More ITX muscle
Foxconn has introduced two new ITX flavored Atom motherboards with a twist.
Unlike most Atom boards on the market, Foxconn’s new series does not use 1.6GHz parts, but rather the dual-core Atom D525 and single-core D425, both clocked at 1.8GHz. Of course, the higher clocks will hardly deliver a breathtaking performance boost, but nevertheless it’s welcome, as the boards cost just a tad more than plain 1.6GHz models.
Both boards feature Intel’s NM10 chipset, two DDR2 slots, a PCI slot, 4 USB ports and two SATA II connectors. Sadly, like most cheap Atom boards, neither has HDMI or DVI, so you’re stuck with VGA output.
The dual-core D52S is priced at €74, while the single-core D42S costs €63. Although it’s nice to see a bit more performance in cheap ITX boards, we’d much rather see some digital video outputs than a couple of hundred megahertz more.
