, high quality TV Out, USB 2.0, Firewire ports. This makes it a near perfect low-end multimedia hub.
Final words
The VIA EPIA M9000 Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU combo is going for Rs.7,500/-. Now throw in a Hard Disk, Cabinet, RAM, Monitor, DVD ROM drive, 5.1 channel speakers, keyboard and mouse and you have a multimedia PC and a very decent home theatre system with DVD+DivX+MP3 playback and surround sound for under Rs.25,000/-.
In terms of raw computing power, this system doesn't even come close to achieving the figures given by the medium range systems in its price bracket. But in terms of features, this system does pack a punch. So if you are thinking of buying a home theatre system or building a multimedia hub, give the VIA M9000 a serious consideration. If you are a 3D gaming freak (like myself) or into 3D animation and other high-end stuff, don't even think about this board.
Unit sourced from VIA India.
USER COMMENTS
hi rahul i am Avez from bidar,karnataka, i recently owned Maruti swift(petrol).and from 2 months im really reading a lot about mini itx boards.cuz im too planning a comp for my car as im a computer freak so please let me know how much a mini itx board will cost as i heard that they r really very expensive
by Avez Khan, Bidar, on Oct 25, 2007 12:13 PM, Report abuse
by madhu, hyd, on Aug 25, 2007 01:42 PM, Report abuse Reply
This board is pretty outdated now, newer mini itx boards from Jetway are available at iRide Technologies, Mumbai - www.iride.in They feature the newer Via C7 based CPU's with improved performance and features including support for DDR2 memory. I'm looking at getting this 15Ghz mini-itx, http://www.iride.in/mini-itx/mini-itx_vista_1g5.html for my car pc project.
by rahul314, Bangalore, on Jan 04, 2007 01:10 PM, Report abuse Reply
This motherboard is a kinda outdated now. Newer mini itx boards from Jetway with VIA C7 CPU's are avaiable at iRide Technologies, Mumbai. - www.iride.in They're much better in performance & features and include DDR2 memory support. I'm looking at getting this 1.5 Ghz mini-itx, www.iride.in/mini-itx/mini-itx_vista_1g5.html for my car pc project.
by maestro45, delhi, on Dec 29, 2006 11:06 PM, Report abuse Reply
i am interested in price and availability pls contact by mail or 9870185459
by Ashish, mumbai, on Dec 27, 2006 05:46 PM, Report abuse Reply
kindly tell me cost of mini itx motherboard
by abtraham, Bangalore, on Feb 02, 2006 03:21 PM, Report abuse Reply
by Anonymous, as, on Feb 07, 2006 01:39 PM, Report abuse
by ramu, bangalore, on Oct 04, 2006 10:18 PM, Report abuse
by pawan gautam, indore, on Aug 09, 2006 09:19 PM, Report abuse Reply
does via has a indian website no then where can i buy one in mumbai
by placidus, mumbai, on Jun 26, 2006 09:59 PM, Report abuse Reply
Mr. Placidus, You can contact for Mini-ITX mainboards to us - Saral Infotech 9867590289
by Piyush Kanani, Mumbai, on Jul 21, 2006 11:48 AM, Report abuse
Ho do i get this motherboard in Delhi
by Sandeep Mathur, Delhi, on Jul 19, 2006 02:56 PM, Report abuse Reply
I'm a computer hardware dealer from Hyderabad, i wanted to know more details (no. of models available & prices) of the ITX motherboards, so plz let me know all the details ASAP, or else gimme the details of your authorised dealer so that ill get in touch with them,
by r. vikram, Hyderabad, on Apr 24, 2005 01:32 PM, Report abuse Reply
hello Mr.vikram hyderabad. please give me your Email id or contact number for ITX motherboard form:- COMPLETE IT SOLUTION . MUMBAI Tel- 23811988, 56586426, 30021988, fax:- 23811988 mbl:- 9819765603
by kamlesh, mumbai, on Apr 25, 2006 03:43 PM, Report abuse
dear sir i want to urgent required VIA EPIA M9000 Mini ITX Motherboard so please contact or email me
by RAJESH, MUMBAI, on Mar 27, 2006 02:52 PM, Report abuse Reply
MY REQUIREMENT IS.. Morex Cubid 3688 Mini-ITX Case with 160w PSU Epia-SP13000 Mainboard 1.3Ghz C3 Nehemiah CPU 256Mb Kingston PC3200 400Mhz DDR RAM (KVR400X64C3A/256) 40Gb 2.5" IDE Notebook HDD Serial port 2 x Front USB 2.0 2 x Rear USB 2.0 3 x Audio Jack S Video port RCA Port SO PLEASE REPLY ME URGENT
by Rajesh, mumbai, on Mar 08, 2006 02:39 PM, Report abuse Reply
i AM LOOKING FOR P4 M/B WITH TV OUT. BASICALLY WANT TO CONNECT THE COMPUTER WITHOUT A MONITOR BUT TV. PLEASE LET ME KNOW OF ANY RESELLERS IN BANGALORE
by VISHWAMURTHY, Bangalore City, on Oct 14, 2005 01:28 PM, Report abuse Reply
mr murthy kindly contact mr mahendra desai 934-17-71-934 or mr ramkrishna 934-245-0-245
by simon, bangalore, on Oct 27, 2005 09:30 PM, Report abuse
Can any one please tell me where i can buy mini-itx boards and 1U chassis in Bangalore, INDIA. Most of the links i get are from US and Europe. I found one in pune but they are not responding to my mails
by Shivajee.R.Shar, Bangalore, on Oct 21, 2005 05:01 PM, Report abuse Reply
by Ravi, Mumbai, on Jul 29, 2005 04:49 PM, Report abuse Reply
esys has discontinued dealership of VIA. I have a requirement of EPIAM 10000 and EPIATC 10000 motherboards. If anyone knows of an authorised dealer in India please let me know.
