VIA has unveiled its newest VIA Trinity platform based 17 x 17cm mini-ITX VB8003 motherboard that not only comes with a DirectX 10.1 GPU. This small mini-ITX motherboard comes packed with S3 Graphics 435 ULP that feature 256MB of dedicated GDDR3 memory.
The specifications include a 1.6GHz VIA Nano processor, VX800 chipset, the mentioned S3 Chrome 435 ULP graphics chip with 256MB of GDDR3 memory and up to 4GB of DDR2-667 SoDIMM memory. Thanks to the S3 Chrome 435 ULP which features support for DirectX 10.1, OpenGL 2.1, ChromotionHD engine, this one supports smooth 1080p playback which means that it can put some pressure on Nvidia's ION.
The motherboard also comes with single IDE, two SATA ports, D-Sub, DVI and dual-HDMI outputs. Dual Gigabit LAN, four USB ports and a CompactFlash slot are also on board. The two HDMI ports are there thanks to the combination of the S3 Chrome 435 ULP and VX800 chipset. The Chrome 435ULP provides HDMI and DVI outputs while the VX800 handles the D-Sub, LVDS and the second HDMI. This means that the new motherboard can be configured to power up to four, independently configurable displays.
The motherboard also has integrated VIA HD VT1708B HD audio and one USB pin connector for two additional USB 2.0 ports with support for VIA's VT6656 WLAN module. According to VIA's press release, it should offer 1080p video playback at the lowest "industry leading" TDP. The reference platform is cooled by two heatsinks and two fans, one for S3 Chrome 435 ULP GPU and the other for Nano and VX800.
Let's just hope that manufacturers will go for this platform as it would be interesting to see an HTCP based on it. You can find more info here.
