MSI rolled out a trio of socket LGA1150 motherboards in the mini-ITX form-factor, Z87I, H87I, and B85I, based on Intel Z87, H87, and B85 chipsets, respectively. Pin-compatibility between the three chipsets means that the three boards are based on a common design. The three feature a 4-phase CPU VRM, two full-size DDR3 DIMM slots, a PCI-Express 3.0 x16, and a combination of 24-pin and 4-pin power connectors.

The Z87I and H87I are nearly identical, with VRM cooling, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0. The Z87I edges past the H87I with support for CPU overclocking, and a second gigabit Ethernet connection. The B85I lacks a VRM heatsink, and the wireless connectivity card. Instead, it gives you a vacant mPCIe slot. It offers 6-channel HD audio, instead of the 8-channel solution, on the other two. All three feature at least one gigabit Ethernet connection, DVI and HDMI display outputs, six USB 3.0 ports, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports.

In addition to the G1.Sniper A85X, GIGABYTE also showed off what could go on to become an HTPC builder favorite, the F2A85XN-WiFi mini-ITX motherboard. The board draws power from conventional 24-pin ATX + 4-pin ATX connectors, and uses a 6-phase VRM to power the APU. Built with the Ultra Durable 4 Plus construction, the board uses high-grade PowIRstage driver-MOSFETs and VRM controllers, made by International Rectifier. The FM2 socket is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-2133 MHz memory, and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. On the connectivity front, the F2A85XN-WiFi offers four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, four USB 3.0 ports, dual-link DVI and two HDMI display outputs, 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports.

GIGABYTE unveiled the first mini-ITX motherboard based on Intel's upcoming Z87 Express chipset, ready for 4th generation Core "Haswell" processors in the LGA1150 package. The Z87N-WiFi from GIGABYTE takes advantage of the smaller package size of the Z87 PCH, to cram in every feature you'll need, on the space constrained form-factor. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin and 4-pin ATX connectors. It uses a 4-phase power supply for the CPU, which is wired to a pair of DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel memory, and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The only other expansion slot is an mPCIe, populated by the board's WiFi card. Storage connectivity on the Z87N-WiFi includes four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, all from the PCH. A pair of HDMI connectors, and dual-link DVI make for its display connectivity. Two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, 8-channel HD audio with optical SPDIF, six USB 3.0 ports (four rear, two by header), and 802.11ac WLAN make for the rest of it. The Z87N-WiFi could be part of the first wave of LGA1150 motherboards by GIGABYTE.

Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd, today announces a new brushed aluminum Mini-ITX chassis ? PC-Q13. With its curve-shaped design and large acrylic front window the fully aluminum PC-Q13 allows users to show off their systems, and is sure to be the talking piece of any room. Whether in the living room, bedroom, or office, the PC-Q13 with its curve-shape and brushed aluminum finish takes visual command without being ostentatious. Additionally, DIY builders can put their stylized internal components and intricate builds on full display ? as they should not be hidden from sight.

Thanks to the two expansion slots on the top of the chassis, the PC-Q13 supports graphics cards up to 200mm (7.8"). For storage, up to four 2.5" hard drives or SSDs can be mounted in the removable hard drive cage at the bottom of the chassis. A 140mm fan in the rear of the chassis expels hot air, while ventilation on the top and side allows for cool air to enter. A small form factor power supply up to 125 mm (4.9") is placed on rubber pads in order to reduce vibrations.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components, today announced the Obsidian Series 350D High Performance Micro ATX PC case. Available with a solid or windowed side panel, the Obsidian Series 350D brings unprecedented expansion and cooling options to smaller, more portable, high-performance PCs.

Like larger cases in the premium Obsidian Series line, the Obsidian Series 350D sports a clean, black, brushed-aluminum styling. The case is also designed for fast and neat builds with tool-free access and drive installation as well as an innovative cable routing system. The Obsidian Series 350D case supports both Micro ATX and mini ITX motherboards and has plenty of interior space for liquid CPU cooling, dual 3.5" hard drives, dual 2.5" SSDs, dual 5.25" drives, and dual full-length graphics cards. It also has five expansion slots and five fan mounting points with room for two 240mm radiators. The front panel provides convenient access to USB 3.0 and audio connectors.

