Asus AT3IONT-I Deluxe review - PAGE 1

MiniMax Home Entertainment Center!

HTPCs are becoming increasingly popular in the enthusiast community, however two of the largest problems with HTPCs are size and cost. Users usually solve the cost problem by searching for cheap parts, or by reusing parts from old PCs. After all, HTPCs don't need to be all that powerful. The size problem, however, is a little bit harder to solve. One solution is to use a mini ITX motherboard.

Mini ITX boards come in a few different varieties. Some of these boards are like any other motherboard, only smaller. You can find ITX boards that support AM3, AM2, 775, and 1156 sockets. Or you can find solutions, like the Nvidia ION, that have the processor attached to the motherboard. However, some users feel that the latter don't fit the requirements they'd be looking for.

Asus feels differently and developed the AT3IONT-I Deluxe. This is a mini ITX board based on the Nvidia ION chipset, and it is equipped with an Intel Atom 330 processor. Not only that but it is capable of full HD playback, and comes pre packaged with a wireless card. Another great little feature is the Home Theater Gate, which is like an OS before you even get to the OS.

Will this fanless solution work well as a home entertainment center, or will it fall a few feet short? Before we find out, let's pull it out of it's packaging and take a closer look at the board.