Page 2: BIOS, Testing, Conclusion
BIOS:
The BIOS is pretty standard for Intel. It gives very minimal customization and no overclocking options. I wouldn't be overclocking this type of setup anyway. As you can see, the board has been installed with 2GB of memory and a 3GHz E8400 CPU.
Testing:
As with all the ITX boards I do, since this is a very specific setup, I'll forgo any standard testing and instead rely on the subjective approach.
Test setup:
DG45FC
OCZ DDR2-800 2GB
1TB Western Digital HDD
Ubuntu 8.10 with no updates
Intel is a big proponent of open source and it shows since this board works perfectly well out of the box with Ubuntu 8.10. You get the nice Compiz enabled effects for those smooth transitions and 3D effects on Gnome. The GMA X4500HD chip for graphics is completely open and well supported. The networking works fine as does all the other components of the board as it should be with Linux.
You won't be doing any high end gaming with this board, but it is very useful for light gaming (you can play Nexuiz in a light session, if you want) and general computing duties. It is also good for a fast and quiet PC. You can easily make this a front end box for MythTV and it will handle anything you throw at it. If you like glxgears, it pushed more than 1200 FPS which is pretty good. It is no speed demon in 3D, but it can get the job done.
The board is a tight fit, especially with the CPU fan. On the »AOpen S150, the PSU is flush with the fan. Actually, it is a bit more than flush as you have to force it a bit to get to to lock in place. It doesn't bother with the operation of the unit and with the 45nm CPU, the system is fairly quiet.
The only thing that you might have an issue with is the lack of high end graphics options. I don't think this is a big problem for most people that will be picking this board up since the CPU support is excellent and you can throw a fast processor to make up for it. The onboard solution handles compositing well enough for most people anyway.
Conclusion:
This board »retails for about $150 at the time of this review date. At this price, it is in-line with other ATX sized boards with the same feature set. As an ITX board, it is an excellent price and a complete media package. Pair this with a nice CPU and you've got a powerful media center or server type of system ready to go. I believe Intel has made strides into additional markets and this board is a nice example of that.
The DG45FC gets my recommendation if you need a good ITX board and want to pair it with a fast CPU. Think about the possibilities with a small and quiet system that has the power to get the job done. That's the DG45FC in a nutshell.
The BIOS is pretty standard for Intel. It gives very minimal customization and no overclocking options. I wouldn't be overclocking this type of setup anyway. As you can see, the board has been installed with 2GB of memory and a 3GHz E8400 CPU.
Testing:
As with all the ITX boards I do, since this is a very specific setup, I'll forgo any standard testing and instead rely on the subjective approach.
Test setup:
DG45FC
OCZ DDR2-800 2GB
1TB Western Digital HDD
Ubuntu 8.10 with no updates
Intel is a big proponent of open source and it shows since this board works perfectly well out of the box with Ubuntu 8.10. You get the nice Compiz enabled effects for those smooth transitions and 3D effects on Gnome. The GMA X4500HD chip for graphics is completely open and well supported. The networking works fine as does all the other components of the board as it should be with Linux.
You won't be doing any high end gaming with this board, but it is very useful for light gaming (you can play Nexuiz in a light session, if you want) and general computing duties. It is also good for a fast and quiet PC. You can easily make this a front end box for MythTV and it will handle anything you throw at it. If you like glxgears, it pushed more than 1200 FPS which is pretty good. It is no speed demon in 3D, but it can get the job done.
The board is a tight fit, especially with the CPU fan. On the »AOpen S150, the PSU is flush with the fan. Actually, it is a bit more than flush as you have to force it a bit to get to to lock in place. It doesn't bother with the operation of the unit and with the 45nm CPU, the system is fairly quiet.
The only thing that you might have an issue with is the lack of high end graphics options. I don't think this is a big problem for most people that will be picking this board up since the CPU support is excellent and you can throw a fast processor to make up for it. The onboard solution handles compositing well enough for most people anyway.
Conclusion:
This board »retails for about $150 at the time of this review date. At this price, it is in-line with other ATX sized boards with the same feature set. As an ITX board, it is an excellent price and a complete media package. Pair this with a nice CPU and you've got a powerful media center or server type of system ready to go. I believe Intel has made strides into additional markets and this board is a nice example of that.
The DG45FC gets my recommendation if you need a good ITX board and want to pair it with a fast CPU. Think about the possibilities with a small and quiet system that has the power to get the job done. That's the DG45FC in a nutshell.
