ASUS isn't lacking in choice when it comes to FM1 motherboards, but its latest introduction is arguably the most interesting yet.
The F1A75-I Deluxe, pictured below, is the company's first mini-ITX board to support AMD's new range of Llano APUs, and it goes some way toward realising the small-form-factor potential of the A75 chipset.
Making the most of the 170mm x 170mm mini-ITX frame, ASUS has surrounded the board's FM1 APU socket with a pair of DDR3 memory slots, four SATA 6Gbps connectors and a single PCIe x16 lane that'll allow users to add a TV tuner or a discrete Radeon GPU for use in Dual Graphics mode. Using the latter, both the APU's integrated graphics processor and the the discrete graphics card work in unison to deliver that little extra oomph.
Complementing the board's strong feature set is an equally-impressive array of I/O ports. Right out of the box, the F1A75-I Deluxe provides HDMI, DisplayPort and DVI outputs, both optical and analogue audio outputs, Gigabit Ethernet, integrated Wi-Fi with dual antennas, four USB 2.0 ports, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, integrated Bluetooth and eSATA, too.
It has HTPC written all over it, but there's one potential issue; cost. ASUS is yet to attach a price, but we fear the board's features will push the figure beyond the £100 mark. The board is expected to reach retail later this month, but in the meantime feel free to peruse the image and specification below.
| F1A75-I DELUXE | |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Socket FM1 for A- and E2-Series Processors |
| Supports CPU up to 4 cores | |
| Supports AMD Turbo Core 2.0 Technology | |
| - Supports CPU with maximum 100W TDP | |
| * The AMD Turbo Core 2.0 Technology Support depends on the APU types | |
| Chipset | AMD A75 FCH Chipset |
| Memory | 2 x U-DIMM, max.16GB, DDR3 1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered memory* |
| Dual channel memory architecture | |
| *1866MHz can only work with single DIMM per channel. | |
| **Due to OS limitation, when installing total memory of 4GB capacity or more, Windows 32-bit operation system may only recognize less than 3GB. Hence, a total installed memory of less than 3GB is recommended. |
|
| ***Refer to www.asus.com for the memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists). | |
| Expansion Slots | 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot |
| Graphics | Integrated AMD Radeon HD 6000 Series Graphics in Llano APU |
| - Supports HDMI with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @60Hz | |
| - Supports DVI with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @60Hz (with HDCP) | |
| - Supports DP with max. resolution 2560 x 1600 @60Hz | |
| - Supports Dual Digital Display | |
| - Supports Microsoft DirectX 11 and Hardware Decode Acceleration for H.264 / VC-1 / MPEG-2 | |
| - Supports AMD Dual Graphics technology | |
| *Refer to www.amd.com for the discrete GPUs which support Dual Graphics technology. | |
| Storage | AMD A75 FCH Chipset |
| - 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports with RAID 0,1, 10, JBOD, AHCI | |
| - 1 x eSATA 6Gb/s port | |
| Network | Realtek RTL8111E Gigabit LAN controller |
| Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n | |
| Audio | Realtek ALC 892 8-channel High Definition Audio CODEC |
| - DTS Surround Sensation UltraPC | |
| - Supports Jack-Detection, Multi-Streaming, and Front Panel Jack-Retasking | |
| - Optical S/PDIF Output port at back I/O | |
| USB | AMD A75 FCH Chipset |
| - 4 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports (2 ports at mid-board, 2 ports at back I/O) | |
| - 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (2 ports at mid-board, 4 ports at back I/O) | |
| ASUS Unique Features | ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 2 |
| - ASUS EPU | |
| - ASUS TPU: Auto Tuning, Turbo V | |
| ASUS Power Solutions | |
| - ASUS DIGI+VRM | |
| - ASUS Anti-Surge Protection | |
| - ASUS EPU | |
| ASUS Exclusive Features | |
| - MemOK! | |
| - AI Suite II | |
| - Anti Surge | |
| - ASUS EFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface | |
| ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution | |
| - ASUS Fanless Design: Heat-sink solution | |
| - ASUS FanXpert | |
| ASUS EZ DIY | |
| - ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 | |
| - ASUS EZ Flash 2 | |
| - ASUS MyLogo 2 | |
| Back Panel I/O Ports | 1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Combo port |
| 1 x HDMI Output port | |
| 1 x DVI-D Output port | |
| 1 x DisplayPort | |
| 2 x Wi-Fi antenna ports | |
| 1 x Optical S/PDIF Output port | |
| 1 x LAN (RJ45) port | |
| 1 x Bluetooth | |
| 1 x eSATA 6Gb/s port | |
| 2 x USB 3.0 ports | |
| 4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports | |
| 1 x clear CMOS button | |
| 3-jack Audio I/O ports | |
| Internal I/O Connectors | 1 x USB 3.0/2.0 connectors support additional 2 USB 3.0/2.0 ports |
| 1 x USB 2.0/1.1 connectors support additional 2 USB 2.0/1.1 ports | |
| 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors | |
| 1 x CPU PWM Fan connector | |
| 1 x 4-pin Chassis Fan connector | |
| 1 x S/PDIF out connector | |
| 1 x speaker connector | |
| 1 x chassis intrusion connector | |
| 1 x MemOK! Button | |
| 1 x Front panel audio connector | |
| 1 x Clear CMOS jumper | |
| 1 x 24-pin ATX Power connector | |
| 1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector | |
| 1 x Front Panel connector | |
| BIOS | 32 Mb Flash ROM, EFI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.5, ACPI 2.0a, Multi-languages BIOS |
| Manageability | WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, PXE |
| Accessories | 2 x Wi-Fi antennae |
| 2 x Serial ATA cables | |
| 1 x USB wireless adapter | |
| 1 x remote controller | |
| 1 x I/O Shield | |
| 1 x Support DVD | |
| 1 x user's manual | |
| Support DVD | Drivers |
| ASUS Utilities | |
| ASUS Update | |
| Anti-virus software (OEM version) | |
| Form Factor | Mini-ITX Form Factor, 6.7”x 6.7” (17cm x 17cm) |
