The AM1 Kabini Motherboard Preview: Analyzing the Hardware
by Ian Cutress on April 19, 2014 2:00 PM ESTBiostar AM1MHP
Biostar’s other option for AM1 is a proper microATX motherboard that carries over many of the traits from the AM1ML. The DRAM slots are still at right angles to normal motherboard operation, and the 4-pin CPU power connector is next to the rear IO which will hinder cable management. The audio codec is also the same ALC662 codec we normally see on the ultra-low-end motherboards and laptops, but the network controller is upgraded to one that can support a gigabit connection.
The two SATA ports on the right hand side are both pointing in the same direction, suggesting that when using locking SATA cables the one on the left as seen might be hard to remove if the right port is populated. The BIOS chip is at least removable, should the unthinkable happen. With regards the memory slots, notice how (like the AM1ML) they are placed next to an empty space in the rear IO panel. Depending on the rear dust shield that comes with the motherboard, this server-type arrangement is usually performed to aid airflow from right to left across the components.
While the $35 GIGABYTE seems to have a preferential orientation and hardware allocation, the Biostar AM1MHP does have a PCI port that can be used to exploit older expansion cards.
The rear of the motherboard is identical to that of the GIGABYTE AM1M-S2H, except the HDMI port is now upside down. We still have both the PS/2 ports, the VGA port, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a gigabit Ethernet port and the audio jacks.
| Biostar AM1MHP | |
| Price | Link |
| Size | Micro-ATX |
| CPU Interface | FS1b |
| Chipset | Kabini |
| Memory Slots |
Two DDR3 DRAM slots supporting 32GB Single Channel, 1333/1600 MHz |
| Video Outputs |
VGA HDMI |
| Onboard LAN | Realtek RTL8111G (10/100/1000) |
| Onboard Audio | Realtek ALC662 |
| Expansion Slots |
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x1 1 x PCI |
| 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 LPT 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 (4-pin) 1 x SYS (3-pin) |
| IO Panel |
1 x PS/2 Mouse Port 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port VGA HDMI 2 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 1 x Ethernet (1 Gbps) Audio Jacks (ALC662) |
| Product Page | Link |
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RoboJ1M - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - link
I've been wondering how these AM1 boards can be so cheap compared to the usual ITX fare.It occurred to me that if Kabini is a SoC, does that make these mobos basically breakout boards? Like you get for Computers on Module stuff?
Ortanon - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - link
That's more or less accurate, yeah. Which means the boards should be cheaper than they currently are; it's just that it's brand new. So later this year we should see a lot of price drops.Haravikk - Sunday, April 27, 2014 - link
Personally I prefer the "horizontal" RAM layout, and I'm surprised more manufacturers don't use it, as it's just better for cooling overall IMO. The only issue really is that many coolers aren't designed for it, because not enough motherboards do it, but if they did then cooler manufacturers would adapt. We can only hope.Personally I don't see the point of the PS/2 port(s) on these motherboards, likewise with VGA. I think that nowadays that HDMI and USB are so common that you're not saving much (if any) money opting for older standards unless you just happen to have these lying around. Even so, I have two HDMI to VGA adapters just lying around, so it's not like it'd be hard to hook up a VGA monitor anyway if you really needed to.
medra - Saturday, June 14, 2014 - link
"The AM1H-ITX is also the only motherboard in this roundup with a 7.1 audio codec, using the Realtek ALC892 compared to the ALC887 or ALC662 on the others which are both 2.1 at best."Actually, ALC887 is a 7.1 channel HD Audio Codec while the ALC662 is a 5.1 channel HD Audio Codec.