ECS Atom 945GCT-D

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trodas
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ECS Atom 945GCT-D

Post by trodas » Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:20 am

ECS Atom 945GCT-D

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Now there is something for the quiet hope PC builders for net/video/downloading. ECS company show now on the Taiwan Cumputex Intel Atom powered 945GCT-D mainboard in DTX size (170 x 203 mm - well, there are even smaller mainboard, like Mini-ITX witch is 170 x 170 mm big) and it is based on the Intel Atom processor. Logicvally it is not a very fast one, so Intel is claiming and boasting that this is the smallest CPU. Well, I think that Motorola DragonBall was smaller few years ago already, but that is just me...

ECS 945GCT-D mainboard has 100MBi ethernet, HD audio a integrated GMA950 graphic with DX9 support. Mainboard is based on the 945GC/ ICH7 chipsets and using a 1.6Ghz Atom 45nm processor, diorectly soldered into mainboard. In the CPU is used a little over 47 millions transistors. Bried history on the number of transistors:

8086 - 0.029 millions transistors
80286 - 0.134 millions transistors
80386 - 0.275 millions transistors
80486 - 1.2 millions transistors
Pentium - 3.3 millions transistors
AMD K5 - 4.3 millions transistors
Pentium II - 7.5 millions transistors
AMD K6 - 8.8 millions transistors
AMD K7 - 22 millions transistors
Pentium III - 9.5 až 28.1 millions transistors (more recent revision)
Pentium IV - 42 až 125 millions transistors (Prescott)
AMD Barton - 54.3 millions transistors
AMD K8 - 105.9 millions transistors
Core 2 Duo - 291 millions transistors
Core 2 Quad - 582 millions transistors
...and also...
Dual core Itanium 2 - 1 700 millions transistors

So it has a little less caps that has a AMD Barton CPU's.
It should be fully compatible with existing x86 CPUs, witch is a requirment todays. As for the CPU itself, it has an Intel HT technology inside as well, as allegedly every instruction of the Core line. Hmmm. Witch is great is, that the TDP of the Atom CPU's range between 0.6 and 2.5W only, depending on the type. 2.5W is for ATM fastest 1 800MHz one. VIA C3 1200MHz mas a 14W TDP and can be cooler with passive heatsink - if you don't mind around 70°C temperatures on load.
Atom is going to be one hell of a cool CPU.

DTC mobo is compatible with current ATX and Micro-ATX cases, so no own holes drilling for this mobo.

Mainboard specification is - 512k L2 cache, 100MBi ethernet, HD audio, 2x SATA 3.0Gb/s, 1x PATA, 4x USB 2.0, 2x DDR2 533 and one PCI slot and one added PCIe x1 expansion slot.

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Source: http://my.ocworkbench.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=75131

Here is a small video-preview of how the box and mobo looks in my friend hands - watch in high quality!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdtD7JN_st8

Review and tests of ESC 945GCT-D board with Intel Atom CPU's are there:
http://my.ocworkbench.com/2008/ecs/ECS_945...om_board/g1.htm

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Overclock go, thanks to no voltage adjustments of Vcore, to not more that 145MHz FSB from 133MHz. So a 1.6GHz CPU to 1.75GHz :D Super PI 1M test is can make in 1min and 33 sec, witch is against the VIA C3 I using as fanless machine very very good, because 1 200MHz C3 Nehemiah need for 1M Super PI test 8min 28sec...

Great solution for a small, fanless (and hence quiet!) home computer/server! :D

lowpowercomputing
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Post by lowpowercomputing » Fri Aug 01, 2008 11:11 am

Sounds quite similar to Intel's D945GCLF but it has two DDR2/PCIe slots instead of one and no chipset fan which is appreciated. Otherwise, it looks to be more or less the same, being slightly bigger of course. It also has an Atom 230 which, unlike the more expensive N or Z variants, has a TDP of 4W. Would be interesting to know if the board's BIOS provides the overclocking options as the Intel board has none at all. Still, I'd rather undervolt the CPU if possible.

jessekopelman
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Post by jessekopelman » Fri Aug 01, 2008 2:30 pm

lowpowercomputing wrote:Still, I'd rather undervolt the CPU if possible.
With a TDP of 4W, why worry about undervolting? The real issue is that the 945 chipset uses about 15W! What would be really nice is an Atom packaged with a < 10W chipset and some notebook-style VRM to get a more respectable idle draw. Then you'd have the perfect building block for a server or router application that you'd like to run 24/7. Although if Via would just release a reasonably priced C7 based solution (ie about 1/3 of their current pricing), we could have the same thing without need for Atom (not like you need the extra processor power for such applications). Maybe once Nano is released and in the face of cheap Intel boards, they will.

m^2
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Post by m^2 » Sun Aug 03, 2008 3:14 am

So a 1.6GHz CPU to 1.75GHz Very Happy Super PI 1M test is can make in 1min and 33 sec, witch is against the VIA C3 I using as fanless machine very very good, because 1 200MHz C3 Nehemiah need for 1M Super PI test 8min 28sec...
What's the point of comparing it to a 2001 processor?

jessekopelman
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Post by jessekopelman » Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:33 pm

m^2 wrote:
So a 1.6GHz CPU to 1.75GHz Very Happy Super PI 1M test is can make in 1min and 33 sec, witch is against the VIA C3 I using as fanless machine very very good, because 1 200MHz C3 Nehemiah need for 1M Super PI test 8min 28sec...
What's the point of comparing it to a 2001 processor?
Only easily available CPU with such a low TDP? I'm pretty sure the C7 is more than 4W and the Nano definitely is.

m^2
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Post by m^2 » Mon Aug 04, 2008 11:40 am

jessekopelman wrote:
m^2 wrote:
So a 1.6GHz CPU to 1.75GHz Very Happy Super PI 1M test is can make in 1min and 33 sec, witch is against the VIA C3 I using as fanless machine very very good, because 1 200MHz C3 Nehemiah need for 1M Super PI test 8min 28sec...
What's the point of comparing it to a 2001 processor?
Only easily available CPU with such a low TDP? I'm pretty sure the C7 is more than 4W and the Nano definitely is.
There's no point in comparing CPU TDP, especially in a topic about CPU / MB combo.
When you take NB into account, Nano uses just slightly more power at idle and has at least comparable performance per watt.

jessekopelman
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Post by jessekopelman » Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:43 pm

m^2 wrote:
jessekopelman wrote:
m^2 wrote: What's the point of comparing it to a 2001 processor?
Only easily available CPU with such a low TDP? I'm pretty sure the C7 is more than 4W and the Nano definitely is.
There's no point in comparing CPU TDP, especially in a topic about CPU / MB combo.
When you take NB into account, Nano uses just slightly more power at idle and has at least comparable performance per watt.
I agree. But you're the one who asked why compare a Atom to a C3 and I gave you an answer. If you meant it to be a rhetorical question, that sort of thing doesn't translate well into text.

greenfrank
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Post by greenfrank » Wed Feb 18, 2009 3:11 pm

I have it. Very good moBo, low power consumption and can run fanless.
Unfortunately It has only two sata ports and support only 2gb ram.
Perfect for nettops.

FuturePastNow
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Post by FuturePastNow » Sun Mar 01, 2009 6:25 pm

I have it, too. In operation the processor heatsink barely gets warm, but the northbridge will burn your finger after a while. The board may be fanless, but it needs air circulation in the case.

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