VIA EPIA M10000

Conclusion

It's kind of obvious that VIA are aiming for a niche market here. A market where size matters, for there would be little other reason to adopt the Mini-ITX form factor. Let's not forget that the EPIA won't be sold on performance grounds, no matter how much VIA push their new Nehemiah C3 CPU. The new core is a step in the right direction, though. The EPIA M10000's performance in pure benchmarks left a lot to be desired, and there's little it can do when the on-board video begins to strangle the memory bandwidth available to the CPU. A couple of our regular benchmarks bore that out with graphic detail.

So who would VIA be aiming the EPIA at ?. A number of uses immediately spring to mind:

Small multimedia box - The rich feature list, effortless DVD playback and reasonable DivX performance make it an ideal platform for a relatively small, quiet box

Second PC - As long as you're not intending to do too many computationally-intensive activities, the M10000 is fine for a second PC. The excellent 2D will be a bonus

Quiet downloader - Integrated LAN, low running costs and the small form factor make it an ideal web ferret.

Business machines - Let's face it. Most businesses don't need 3.0GHz P4s and Radeon 9800 graphics cards. Again, the small board footprint and decent 2D clarity would be appreciated by businesses. The CPU's in-built PadLock security system would be a useful feature.

It's a little disappointing from our point of view that VIA couldn't manage a totally passive design with their low-power CPU. The fan's pitch is of the annoying sort. We'd certainly look to changing it for a quieter model. The BIOS reported load temperatures of around 45c, so there's a chance you could reduce its voltage and annoyance factor by using a simple rheobus.

What do we think overall ?. The EPIA line is all about progression. The latest EPIA M10000 proves that a system doesn't require superlative performance to be a viable proposition for some users. We've seen it on-line for around £125. That kind of money would almost buy you an nForce2 IGP board and an XP1700 JIUHB. The latter combination would stomp all over the former from a benchmarking perspective. That, however, would be missing the entire point of the EPIA M10000. The EPIA appeals to a selective customer. If you're in the market for a small, integrated motherboard, then the EPIA should be considered. Its Mini-ITX form factor makes it an ideal candidate for those that value space over performance.

Highs