Legit Reviews

Taipei, Taiwan, 17 September 2007 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of PC silicon and platform solutions, today announced the VIA EPIA SN-series mainboard, the first Mini-ITX to be based on the Vista-certified VIA CN896 IGP chipset.

Powered by the 1.8GHz VIA C7 processor, the VIA EPIA SN provides a performance boost of up to 30% over previous VIA EPIA mainboards, while a fanless 1GHz sku is ideal for Network Attached Storage and other applications requiring passive cooling. The VIA EPIA SN is also the first to provide the added flexibility of a 16-lane PCI-Express port for bandwidth-intensive graphics cards. With four Serial ATA II ports, an Ultra DMA port, a Compact Flash connector, dual-LAN ports and wireless support, the VIA EPIA SN has the storage and network versatility to suit developers of NAS, digital signage and POS units alike.

The VIA CN896 chipset has been certified by Microsoft to guarantee a reliable and trouble free installation of Windows Vista, with its VIA Chrome9 HC integrated graphics core, designed for high performance in 2D, 3D and DirectX 9 applications, bringing MPEG-2 acceleration to deliver smooth DVD playback while minimizing impact on system resources.

Capable of supporting an unprecedented 4GB of energy-efficient DDR2 667 system memory, the VIA EPIA SN takes compact computing to new levels of system performance. Digital signage and POS developers can take advantage of expansion cards supporting DVI and LVDS displays, while the option of an additional four COM ports and a native LPC bus is important to POS vendors. Multiple native RAID configurations through 4 S-ATA channels and VIA V-RAID within the VIA VT8251 south bridge, and the inclusion of a Gigabit Ethernet port as standard make the EPIA SN series a strong contender in NAS system development.

“With the VIA EPIA SN-series we have listened to our customers and delivered a number of key technology firsts to the Mini-ITX form factor,” said Daniel Wu, Assistant Vice President, VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. “I am proud to say that VIA has again raised the bar to develop a Vista-ready mainboard that meets the ever-increasing demands of the embedded industry.”

As well as the VIA PadLock Security Engine embedded within the VIA C7 processor, further security is also available through an optional TPM module. More information about the VIA EPIA Mini-ITX SN-series may be found on the VIA website at:

http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/mainb ... ard_id=550

About the VIA EPIA SN-Series Mini-ITX Mainboard

The VIA EPIA SN-series offers substantial diversity in the compact, power-efficient platform. Twinned with the Vista-certified VIA CN896 North Bridge is the feature-packed VIA VT8251 South Bridge, offering support for the dual Ethernet ports – one Gigabit in the standard configuration with the option of dual Gigabit for project-based customers, four native Serial-ATA II ports with multiple RAID configurations through the VIA V-RAID application, a standard IDE channel, one Compact Flash Type I slot, one MiniPCI slot, up to 6 USB 2.0 and an optional Wireless IEEE 802.11b/g module. With VIA Vinyl 6-channel HD Audio, both S/PDIF and serial ports, and LPC and SMBUS support, the VIA EPIA SN-series has what it takes to be a developer’s favourite.

Advanced security is offered through the VIA Padlock Security Engine integrated directly into the VIA C7 processor, or through the optional Trusted Module Platform.

VIA EPIA SN–series Mainboard Availability

The VIA EPIA SN-series mainboard will be in mass production in October and be available in the channel in November, with pre-release samples available now to project-based customers. For more details and pricing, please contact your local VIA sales representative or send an email to: [email protected]

About VIA Technologies, Inc.

VIA Technologies, Inc. (TSE 2388) is the foremost fabless supplier of market-leading core logic chipsets, low power x86 processors, advanced connectivity, multimedia and networking silicon, and complete platform solutions that are driving system innovation in the PC and embedded markets. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, VIA’s global network links the high-tech centers of the US, Europe and Asia, and its customer base includes the world’s top OEMs, motherboard vendors and system integrators. http://www.via.com.tw