Thread: Motherboard Zotac GeForce 8200-ITX WiFi

TPCs and small motherboard form factors such as mini-ITX have been around for a long time. However, being niche in nature and exorbitantly priced, they haven't
yet managed to gain significant gro,und. They were also expensive and had fewer features to offer. But lately, things seem to be looking up for them, in terms of features and performance.

Small form-factor PCS such as the Asus Eee Box are very attractive for three main reasons: their features, size and price points. Now, the entry of SFF oriented speciality hardware makes it possible for people who are comfortable enough to assemble their own PCs to build a tiny yet powerful cpmputer for themselves, customized. to thier individual needs. One such example is the Zotac GeForce 8200-ITX WiFi.

Despite the limitations a motherboards this size would face in terms of physical space for components, this one does quite well and offers all the latest features and even some extra conveniences. At first glance, its specifications are comparable to those of any mainstream motherboard. Before moving on to see what it can do, let's take a look at its impressive feature set.

Features

As tiny as a regular desktop optical drive, this mini-ITX motherboard makes for an excellent home-made HTPC. If you think its size means it is less powerful than a mainstream desktop PC, then think again. On the contrary, it even surpasses some desktop ATX motherboards. Built around the Nvidia GeForce 8200 chipset, it supports all Athlon, Sempron and Phenom processors that use the AM2 socket. It also supports up to 8 GB of DDR2 RAM via two slots. Other features include four hot-pluggable SATA ports as well as 10 USB ports (four via headers). Connectivity options include onboard gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi a/big using a bundled module which can be mounted on the motherboard and is plugged into one of the board's USB headers.

The on board graphics come courtesy an Nvidia GeForce 8200 mGPU. There are two display options: a D-sub port and a DVI port. HDMI too can be used via a bundled DVI to HDMI adapter. The motherboard's space constraints allow for only one PCle expansion slot, which is of the xl variety. If you need discrete graphics, you will have to use a single PCle xl expansion card. However, such cards are not widely available at all. For discrete sound or other expansion, it would probably be best to go with external USB peripherals.

The generous number of USB ports makes up for any lack of interface options, such as an eSATA port. In addition to hard drives, even optical drives now commonly use the SATA interface, so users won't really miss PATA connectivity. The same applies for most other legacy connector standards.

What does it offer?

With a clear idea of the tectiliical specifications of the 8200-ITX, it's time to consider how useful this little board actually is. The list of possible uses for it is endless, prOVided that you invest generously on core components to go with it. For instance, a decent 500 GB hard drive, a dual-core processor and 2 GB of RAM can collectively turn this motherboard into a very competent HTPC. Here, even the resource-hungry Microsoft Windows Vista and Office 2007 will run smoothly.
What's more, a hard drive of this capacity can hold over 700 DivX or 100 full HD movies. And if you're a music buff, you could even lose count of the songs you have stored. The biggest treat is to watch HD movies on your HD monitor or TV after connecting the mini HTPC using the DVI to HDMI converter. You could have an ultra-compact PC that can easily be hidden away in a living-room entertainment center, but which is also as powerful as a mainstream PC for all your office applications and general purpose needs.



Build quality

The build qu'ality and layout of this motherboard are top notch. In spite of the small size, heat dissipates efficiently from all the components. There is enough clearance around the CPU socket and plenty of space between the two RAM slots. The northbridge could use an active cooler, but it makes do with the small amount of air blowing at it from the CPU fan. Nonetheless, with all-solid capacitors, you can expect to have a long life of stable performance. Having said that, let's check the performance of the motherboard.

Performance

The overall performance of the motherboard is good, but depends vastly on the other hardware that you match it with. For instance, using a weak processor with only 1 GB of RAM would be inviting disappointment. But with the configuration we've used, performance was way above average. Call it a cliche, but we'd say good things can certainly come in small packages!

Shortcomings

Although, this motherboard has much to offer, some situations will be problematic. For instance, there is next to no scope for using internal expansion cards. Graphics cards are the biggest casualty here, since most of today's models require a PCle x16 slot. Another drawback is the lack of support for legacy standards. For instance, if you have a PATA hard drive or optical drive, it won't work unless you use an external USB casing. Last but not least, mini-ITX cabinets and other SFF friendly hardware are not easily available and are priced at quite a premium.

A quick comparison

Let's make a brief comparison between a pre-built SFF PC, a home-made one based on the 8200-ITX, and a regular¬sized desktop Pc.

The Asus Eee Box for example, is a slick ultra-compact PC, arid is a very good option for surfing the web and watching movies. But its low-powered components-the Intel 945 chipset, 1.6 GHz Atom CPU and 1 GB RAM-offer only very basic performance. Upgrades hike its price considerably, which might just defeat its purpose. Even after upgrading whatever you can, the performance won't match that of a desktop Pc. The 8200-ITX WiFi's features are better in comparison, and you have the fleXibility to add more powerful components.

Which brings us to our last contender, the standard desktop computer. If
you require top-end graphics and performance, you'll have better luck with mainstream ATX components, and you can choose how much you're going to spend. Sadly, you can't hide one of these behind your monitor or TV, they're a lot noisier, and aren't as portable.

The bottom line

Ultra-compact PCs and netbooks that offer absolute basic performance and excellent portability are dime a dozen, and if ultra-compact design isn't a priority, then there's a sea of standard sized inexpensive motherboards available, with decent on board sound, video, networking, etc. But for a combination of good mainstream performance and ultra-compact design, the Zotac 8200-ITX WiFi is an excellent option-and also the only one of its kind in the Indian market right now.