by Rahul Jalan, Mumbai, on Jul 23, 2005 11:51 AM, Report abuse Reply
Do you have PXA27x based boards
by Prasad Zole, Navi Mumbai, on May 27, 2005 02:45 PM, Report abuse Reply
any epia itx dealers in mumbai? http://www.machinegrid.com
by Gerry, gumbai, on Oct 11, 2004 05:58 PM, Report abuse Reply
where can i buy this board other than esys.
by Alok Rao, Allahabad, on Jul 03, 2004 04:17 PM, Report abuse Reply
where can i buy this mother bord in india?especially in mumbai..
there are similar type of Mbords arround Eg:from jet way etc.can u help me those?
** Message edited by moderator **
by saleel, mumbai, on Apr 02, 2004 01:55 PM, Report abuse Reply
I would like to know did this Board pass MTBF test and the Operation Temperature of this board.
by Ittai, Or Akiva, on Nov 21, 2003 10:48 PM, Report abuse Reply
I would like to know where this board is available in Bangalore. Also has anyone tested the TV-OUT and Digital Audio feature of this Board with DVD's. I want to use this board along with a DVD Rom drive as my entertainment center and want some feedback regarding the same.
by Reddy, Bangalore, on May 04, 2003 09:53 PM, Report abuse Reply
But where can we get this board
by Sanjay, Mumbai, on Mar 18, 2003 12:22 AM, Report abuse Reply
as of now...nowhere....VIA doesn't yet sell this motherboard via dealers...ESYS is supposed to be selling them..but it seems there are some customs issues they're facing
by NINFAN, Mumbai, on Mar 19, 2003 08:46 AM, Report abuse
Yes eSys has product availability. VIA EPIA motherboard (with optional 800 and 533 Mhz embedded processor) and LAN + TV-Out integrated are available. Contact Delhi office (011 26420432/33)
by Neeraj, delhi, on Mar 22, 2003 10:24 AM, Report abuse
I wrote to eSys, Delhi but they have not replied for last 10 days or more. They are not brothered about selling this mobo. The back panel seems to be completely non-standard, so I expect them to fleece us for the cabinets too.
by Rajeev Sharma, Mumbai, on Apr 05, 2003 02:48 AM, Report abuse
In today's market I can buy the KM266 MB + Athlon XP 1700+ cpu + 256 mb DDR ram for around Rs. 9250/=. So the price quoted by you doesn't amount to much of a saving on the complete system basis. So actual street price would be the determining factor. What I would like to know is have they sorted out the problem of Java compatibility for the CPU ? I had tried an earlier version of the CPU & could not get my Java based application to run on it. I had searched on the net for related solution & had only come up with a patch which once again did not work.
by Pradip Shah, Mumbai, on Mar 18, 2003 09:04 AM, Report abuse Reply
yah..but a KM266 doesn't fit in a cabinet as small as two tiffin boxes...and it doesn't have a TV out..if u wish for nothing but a PC to connect to ur TV..this will do the job boss... anyways..I won't buy this....i would rather go buy the old nForce board with AXP1700+....it will perform better than both the KM and the CLE...and has all i want..
by NINFAN, Mumbai, on Mar 19, 2003 08:48 AM, Report abuse
The size indeed is an importatnt factor here. But where does one get an appropriate small cabinet ???
by Sandy Jain, New Delhi, on Mar 18, 2003 10:48 PM, Report abuse Reply
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This board is pretty outdated now, newer mini itx boards from Jetway are available at iRide Technologies, Mumbai - www.iride.in They feature the newer Via C7 based CPU's with improved performance and features including support for DDR2 memory. I'm looking at getting this 15Ghz mini-itx, http://www.iride.in/mini-itx/mini-itx_vista_1g5.html for my car pc project.
by rahul314, Bangalore, on Jan 03, 2007 03:04 PM, Report abuse Reply