Noctua today announced the availability of an alternative mounting option for its NH-L9a low profile heatsink. The new option does not make use of a backplate and thus now permits to install the NH-L9a on AMD mainboards that have components in the area at the rear side that is reserved for the backplate in the AMD specifications. The new mounting parts will be provided to NH-L9a users free of charge.

"The SecuFirm2 mounting system of the NH-L9a complies strictly to the AMD specifications and guarantees 100% compatibility with mainboards that follow these specifications", explains Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "We've been overwhelmed with the great press and customer feedback on this cooler, but unfortunately, some mini-ITX mainboards do not follow the AMD specifications, so the NH-L9a could not be installed on these. We have now designed an alternative mounting option and will provide the new parts to customers who need it free of charge."

Lian-Li Industrial Co., Ltd. today announces two new brushed aluminum Mini-ITX chassis: PC-Q27 and PC-Q28. These two compact cases feature Lian Li's new railing mount motherboard tray design, and allow for the Mini-ITX platform to be combined with traditional full-sized components.

In addition to the new motherboard tray, both of Lian Li's new Mini-ITX chassis have a new side panel removal design. After removing a single screw, the side panel easily slides off with minimal effort.

Axiomtek's MANO873 Mini ITX motherboard based on the Intel Q77 Express chipset is designed for the 3rd Generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processors in the LGA1155 socket. The high-performance MANO873 supports Intel 3-D transistor, Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 technology, Intel Hyper-Threading technology, 16 GB DDR3 1333/1600 system memory, and PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot. It also supports Intel Active Management Technology 8.0, Intel Small Business Advantage solution, Intel Smart Response Technology, Intel Rapid Storage Technology, Intel vPro, Trusted Platform Module 1.2, and SATA RAID for various mission critical applications.

In addition, the Intel HD Graphics 4000/2500 engine with DirectX 11 support is built into the chipset to provide fast graphics performance. With all the innovative features, the MANO873 is ideal for high-end industrial applications, such as storage server, POS, kiosk, medical, gaming, digital signage, and surveillance security monitoring.

Just in time to meet the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises and home users to store large amounts of data, the Giada technology company has launched the GIADA N70E-DR motherboard, perfect for building entry-level NAS servers. With a NAS server built upon the Giada N70E-DR, customers can achieve a low-cost implementation for file sharing, data backup and media server functionality all while enjoying professional server functions, high-capacity, high-reliability, and high performance data security. The compact and powerful Mini ITX board design, takes up only 17x17cm in space and sports a Rich component interface.

With the powerful integrated architecture of Intel's Ivy Bridge, the Celeron C1007U processors feature performance with power consumption at only 17W. The motherboard's chipset supports native RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, with data security protection. Dual high-performance Intel 82583V Gigabit Ethernet ports ensure efficient network channel operations. Intelligent hardware monitoring and management capabilities allow customers to keep abreast of the health of the system. With a TPM module one can effectively prevent various scenarios of illegal data access.

ASUS today announced the GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini, a compact high-performance graphics card designed primarily for small form factor PCs with mini ITX motherboards. The dual-slot card measures just 17cm and features the NVIDIA GTX 670 GPU for DirectX 11.1-compatible gaming. The reference GTX 670 measures 24.13cm, for comparison.

Small form factor PCs based on mini ITX motherboards are a popular choice for gamers and home users. Their compact cases are much easier to transport to LAN parties than a standard desktop PC, and stylish designs with comparatively low power requirements make them a natural choice for home theater PCs. The ASUS GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini is designed to maximize the potential offered by mini ITX motherboards by delivering high performance graphics. It uses an exclusive DirectCU thermal design that combines a heat-spreading vapor chamber and the CoolTech Fan, which provides wide-angle airflow and venting to cool critical graphics card components.

We got our first glimpse of ASUS' mini ITX-friendly GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini a fortnight ago, when it was pictured installed. The older pictures didn't really provide us with a vanity of the card, until now. Pictured below, is the first press-shot of the 17 cm-long high-end graphics card. The picture reveals a swanky cooler shroud with gloss/matte accents, covering the main heatsink.

