Kontron has announced a motherboard using the mini-ITX form factor along with embedded processors and chipsets from AMD. The KT690/mITX is said to be especially suited to markets that require “long life availability” and “increased graphics performance.”

The Kontron KT690/mITX inherits the numerals in its name from the AMD M690T chipset, introduced last April. This supports various AMD processors via a 1GHz HyperTransport interface, and connects to AMD's SB600 southbridge, which — as on this system — can provide up to 10 USB 2.0 ports.

The KT690/mITX is loaded with AMD silicon
(Click to enlarge)
Kontron and AMD tout the chipset's integrated graphics, which uses an ATI Radeon X1250-based core with an 8X PCI Express interface. As implemented by Kontron, it provides up to 2048 x 1538 pixel resolution, 2D and 3D acceleration, 3D texture support, and hardware-based video decoding.

The Kontron KT690/mITX also has a variety of graphics outputs, including VGA and DVI-D ports plus onboard dual-channel LVDS. S-Video output is an available option.

As far as CPU power goes, Kontron's motherboard is designed to support AMD's dual-core Turion 64 X2 Model TL-52, and single-core Mobile AMD Sempron 3500+ — the pair of mobile processors that AMD added to its AMD64 Longevity Program for embedded products last January. With the 1 GHz AMD Sempron 2100+ processor onboard, the KT690/mITX may be employed without a fan, Kontron says.

Touted features and specifications of the KT690/mITX include:

• Processor:
  • 1.6 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 (35W power consumption)
    
  • 2 GHz AMD Sempron 3700+ (25W)
    
  • 1.8 GHz AMD Sempron 3500+ (25W)
    
  • 1 GHz AMD Sempron 1000 (9W)

• Memory — 2 x 200-pin DDR2, supporting up to 4 GB of RAM
  
• Display:
  • Resolutions up to 2048 x 1536 (CRT), 1600 x 1200 (LVDS), and 1600 x 1200 (DVI)
    
  • 2D acceleration via 128-bit engine, capable of processing multiple pixels per clock
    
  • Game acceleration, including support for Microsoft's DirectDraw
    
  • DirectX 9.0 support
    
  • 3D texture support, including projective 3D textures
    
  • OpenGL support
    
  • Hardware acceleration for MPEG and WMV9 playback

• Audio — “HD Audio”

• Networking — 2 x 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports
• Other I/O ports:
  2 x RS-232 serial
  
  • 10 x USB 2.0 (four internal and six external)
    
  • PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports
    
  • bidirectional parallel port with SPP, ECP, and EPP modes; shared floppy drive option
    
  • 8 channel GPIO

• Expansion:
  • 4 x SATA 150/300 and 1 x ATA133 drive interfaces
    
  • CompactFlash Type I and II
    
  • PCI bus
    
  • miniPCI-Express connector

  • 1 x 8x PCI Express (in a 16x connector)

• Power supply — ATX and BTX standard
  
• Dimensions — 6.7 by 6.7 inches (170 x 170 mm)
  
• Operating temperature — 0-60 deg. C

Operating system support includes Linux, Windows XP, and Vista, according to the vendor.

Kontron's announcement did not cite pricing, but said the KT690/mITX will be available during the fourth quarter.

---

 
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.