VIA Epia MII --- TheThirdMedia Hardware

The CPU power behind the Epia MII lies in its 'Nehemiah' codenamed VIA C3 processor, running at 1.2GHz (Using a multiplier of 9.0 at a bus speed of 133MHz). This 0.13nm built CPU is in fact the smallest die size seen for an x86 processor, coming in at just 52mm x 52mm. Despite its small size, this C3 still supports SSE, contains 64KB of both level 1 and 2 cache and a full speed Floating Point Unit. Add in to this the incredibly low power consumption and heat generation of this part, and you can begin to see just why it is ideal for a Small Form Factor system such as this.

For the rest of the MII's specification, let's consult VIA's own web site:

Like previous Epia units, the MII motherboard makes use of VIA's CLE266 north bridge, which means that the board can support up to a 133MHz FSB, along with up to 2GB of RAM running in single-channel mode. The CLE266 also features integrated graphics in the form of VIA/S3's Unichrome Pro which makes use of a MPEG-2 hardware video accelerator, making this a potentially ideal system for use as some kind of media centre (Which is, indeed, the market which VIA are targeting these devices at). This isn't the kind of system you'd really be wanting to run 3D graphics on, but for those of you with a curious disposition, the Unichrome Pro has its own dedicated 3D engine, consisting of a 1x2 (one pipeline with two texture units) architecture.

Connectivity-wise, the MII has plenty to offer, from PCMCIA slots thanks to its Ricoh cardbus controller through to support for CompactFlash devices, as well as the more typical desktop PC feature set of USB and Firewire ports, 10/100Mbit networking and so on. This is provided courtesy of VIA's VT8235 south bridge, which also gives rise to the inclusion of two IDE channels - No Serial ATA here I'm afraid.

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   [1]· Introduction
   [2]· Specification
   [3]· Presentation, Bundle and Manual
   [4]· VIA Epia MII motherboard
   [5]· Mini-ITX case
   [6]· Testing
   [7]· Noise and Thoughts
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