A Closer Look - Inside

Fully dismantling the DS47 wasn't an easy task. Many screws had to be removed. The top of the chassis had to be removed carefully since it plays a key role in cooling both CPU and chipset.


Overcrowded with components, the mainboard of the DS47 is small but full of features.


The CPU and chipset are installed on the solder side of the mainboard, which allows the case to cool both passively.


As you can see, a single heatpipe connects the heatsinks cooling the CPU with those of the chipset. Both connect directly to the case acting as a huge heatsink.


The bottom side of the case doesn't play a role in passively cooling the DS47.


The voltage regulator circuit feeding the CPU consists of four phases. Identifying their number is as simple as counting chokes, but you have to be careful since there may be other voltage regulator circuits. The VRM mosfets are located on the other side of the mainboard and are cooled by a small heatsink. The last picture shows several polymer CapXon caps used for ripple filtering purposes.


The Intel NM70 chipset this mainboard uses.


A Realtek RTL8188CE WLAN Controller is installed to the mainboard's half-sized Mini-PCIe slot. Its antenna fixture is located at the front of the case.


Hardware monitoring duties are handled by an IT8728F IC.


Two GST5009 magnetic modules are used as isolation for the Ethernet ports.


The bundled SD card reader uses a bundled GL827L controller.


Two MAX3243Cs control the two serial interfaces.


The CMOS battery is glued to the mainboard.


An AS324M QUAD Operational Amplifier (Op-Amp) monitors the current of up to four channels.


An ASM1042A USB 3.0 controller and a Realtek ALC662 5.1 Channel High Definition Audio Codec. There are eight Magnachip MDU1512 fets nearby.


A scheme of the mainboard is provided in the manual.


The HDD/SSD drive is only secured in place by one screw, making its removal very easy. Another two screws mount the drive to the corresponding adapter.


We obviously re-assembled the system after taking it apart.