Aaeon announced a COM Express module featuring Intel's GS45 SFF (small form factor) chipset. The COM-45GS supports up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, includes gigabit Ethernet, has eight USB ports and three SATA II channels, and provides both PCI and PCI Express expansion, the company says.

Aaeon says its 4.9 x 3.7 inch COM Express module uses Intel's GS45 SFF chipset, consisting of the GS45 northbridge and ICH9M southbridge. This chipset provides support for dual independent displays, with hardware decoding of HD video, and can output to VGA, LVDS, DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort devices, according to Intel. A dual-channel memory controller allows use of non-ECC, 667/800MHz DDR2 RAM or 800/1066MHz DDR3 RAM, the chipmaker adds.

According to Intel, the GS45 chipset supports the following 45nm, 22 x 22mm CPUs:

• The 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo SL9400, with 17-Watt TDP
• The 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo SP9300, with a 25-Watt TDP
• The 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo SU9300, with a 10-Watt TDP
• The 1.2GHz Celeron 722, with a 5.5-Watt TDP

According to Aaeon, its COM-45GS is orderable with three of these CPUs: the SL9400, SU9300, or the Celeron. The device accepts up to 8GB of DDR3 memory via two SODIMM slots, the company adds.

Aaeon's COM-45GS
(Click to enlarge)

Like other COM Express modules, the COM-45GS (above) sends signals to and from the outside world via its COM Express connectors and separately available, application-specific baseboards. I/O is said to include gigabit Ethernet, one PATA and three SATA II interfaces, eight USB 2.0 ports, audio, and GPIO (four in, four out).

According to Aaeon, the COM-45GS is capable of driving single or dual displays with resolutions up to 2048 x 1536 pixels. Compatible screen types include CRT, DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, LVDS, and SDVO, the company adds.

As for expansion, the module provides one PCI Express x16 interface, five PCI Express x1 interfaces, and four 32-bit PCI interfaces, Aaeon says. LPC, SMBus, and I2C are also cited.

Specifications listed by Aaeon for the COM-45GS include the following:

• Processor — 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo SL9400, 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo SU9300, or 1.2GHz Celeron 722
• Chipset — GS45 SFF (GS45 northbridge and ICH9M southbridge)
• Memory — Up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM via two SODIMM slots
• Display — Supports CRT, DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, LVDS, and SDVO
• Expansion (via COM Express Type 2 pinout):
  • 1 x PCI Express x16
  • 5 x PCI Express x1
  • 4 x 32-bit PCI
  • 1 x LPC
  • 1 x SMbus
  • 1 x I2C
• Networking — gigabit Ethernet
• Other I/O (also via COM Express Type 2):
  • 1 x PATA
  • 3 x SATA II
  • 8 x USB 2.0
  • GPIO (up to 4 in or 4 out)
• Power — 12VDC nominal; accepts 8.5 to 19VDC
• Operating temperature — 32 to 140 deg. F (0 to 60 deg. C)
• Dimensions — 4.92 x 3.74 inches (125 x 95mm)

Peter Yang, a product manager for Aaeon's Embedded Computing division, stated, "The Intel GS45 chipset is a great option for projects that require support for low voltage and ultra low voltage processors yet still demand high performance. In addition to the higher performance Core Duo processors, the GS45 supports Celeron processors at low voltage, bringing a balance of price and performance."

Availability

Aaeon did not cite pricing, availability, or operating system support for the COM-45GS. More information on the module may be found on the company's website, here.

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