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Asus intros the mother of all Atom boards

by on22 July 2010


Atom D525, ION 2, USB 3.0
Asus has introduced a new Atom ITX board and we’re glad to report that it is the best spec’d Atom board on the market, but it’s also the priciest.

The AT5IONT-I packs a dual-core Atom D525 processor clocked at 1.8GHz and it features two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots. It’s passively cooled, which comes as no surprise considering the 13W TDP.

A PCIe x4 slot is also on board, as well as 2 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports, eSATA and b/g/n wireless.

asusd525itx

Thanks to integrated ION 2 graphics with 512MB of memory, the tiny board should pack some graphics muscle as well, but more importantly it features DVI and HDMI video outs, making it a perfect choice for HTPC builders.

There is a downside, however, as the AT5IONT-I will sell for more than €140. Although it’s a very impressive piece of kit, we just don’t believe it’s worth it. If you are looking for more performance in an ITX board, you’re better off with an AMD 785G board and a proper dual or triple core Athlon processor. The price is roughly the same.

Still, we must note that Asus has done a truly great job with this tiny board, despite questionable pricing.

Last modified on 23 July 2010
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