The AM1 Kabini Motherboard Preview: Analyzing the Hardware
by Ian Cutress on April 19, 2014 2:00 PM ESTASRock AM1B-M
ASRock’s first motherboard falls under the $40 mark and also represents a slightly different variation on the theme. So far no two motherboards have been alike, and the ASRock AM1B-M exchanges the higher audio and video outputs instead for more rear USB 2.0 ports and an extra fan header. On the face of it, this does not seem like a good deal compared to the previous MSI, unless you need extra USB 2.0 ports.
The AM1B-M seems to have a lot of spots unoccupied by connectors. This is mostly likely due to variations of products, where the cheapest tends to have expensive connectors removed to hit a price point. We see two SATA ports missing, an IDE pin layout but no connector, and also a DVI connection missing on the rear panel. In the middle of the board is also a USB 3.0 pin layout, suggesting that another model has an additional USB 3.0 controller as well.
What the ASRock AM1B-M also does differently to all the motherboards we have examined before now is include a COM port, LPT port and a TPM port on the same PCB. It would be interesting to see which niche that combination would be good for.
The PCIe layout uses the PCIe 2.0 x4 from the chipset in a full sized slot, with an additional PCIe 2.0 x1 underneath. Thankfully the SATA ports are alternate facing for removing locking SATA cables, and the placement of the 4-pin CPU connector also helps cable routing. The AM1B-M has three fan headers, one more than the others – two on the top of the motherboard either side of the DRAM slots, and a third on the bottom right.
The AM1B-M has four USB 2.0 ports on the rear panel, or what I like to call my happy minimum (installing an OS via USB helps with at least three USB 2.0 ports). That being said, the sole VGA connector looks lonesome, and the ALC662 audio codec is not a particularly good choice.
ASRock AM1B-M | |
Price | Link |
Size | Micro-ATX |
CPU Interface | FS1b |
Chipset | Kabini |
Memory Slots |
Two DDR3 DRAM slots, supporting 16GB Single Channel, 1066-1600 MHz |
Video Outputs | VGA (2048x1536 at 60 Hz) |
Onboard LAN | Realtek RTL8111GR |
Onboard Audio | Realtek ALC662 |
Expansion Slots |
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x1 |
Onboard SATA/RAID | 2 x SATA 6 Gbps |
USB 3.0 | 2 x USB 3.0 (Chipset) [rear panel] |
Onboard |
2 x SATA 6 Gbps 2 x USB 2.0 headers 3 x Fan Headers 1 x TPM Header 1 x LPT Header 1 x COM Header Front Panel Header Front Audio Header |
Power Connectors |
1 x 24-pin ATX 1 x 4-pin CPU |
Fan Headers |
1 x CPU (4-pin) 1 x CHA (4-pin) 1 x SYS (3-pin) |
IO Panel |
1 x PS/2 Combination Port VGA 2 x USB 3.0 4 x USB 2.0 1 x Gigabit Ethernet Audio Jacks (ALC662) |
Product Page | Link |
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RoboJ1M - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - link
I've been wondering how these AM1 boards can be so cheap compared to the usual ITX fare.It occurred to me that if Kabini is a SoC, does that make these mobos basically breakout boards? Like you get for Computers on Module stuff?
Ortanon - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - link
That's more or less accurate, yeah. Which means the boards should be cheaper than they currently are; it's just that it's brand new. So later this year we should see a lot of price drops.Haravikk - Sunday, April 27, 2014 - link
Personally I prefer the "horizontal" RAM layout, and I'm surprised more manufacturers don't use it, as it's just better for cooling overall IMO. The only issue really is that many coolers aren't designed for it, because not enough motherboards do it, but if they did then cooler manufacturers would adapt. We can only hope.Personally I don't see the point of the PS/2 port(s) on these motherboards, likewise with VGA. I think that nowadays that HDMI and USB are so common that you're not saving much (if any) money opting for older standards unless you just happen to have these lying around. Even so, I have two HDMI to VGA adapters just lying around, so it's not like it'd be hard to hook up a VGA monitor anyway if you really needed to.
medra - Saturday, June 14, 2014 - link
"The AM1H-ITX is also the only motherboard in this roundup with a 7.1 audio codec, using the Realtek ALC892 compared to the ALC887 or ALC662 on the others which are both 2.1 at best."Actually, ALC887 is a 7.1 channel HD Audio Codec while the ALC662 is a 5.1 channel HD Audio Codec.