BIOSTAR emailed us today to announce a new motherboard which it has added to its range. The AMD Kabini APU-onboard fanless motherboard design is called the A68N-5000. BIOSTAR has equipped the motherboard with an AMD A4-5000 Quad-Core processor which includes AMD Radeon HD8330 Graphics.
A system based upon this motherboard is said to run "cool and quiet with heat sinks instead of fans". BIOSTAR says that this will help reduce system noise, reduce dust build-ip and reduce power costs. Nevertheless this 17cm square motherboard has quite a long list of features which may appeal:
CPU |
AMD Fusion APU A4-5000 Quad-Core Processor |
MEMORY |
Support DDR3 / DDR3L 1600/1333/1066/800 MHz, 2 x DDR3 DIMM Memory Slot, Max. Supports up to 16GB Memory |
EXPANSION SLOT |
1 x PCI-E x16 2.0 Slot (x4) |
STORAGE |
2 x SATA3 Connector |
USB |
2 x USB 3.0 Port, 2 x USB 2.0 Port, 2 x USB 2.0 Header |
LAN |
Realtek RTL8111G - 10/100/1000 Controller |
INTEGRATED VIDEO |
AMD Radeon HD8330 Graphics, On Board Graphic Max. Memory Share Up to 2GB, Supports DX11.1, Supports HDCP |
CODEC |
Realtek ALC662 6-Channel HD Audio |
REAR I/O |
1 x PS/2 Mouse, 1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 2 x USB 3.0 Port, 2 x USB 2.0 Port, 1 x HDMI Connector. 1 x VGA Port, 1 x RJ-45 Port, 3 x Audio Connector |
INTERNAL I/O |
1 x Printer Header, 2 x USB 2.0 Header, 2 x SATA3 6Gb/s Connector, 1 x Front Audio Header, 1 x Front Panel Header, 1 x S/PDIF-OUT Header, 1 x CPU FAN Header, 1 x System FAN Header, 1 x Serial Header |
H/W Monitoring |
CPU / System Temperature Monitoring, System Fan Monitoring, System Voltage Monitoring |
DIMENSION |
Mini ITX Form Factor Dimension: 17cm x 17cm ( W x L ) |
OS SUPPORT |
Support Windows XP / 7 / 8 / 8.1 |
ACCESSORIES |
2 x SATA Cable, 1 x I/O Shield, 1 x DVD Driver, 1 x Quick Guide |
FEATURES |
Windows 8 Ready, Supports BIO-Remote 2, Supports Solid capacitor, Supports BIOS-Flasher, Supports Charger Booster, Supports BIOS Online Update |
To keep its firmware up to date this motherboard supports BIOSTAR BIOS flasher and BIOS Online Update. The BIO-Remote 2 feature allows Android or iOS mobile users to conveniently remote control their PC, perhaps in an HTPC environment. The Remote functionality also allows users to employ their smartphone screen as a touchpad and PowerPoint presentation controller.
Click to enlarge
There is an official product information page available for this new motherboard but some of the specs appear to be wrong. In BIOSTAR's email to HEXUS the integrated GPU is said to be the AMD Radeon HD8330 but on the web site and downloadable data sheet it says the GPU is a Radeon HD8210. However I looked at the AMD A4-5000 processor page at AMD.com and this processor does indeed come with Radeon HD8330 graphics.
We haven't been given any details about the pricing or distribution of the A68N-5000.