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Compact DIY PC goes dual-core

Nov 22, 2011 — by Eric Brown — from the LinuxDevices Archive — 4 views

Via has upgraded its 5.7 x 3.9 x 2.0-inch DIY PC with a 1GHz, dual-core Via Eden X2 processor. The Via Artigo A1150 includes up to 4GB of RAM, HDMI and VGA video outputs, gigabit Ethernet and optional Wi-Fi networking, plus an SATA port and five USB ports, the company says.

The Via Artigo A1150 offers the same 5.7 x 3.9 x 2.0-inch chassis as the Artigo A1100 announced in April. Billed as "one of the smallest full featured DIY (do it yourself) PC kits available today," the device is designed for home server, media streaming, and surveillance applications, as well as regular desktop PC, says Via Technologies.


Via Artigo A1150

(Click to enlarge)

The computer advances from Via's 1.2GHz Nano U2500 processor to a Via Eden X2, with dual cores clocked to 1GHz. The CPU is claimed to be the world's most power-efficient dual-core processor, although Via has released no power consumption figures.

Artigo A1150, rear with optional Wi-Fi antenna (left) and interior views
(Click on either to enlarge)

The Eden X2 is compatible with 64-bit instructions, offers an out-of-order x86 architecture, and provides hardware-based data encryption, says the company. The processor is paired here with the VX900H chipset, offering HD video codecs supporting H.264, VC-1, and MPEG-2/4 video at up to 1080p quality, says the company.

The photo below, with its bottom-facing access window, suggests that the device's motherboard is the Epia-P830 Pico-ITX board, which originally shipped with the Nano E-Series processor. We believe this board is essentially identical to the Epia-P900, announced earlier this month with the Eden X2 already on board. 


Artigo A1150 bottom hatch showing Epia-P830 Pico-ITX board

(Click to enlarge)

The Artigo A1150 has doubled the maximum memory to 4GB SDRAM compared to the earlier model, and moved from DDR2 to DDR3 memory. Beside that, and the abandonment of IDE storage support, the devices appear to be almost identical.

A SATA port is provided for an optional flash DOM (disk on module) or 2.5-inch hard disk drive, and an SD slot is optional, says Via. The device has HDMI and VGA video outputs, four USB 2.0 host ports and one USB 2.0 device port, a gigabit Ethernet port, and audio I/O. The Wi-Fi option, meanwhile, has advanced to 802.11b/g/n from the earlier b/g technology.

 

Artigo A1150 detail
(Click to enlarge)

According to Via, the Artigo A1100 is powered via 12VDC from an external AC adapter, and can be mounted on the back of a monitor. The device is said to support Linux along with all the usual flavors of Windows.

Features and specifications released by Via for the Artigo A1150 include:

  • Processor — Via Eden X2 (dual-core, 1.2GHz)
  • Chipset — Via VX900H
  • Memory — Up to 4GB of DDR3 1066MHz SDRAM via 1 x SODIMM
  • Storage — SATA interface for 2.5-inch hard disk drive or flash DOM
  • Expansion — SD slot (optional)
  • Networking:
    • LAN — gigabit Ethernet
    • WLAN — 802.11b/g/n (optional, with antenna)
  • Other I/O:
    • 4 x USB 2.0 host
    • 1 x USB 2.0 client
    • 1 x HDMI
    • 1 x VGA
    • Audio — mic in, line in, line out
  • Power — 12VDC via 100~240VAC adapter
  • Dimensions — 5.7 x 3.9 x 2.0 inches (146 x 99 x 52mm)
  • Weight, without hard disk drive — 1.32 pounds (0.6kg)

Artigo A1150 demonstrated on YouTube
Source: Via Technologies
(Click to play)

Availability

No pricing or availability information was provided for the Via Artigo A1150. More information may be found at the Via Artigo A1150 product page.


This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.



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