The AM1 Kabini Motherboard Preview: Analyzing the Hardware
by Ian Cutress on April 19, 2014 2:00 PM ESTGIGABYTE AM1M-S2H
The motherboard AMD decided to ship with its Kabini review packs was the GIGABYTE AM1M-S2H. By being at the cheaper end of the spectrum, AMD was hoping to show just how cheap a quad core Jaguar derived system could be with one of the major motherboard manufacturers.
The GIGABYTE AM1M-S2H does the motherboard design a little more traditionally than the previous Biostar, in the sense that the DRAM slots are in the regular orientation and the 4-pin CPU power connector is also in a place beneficial for cable management:
For a larger motherboard it does seem relatively empty, however due to the low cost nature GIGABYTE has restricted the extras above the standard package. Aside from what Kabini provides GIGABYTE has equipped the AM1M-S2H with two BIOS chips for their DualBIOS topology. We get a regular Ethernet gigabit controller as well, along with a Realtek ALC887 audio codec rather than the ultra-low-cost ALC662.
Both fan headers on the motherboard are 4-pin, and because we actually have this motherboard in house to test, we can confirm that the BIOS and software are up to date with a modern platform. GIGABYTE states compatibility with 16GB DDR3 DRAM modules which Biostar does not, so we are just waiting for them to actually come to market.
The rear panel is pretty bleak, although we get a HDMI port supporting 4K UHD at 30 Hz. Given the power of a Kabini APU, gaming at that resolution might be best avoided.
| GIGABYTE AM1M-S2H | |
| 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 (1920x1200) HDMI (4096x2160) |
| Onboard LAN | Realtek (10/100/1000) |
| Onboard Audio | Realtek ALC887 |
| Expansion Slots |
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4) 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 |
| 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 Front Audio Header Front Panel Header COM Header LPT Header S/PDIF Output Header |
| Power Connectors |
1 x 24-pin ATX 1 x 4-pin CPU |
| Fan Headers |
1 x CPU (4-pin) 1 x SYS (4-pin) |
| IO Panel |
1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port 1 x PS/2 Mouse Port VGA HDMI 2 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 1 x Ethernet (1 Gbps) Audio Jacks (ALC887) |
| Product Page | Link |
Compared to the $33 AM1ML, the GIGABYTE offers a lot for $2 more – DualBIOS, a full microATX size, gigabit Ethernet, a better audio codec, both fan headers are 4-pins and a more traditional orientation for DRAM and cable management.
We should have a full review of this motherboard in due course.
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rRansom - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link
Test acknowledged.Samus - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link
I got it too.Ortanon - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link
lollmcd - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
The MSI would do better to have antenna and an attach point for everything for 2-3 $ more.lmcd - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
The commentary on the ASRock AM1H-ITX price misses the mark -- the benefits of the DC laptop power option mean that a tiny case attached to a VESA mount can be more easily used. Also, aren't such power supplies cheaper?teldar - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link
I built one with the a asrock am1h and didn't even use a case. It's screwed to a piece of lexan and th e ssd is stuck underneath it.MonkeyPaw - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
I would love to see some tests with GPUs installed. Since the jaguar core is also used in the latest consoles, I'm curious to see what happens when you drop comparable GPUs (to the new consoles) inside. Can the PS4/XboxOne even make good use of all that GPU power with such a basic CPU? Do it for science!wolrah - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
A tricky difference with the consoles is that they get twice the cores compared to retail offerings.tuxRoller - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=20215You're welcome:)
MonkeyPaw - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
I saw that, but it's on Ubuntu, which isn't quite up to speed as Windows.Also, while I know the new consoles have 8 cores, they run at lower clocks than the 5350. I also have my doubts that most games can use all 8 cores effectively. I think they are there more for better multitasking. Like I said, it would be interesting to see what a mid-range GPU could do here. Would it be worth it to spend $80 on AM1 and $150 on a GPU, or would that $230 go further another way, like with an A10-7850K? Which would make a better budget gaming combo? You might also be able to skimp on RAM with AM1 since you'll have a dedicated GPU will