The main heatsink appears to be a combination of an aluminum base plate covering the memory chip and VRM, a copper vapor-chamber plate over the GPU, and a radially-projecting aluminum fin array. The contraption is ventilated by a fan unlike anything we've ever seen. Its impeller appears to be a hybrid between conventional top-flow fan, and lateral-flow blower. While ASUS won't tinker with the 6.00 GHz memory clock speed, the core is said to be clocked about 26 MHz higher than reference. Display outputs check out as dual DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. The company is expected to launch this card some time in April.

Akasa unveiled pictures of two new fanless PC cases for 2013, the Galileo and the Newton (pictured in that order). Both cases are made almost completely of aluminum, double up as CPU heatsinks, and feature VESA-mount capabilities. The Galileo is a thin mini-ITX case which can passively cool CPUs with thermal output as high as 35W, while the Newton is designed for the NUC form-factor. Both cases will be showcased at Computex 2013, held in June.

GIGABYTE rolled out the C1007UN-D mini-ITX motherboard, for entry-level desktops. It ships with an Intel Celeron 1007U BGA processor hard-wired to the board, with a compatible fan-heatsink pre-installed. Based on the 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" micro-architecture, the 1007U is a dual-core chip, clocked at 1.50 GHz, with 2 MB of L3 cache, and 17W TDP. Backing the chip on this motherboard is Intel's NM70 chipset.

The C1007UN-D from GIGABYTE features two DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 16 GB of dual-channel memory. Storage interfaces consist of one SATA 6 Gb/s and two SATA 3 Gb/s internal ports, and an eSATA 3 Gb/s port. Legacy PCI makes for the lone expansion slot. Connectivity includes two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, 6-channel HD audio, six USB 2.0 ports, an RS232 COM port, LPT (by header), and PS/2. Display outputs include D-Sub (VGA) and HDMI. GIGABYTE did not release pricing information, but considering the CPU itself is priced around $90, we expect this board to be priced around $150.

Axiomtek announced PICO831, its extreme-compact Pico-ITX SBC designed to support the newest ultra low-power Intel Atom dual core processor N2800 1.86 GHz and N2600 1.6 GHz with the Intel NM10 Express chipset. The PICO831's compact size, ultra low power consumption, and high performance make it a perfect fit for space-limited and power saving environments. The system memory on PICO831 can support either 2 GB or 4 GB of DDR3, depending on the processor. Its onboard SATA-3Gb/s connector and optional SATA SSD meet storage requirements with ease.

Considering to the various demands and networking requests, the tiny embedded board comes with full-size and half-size PCI Express Mini Card slots. It also provides internal connectors for VGA, 18/24-bit single channel LVDS and a Gigabit Ethernet, and a flexible I/O pin-header that integrates audio, four of USB 2.0, two of COM, LED, and power on/off interfaces. This Pico-ITX form factor board offers an excellent solution for in-vehicle PCs, medical imaging, gaming, in-flight entertainment systems, industrial automation systems, and the portable devices.

ASUS is working on the GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini, a high-end graphics card that's size-optimized for mini-ITX gaming PC builds. NVIDIA's reference-design PCB for the GTX 670 already established that compact (<20 cm long) PCBs are very much possible for the chip. ASUS designed its own short (17 cm long) PCB with a 5-phase VRM, which draws power from a single 8-pin PCIe power connector, instead of two 6-pin. This allows you to make do with compact PSUs that only feature one PCIe connector, and avoid wasting Molex cables on the second 6-pin.

What's more interesting about the GTX 670 DirectCU Mini is its cooler, which appears to use a combination of a thick metal plate that draws heat from VRM and memory on the obverse side; and a round aluminum fin-stack, which could be cooled by a single ~80 mm fan. ASUS did not release pricing or availability information, and is still gauging community interest in such a product.

