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With the socketed version of Kabini formally announced by AMD, motherboard manufacturers are in full swing in announcing their line up to AMD&rsquo;s budget range.&nbsp; AMD&rsquo;s goal is to get the Kabini platform to $60 for motherboard and processor, which cuts into motherboard margins and does not often leave much room for innovation.&nbsp; ASRock is doing something a little different on one of their motherboards which is worth a closer examination.</p>
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AM1H-ITX</p>
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First up is the AM1H-ITX, a mini-ITX motherboard that is equipped with two ways of implementing power.&nbsp; Users can either use a traditional power supply, or use a DC-In jack that draws power from a standard 19V laptop power adaptor:</p>
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In terms of small form factor systems, this removes the need for a bulky internal power supply (or even a pico-PSU) and changes into a console-esque arrangement, reducing the volume of the chassis needing to house the system.&nbsp; The motherboard itself supports two DDR3-1600 DIMM slots, a PCIe 2.0 x4 lane, a mini-PCIe slot, four SATA 6 Gbps ports (two from an ASMedia controller), a COM header, a TPM header, four USB 3.0 ports (two via ASMedia), Realtek RTL8111GR gigabit Ethernet and Realtek ALC892 audio.</p>
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AM1B-ITX</p>
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The AM1B-ITX is another mini-ITX product, this time including a parallel port, four SATA 6 Gbps (two from ASMedia), four USB 3.0 ports (two via ASMedia), Realtek RTL8111GR gigabit Ethernet and a Realtek ALC662 audio codec, putting it on a lower price point to the AM1H-ITX.&nbsp; There is no DC-In jack here, nor a mini-PCIe slot; however there is a PCIe 2.0 x4 slot, a COM header, a TPM header and dual DDR3 DIMM slots.</p>
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AM1B-M</p>
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The other product in the lineup is a micro-ATX offering which seems very stripped down to provide all but the basics.&nbsp; Alongside the two DDR3-1600 DIMM slots are two SATA 6 Gbps ports, two USB 3.0 ports on the rear IO, a VGA port, a combination PS/2 port, a Com header, Realtek Ethernet and ALC662 audio, a PCIe 2.0 x4 slot and a PCIe 2.0 x1 slot.</p>
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ASRock is expecting these models to be available from 4/9. &nbsp;I am awaiting information on pricing and will update when we get it.</p>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: transparent;"><div>Gallery: ASRock’s AM1 Kabini Motherboards Announced, including 19V DC-In Model<div></div></div></span></p>
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Source: ASRock</p>
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Product Pages: AM1H-ITX, AM1B-ITX, AM1B-M</p>
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Source: AnandTech
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