Whether you like VIA or not, their mini ITX form factor has paved way for a variety of case modifications and allowed PC?s to be installed in places you could have never imagined before. At first VIA launched the plain jane EPIA that launched in 533 MHz and 800 MHz flavors with standard Trident Blade 3D graphics. Those found their way in various projects such as the R/C car PC and Humidor PC?s. Last summer, VIA gave us the first evolution of the EPIA in the form of the EPIA M series of mini ITX motherboards.

The EPIA M became the epitome of HTPC users who wanted a small, slim, quiet HTPC. This was because the EPIA M was able to pack DVD playback capabilities and decent 6-channel sound capabilities in a small mini ITX foot print. For those that didn?t want an HTPC, the EPIA M became very popular among the Car PC crowd due to its low heat dissipation; making it an ideal candidate for tight, cramped places that lacked constant air flow.

It?s been approximately a year since the EPIA M has launched and the EPIA has evolved into products for various markets; whether it is Kiosks, POS, file servers, and etc. Whatever your requirements are, there?s an EPIA for everything. Today we?ll be taking a look at one of VIA?s newest EPIA, the long awaited EPIA MII 12000. Since VIA was kind enough to include a Morex Cubid 2699 case, we will be taking a look at that as well.

A closer look at the MII...

The new EPIA MII-12000 shares the same blue PCB as the preceding EPIA M. The most notable difference is the new PCMCIA/CF slots, which we will talk about later.

The port layout is definitely a unique one, thanks to the new PCMCIA/CF slots. From left to right you have the standard PS2, VGA, Serial, USB 2.0, Ethernet, S-VIDEO, SPDIF/Composite, 6 channel audio, and Firewire outputs. Above the multimedia connectors are the Compact Flash and PCMCIA slots, an unusual finding on motherboards, but a welcomed addition.

The CF/PCMCIA slots are removable; as they are on their own module. On top of the CF/PCMCIA slots, the EPIA MII is still able to retain its single 32bit PCI slot.

For those that want to use a TV tuner that requires analog audio and want to retain the analog 6 channel audio outputs, the MII features an internal analog CD audio connector; perfect for ATI?s TV Wonder Pro and All in Wonder VE. Sitting above the CD audio connector are the front panel audio and second Firewire connectors. Also further right is a floppy connector, which according to Microsoft will become extinct with the launch of Longhorn?

next >

---

• A closer look at the MII cont... (1 of 8)
• An even closer look at the MII... (2 of 8)
• A closer look at the Morex Cubid 2699... (3 of 8)
• All assembled, TV Out quality, noise... (4 of 8)
• A closer look at the Processor, Hardware Padlock... (5 of 8)
• Multimedia performance... (6 of 8)
• SiSoft Sandra... (7 of 8)
• Conclusion (8 of 8)