MSI, the world-leading manufacturer of Gaming motherboards, graphics-cards and All-in-Ones PCs storms CeBIT with a new line-up of Gaming products. Hardware enthusiasts and gamers will flock to MSI's new Z77 GAMING motherboards with their new distinctive looks. To complement MSI's new Gaming motherboards MSI will also display a new concept of graphics cards that match the striking looks of the new gaming motherboards. CeBIT 2013 will also be the first opportunity to touch MSI's new AG2712, world's first Gaming All-in-One. 2013 is an exciting year in the computer industry and MSI has reserved a spot in the driver's seat, as can be seen on CeBIT 2013.

ECS today proudly announces the exclusive touch based All-In-One PC - G24, with a elegant and versatile design. In order to support the latest interface of Windows 8, ECS G24 has considered all the design and components to meet the Windows 8 requirements, including edge-to-edge 23.6" touch panel, 10-finger touch capability, realistic audio display and full HDMI capability. The unique of sleek and neat design is perfect for business productivity and also home entertainment platform.

ECS G24 is an ideal central station for medical sector and health center with its larger display, high resolution and friendly touch screen. The slim and elegant design makes G24 a perfect digital signage platform for public information, advertising and promotion in shopping malls and chain stores, which can take full advantage of your business. The delicate touch screen can swipe the programs freely and also become an intelligent platform for information sharing and entertainment.

Axiomtek announces MANO831, its first Mini ITX motherboard designed to supports the newest Intel Atom dual core processor D2550 1.86 GHz with the Intel NM10 Express chipset. The MANO831 is a great choice for customers who need a typical embedded solution delivering high efficiency with better cost. Two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots on board implement up to 4 GB of system memory.

The industrial-grade mini ITX motherboard is integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3650 engine featuring DX9 and OGL 3.0 to support HD-rich content and provide DVI-D, VGA, and LVDS with dual-view supported. Considering to the various demands, it comes with both PCI slot and PCI Express Mini Card slot. This typical embedded motherboard is a good choice for medical healthcare, in-vehicle infotainment, mobile kiosk, mobile gaming, digital entertainment, digital signage, portable POS and much more.

In addition to the FM2A85X-ITX, ASRock expanded its socket FM2 motherboard lineup with the FM2A85X Pro. This slim ATX form-factor motherboard, as the name suggests, is based on AMD A85X chipset, supporting socket FM2 APUs. By ATX standards, the board has a very slim feature-set, which should keep its price considerably low. To begin with, the FM2 socket is powered by a cost-effective 5-phase VRM, which draws power from an 8-pin EPS connector. It is wired to just two DDR3 DIMM slots (32 GB max., dual-channel DDR3-1866); and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 connector.

In addition to a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 that's wired to the APU, the FM2A85X-ITX features another long slot, only this one is electrical 2.0 x4, and wired to the A85X FCH. Three PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and two legacy PCI make for the rest of the expansion slot area. The board features a total of eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, but are spread apart in two clumps of four ports each. Connectivity is pretty basic: dual-link DVI, D-Sub, four USB 3.0 ports (two rear, two by header), 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, PS/2 mouse and keyboard; and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports. We expect this one to go for around $80, if not less.

In what could bring an ear-to-ear grin on DIY NAS/home-server builders, ASRock launched the industry's first mini-ITX motherboard with a total of eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports (of which one is eSATA 6 Gb/s). The new FM2A85X-ITX, as the name suggests, is a socket FM2 motherboard based on the AMD A85X chipset, in the mini-ITX form-factor. Everything on this board is just where you'd want it to be: the centrally-located APU socket is powered by a fairly strong 6-phase VRM, which along with ancillary phases, draws power from 24-pin ATX and 4-pin CPU power connectors.

The APU socket, which supports today's AMD A-series "Trinity" APUs, and likely tomorrow's A-series "Richland" APUs, is wired to two DDR3-DIMM slots supporting a maximum of 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 memory; and the lone expansion slot, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16. The AMD A85X FCH wires out seven internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports (with RAID 0/1/10 support), and an eSATA 6 Gb/s port. Display connectivity includes one each of dual-link DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. The board features a total of four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two by headers). Gigabit Ethernet, 8-channel HD audio, PS/2 keyboard, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports make for the rest of the connectivity. The ASRock FM2A85X-ITX is expected to be priced around US $110.

