The AM1 Kabini Motherboard Preview: Analyzing the Hardware
by Ian Cutress on April 19, 2014 2:00 PM ESTMSI AM1I
MSI has a single AM1 motherboard at Newegg at the time of writing, a mini-ITX model that takes a slightly different line. Being the cheapest AM1 mini-ITX motherboard (the Biostar AM1ML is more a half-way to micro-ATX), MSI has gone slightly creative and added a mini-PCIe slot. This opens up the platform for an integrated WiFi solution. It would be interesting to see what bundle price MSI could produce with a combined 802.11ac card.
MSI has learned from other mini-ITX projects and helpfully placed the 24-pin ATX connector outside the DRAM slots. The DRAM slots themselves use single-sided latches, to help with removing memory when a large PCIe device is installed. The PCIe slot, while an x4 designation from the chipset, seems to be fully populated with pins (which is a little odd).
Next to the mini-PCIe slot is a pair of SATA 6 Gbps ports, angled away from each other to allow easy removal of locking SATA cables. Perhaps confusingly the COM header and the front panel header are next to each other just inside the DRAM slots, and the front panel header is not labeled. Ideally this would be outside the DRAM slots on the right and labeled for ease of use.
The 4-pin CPU power connector is in a good position for cable management, and MSI have tried to save some cost by having the motherboard battery stuck to the rear panel.
The rear panel is similar to the previous motherboards, consisting of PS/2 ports, video outputs, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port and ALC887 audio jacks.
| MSI AM1I | |
| Price | Link |
| Size | Mini-ITX |
| CPU Interface | FS1b |
| Chipset | Kabini |
| Memory Slots |
Two DDR3 DRAM slots, supporting 32GB Single Channel, 1333/1600 MHz |
| Video Outputs |
VGA (1920x1200) DVI-D (1920x1200) HDMI (4096x2160) |
| Onboard LAN | Realtek RTL8111G (10/100/1000) |
| Onboard Audio | Realtek ALC887 |
| Expansion Slots |
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4) 1 x mini-PCIe |
| Onboard SATA/RAID | 2 x SATA 6 Gbps |
| USB 3.0 | 2 x USB 3.0 (Chipset) [back panel] |
| Onboard |
2 x SATA 6 Gbps 2 x USB 2.0 Headers 2 x Fan Headers 1 x TPM Header 1 x COM Header Front Audio Header Front Panel Header |
| Power Connectors |
1 x 24-pin ATX 1 x 4-pin CPU |
| Fan Headers |
1 x CPU (3-pin) 1 x SYS (4-pin) |
| IO Panel |
1 x PS/2 Mouse Port 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port VGA DVI-D HDMI 2 x USB 2.0 2 x USB 3.0 1 x Gigabit Ethernet Audio Jacks (ALC887) |
| Product Page | Link |
So far we have moved from $33 to $36 in our analysis and the changes made between the Biostar and MSI are actually quite drastic. The MSI platform (including MSI’s standard software one would assume), while slightly more expensive, offers a lot better value. The only downside is perhaps the name. Putting an ‘I’ next to a ‘1’, in the wrong font, makes the AM1I look odd.
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coolhardware - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
Nice brief overview of the motherboards, wish there was some more meat to the article. I guess that comes later!I have the MSI AM1I with an Athlon 5350 and have been loving it. The MSI can actually do a slight CPU OC by setting the multiplier to 21x which gets the clock to 2.1GHz (as opposed to 2.05GHz stock) and it overclocked my 1333 memory to 1666 with no problem. Overall it's a sweet little board for the price!
Anybody else with other AM1 motherboards notice any OCing options?
I'm posting my experiences here: http://www.jdhodges.com/blog/amd-kabini-athlon-535...
Also, I want to find out if it can drive three displays (DVI+VGA+HDMI) and looking forward to trying some high-res output from the HDMI port. I doubt the DVI is dual link, but I plan to find out for sure by trying my trusty Dell 30" 2560x1600 display :-)
meacupla - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
does SODIMM DDR3L cost more to implement than desktop DDR3?All of these boards could have saved a ton of space by going with SODIMM, but none have.
Why?
MonkeyPaw - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
With the SOC taking on most of the work, the boards don't need to worry about space savings, as they still need to fit in the standard ITX/ATX form factors. I imagine the legacy DIMM slots are cheaper anyway. These boards are engineered for cheap, which is why you see 10/100, 2.1 audio, USB 2.0, or limited expansion options. If a better option was even 5 cents more, they probably skipped it. I'm surprised these things aren't white boxed!Voldenuit - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link
Ian: is the Biostar mini-DTX (23x17 cm) instead of mini-ITX? I haven't heard of mini-ITX plus before.Voldenuit - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link
Typo: Mini-DTX is 20.3x17cmElFenix - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link
the board is 19.1x17, so it fits within the mini-DTX size specification. however, biostar calls it micro atx on its website.geniekid - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - link
It is mini-DTX, but I guess it shows how unpopular the spec is given that even an AT writer came up with his own term for it.IMO there's a lot of potential for mDTX for people who want compact systems without giving up a graphics card or their audio card.
yannigr - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link
I hope there is an overclocking part coming in the future. I have seen a 5150 running at 2.1GHz(ASUS board). On the other hand at Phoronix they hit the wall at 105MHz bus for some reason.An article about overclocking, especially the Sempron, would have been great. There is a possibility that Sempron to be the second product from AMD that I will buy and will have a 3850 as a model number. I am just waiting for more info from around the net.
PS If kabinis where black edition chips AMD wouldn't be able to produce them fast enough.
coolhardware - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link
MSI can run the 5150 at 2.1GHz as well, screenshots here:http://www.jdhodges.com/blog/amd-kabini-athlon-535...
Anybody seen more than 21x on a 5150? And do the lower end Kabini's overclock any?
yannigr - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link
It is NOT the 5150 in the test but the 5350. Look the link itself. It says 5350.MSI only seems to have the option to change the multiplier, not the bus speed. And the multiplier will give you extra 50MHz IF the APU has a multiplier with a .5 in it, like 5350 it has 20.5 multiplier. So you can change it to 21. If this was a 5150 with 16 multiplier you wouldn't be able to go any higher than that. Not a single MHz.
Thanks for the link anyway!