The AM1 Kabini Motherboard Preview: Analyzing the Hardware
by Ian Cutress on April 19, 2014 2:00 PM ESTBiostar AM1MHP
Biostar’s other option for AM1 is a proper microATX motherboard that carries over many of the traits from the AM1ML. The DRAM slots are still at right angles to normal motherboard operation, and the 4-pin CPU power connector is next to the rear IO which will hinder cable management. The audio codec is also the same ALC662 codec we normally see on the ultra-low-end motherboards and laptops, but the network controller is upgraded to one that can support a gigabit connection.
The two SATA ports on the right hand side are both pointing in the same direction, suggesting that when using locking SATA cables the one on the left as seen might be hard to remove if the right port is populated. The BIOS chip is at least removable, should the unthinkable happen. With regards the memory slots, notice how (like the AM1ML) they are placed next to an empty space in the rear IO panel. Depending on the rear dust shield that comes with the motherboard, this server-type arrangement is usually performed to aid airflow from right to left across the components.
While the $35 GIGABYTE seems to have a preferential orientation and hardware allocation, the Biostar AM1MHP does have a PCI port that can be used to exploit older expansion cards.
The rear of the motherboard is identical to that of the GIGABYTE AM1M-S2H, except the HDMI port is now upside down. We still have both the PS/2 ports, the VGA port, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a gigabit Ethernet port and the audio jacks.
| Biostar AM1MHP | |
| Price | Link |
| Size | Micro-ATX |
| CPU Interface | FS1b |
| Chipset | Kabini |
| Memory Slots |
Two DDR3 DRAM slots supporting 32GB Single Channel, 1333/1600 MHz |
| Video Outputs |
VGA HDMI |
| Onboard LAN | Realtek RTL8111G (10/100/1000) |
| Onboard Audio | Realtek ALC662 |
| Expansion Slots |
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x1 1 x PCI |
| Onboard SATA/RAID | 2 x SATA 6 Gbps |
| USB 3.0 | 2 x USB 3.0 (Chipset) [back panel] |
| Onboard |
2 x SATA 6 Gbps 2 x USB 2.0 Headers 2 x Fan Headers 1 x LPT Header 1 x COM Header Front Audio Header Front Panel Header |
| Power Connectors |
1 x 24-pin ATX 1 x 4-pin CPU |
| Fan Headers |
1 x CPU (4-pin) 1 x SYS (3-pin) |
| IO Panel |
1 x PS/2 Mouse Port 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port VGA HDMI 2 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 1 x Ethernet (1 Gbps) Audio Jacks (ALC662) |
| Product Page | Link |
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coolhardware - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
Nice brief overview of the motherboards, wish there was some more meat to the article. I guess that comes later!I have the MSI AM1I with an Athlon 5350 and have been loving it. The MSI can actually do a slight CPU OC by setting the multiplier to 21x which gets the clock to 2.1GHz (as opposed to 2.05GHz stock) and it overclocked my 1333 memory to 1666 with no problem. Overall it's a sweet little board for the price!
Anybody else with other AM1 motherboards notice any OCing options?
I'm posting my experiences here: http://www.jdhodges.com/blog/amd-kabini-athlon-535...
Also, I want to find out if it can drive three displays (DVI+VGA+HDMI) and looking forward to trying some high-res output from the HDMI port. I doubt the DVI is dual link, but I plan to find out for sure by trying my trusty Dell 30" 2560x1600 display :-)
meacupla - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
does SODIMM DDR3L cost more to implement than desktop DDR3?All of these boards could have saved a ton of space by going with SODIMM, but none have.
Why?
MonkeyPaw - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
With the SOC taking on most of the work, the boards don't need to worry about space savings, as they still need to fit in the standard ITX/ATX form factors. I imagine the legacy DIMM slots are cheaper anyway. These boards are engineered for cheap, which is why you see 10/100, 2.1 audio, USB 2.0, or limited expansion options. If a better option was even 5 cents more, they probably skipped it. I'm surprised these things aren't white boxed!Voldenuit - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link
Ian: is the Biostar mini-DTX (23x17 cm) instead of mini-ITX? I haven't heard of mini-ITX plus before.Voldenuit - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link
Typo: Mini-DTX is 20.3x17cmElFenix - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link
the board is 19.1x17, so it fits within the mini-DTX size specification. however, biostar calls it micro atx on its website.geniekid - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - link
It is mini-DTX, but I guess it shows how unpopular the spec is given that even an AT writer came up with his own term for it.IMO there's a lot of potential for mDTX for people who want compact systems without giving up a graphics card or their audio card.
yannigr - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link
I hope there is an overclocking part coming in the future. I have seen a 5150 running at 2.1GHz(ASUS board). On the other hand at Phoronix they hit the wall at 105MHz bus for some reason.An article about overclocking, especially the Sempron, would have been great. There is a possibility that Sempron to be the second product from AMD that I will buy and will have a 3850 as a model number. I am just waiting for more info from around the net.
PS If kabinis where black edition chips AMD wouldn't be able to produce them fast enough.
coolhardware - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link
MSI can run the 5150 at 2.1GHz as well, screenshots here:http://www.jdhodges.com/blog/amd-kabini-athlon-535...
Anybody seen more than 21x on a 5150? And do the lower end Kabini's overclock any?
yannigr - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link
It is NOT the 5150 in the test but the 5350. Look the link itself. It says 5350.MSI only seems to have the option to change the multiplier, not the bus speed. And the multiplier will give you extra 50MHz IF the APU has a multiplier with a .5 in it, like 5350 it has 20.5 multiplier. So you can change it to 21. If this was a 5150 with 16 multiplier you wouldn't be able to go any higher than that. Not a single MHz.
Thanks for the link anyway!