Japanese premium PC case maker Abee launched the ACubic CP330 (mini-ITX) and ACubic CP730 (micro-ATX) lines of cubical aluminum cases with 2-tone frontss. The front panels are checkered to four squares with two mildly contrasting shades of black or silver. Variations include Black x Black, Black x Silver, and Silver x Silver.

Measuring 229 x 249 x 229 mm (WxDxH), and weighing about 3.4 kg, the CP330 features one each of 5.25-inch and 3.5/2.5-inch drive bays, a 120 mm front intake fan, and provision for a 92 mm rear exhaust. It features room for graphics cards as long as 200 mm, and CPU coolers as tall as 55 mm. The CP730, on the other hand, measures 269 x 318 x 249 mm, weighing 4.9 kg, features three 3.5/2.5-inch bays in addition to the 5.25-incher, and room for graphics cards as long as 270 mm, and CPU coolers as tall as 75 mm. It features the same fan loadout as its smaller sibling.

Jetway Computer Corp., a leader in computer electronics and motherboard design and manufacturing, announced availability of the NF82 mini-ITX motherboard for AMD R-Series APU embedded processors, codenamed eTrinity. The eTrinity platform delivers a high-performance platform to SMB and embedded system integrators developing low-power small form factor mini-PC solutions with exceptional graphics performance.

Jetway is the first manufacturer to ship a mini-ITX motherboard supporting the new FS1r2 socket AMD R-Series APU. By using the FS1r2 socket, a system integrator can choose the price or performance they want, rather than be limited by a specific BGA processor soldered onto a motherboard. AMD is currently shipping four R-Series APU models through their AMD Authorized Embedded Distributors; Arrow, ASI, AVNET, Symmetry and Synnex. Below is a list of the available R-Series APU.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient computing platforms, today announced the VIA ARMTiGO A800, the world's smallest ARM system for embedded applications, including hotel automation, digital signage and, surveillance as well as for medical and healthcare applications.

Combining an 800MHz Freescale ARM Cortex-A8 SoC with two integrated GPUs, the VIA ARMTiGO A800 delivers robust performance and unbelievable power efficiency, maintaining an average power consumption of a mere 3.14W TDP. With a fanless, ultra-low-profile dustproof design measuring a mere 12.0cm x 12.5cm x 3.0 cm (W x D x H), the VIA ARMTiGO A800 can fit easily into any environment, whether it is behind a monitor or on the wall with a 7.5cm x 7.5cm VESA mount or placed alongside other devices.

Axiomtek's MANO861 industrial-grade Mini ITX motherboard based on the Intel H61 Express chipset is designed for the 3rd Generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processors in LGA1155 socket. The high performance MANO861 comes with two DDR3 1333/1600 MHz SO-DIMM slots with up to 16 GB memory capacity. This cost-effective motherboard supports dual-view capability through DVI-D, VGA, and LVDS interface. It also reserved one PCI Express Mini Card slot and one PCIe x4 slot to provide for flexible applications. With a small footprint of only 170 x 170 mm, the embedded board offers a full feature set of I/O which allows system integrators to deploy their solution with this platform easily. The MANO861 is designed for customers in the industrial automation, gaming, kiosk, POS and signage markets, who are looking for advanced performance in both computing and graphics and cost optimized solution.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient computing platforms, today announced the VIA ARMOS-800, an ultra-compact, fanless system designed around the tiny VIA VAB-800 Pico-ITX board. The VIA ARMOS-800 provides embedded customers with a ruggedized system that delivers advanced multimedia features in an extremely power efficient design for a diversified range of embedded applications.

Featuring an 800MHz Freescale ARM Cortex-A8 SoC with two integrated GPUs for dual display support, the VIA ARMOS-800 is optimized for both performance and power to meet the high-end demands of advanced industrial and in-vehicle applications. Boasting a ruggedized, fanless system design with a wide operating temperature range from -40°C up to 80°C, the VIA ARMOS-800 delivers a typical power consumption of a mere 3.14W TDP.