BioStar's Hi-Fi Z77X is aimed at HTPC users

Subject: Motherboards | October 15, 2012 - 03:44 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Z77, biostar, Hi-Fi Z77X, lga 1155, htpc, atx

While you might not think of a full ATX board being the basis for an HTPC system, BIOSTAR is hoping that you will consider their Hi-Fi Z77X when you next spec out a possible system.  The extra size allows you to have more add-in card options with three 16x PCIe slots (8x, 8x, 4x) and two PCIe 1x slots, which simply would not fit on a mATX board.  The back panel offers VGA, HDMI and DVI out, so even without a discrete card you have quite a few output options as long as Intel onboard graphics are enough to meet your needs.  They also include a Realtec CODEC which is better than [H]ard|OCP expected on a sub-$150 motherboard and were also impressed by the overclocking ability on this value board, not as good as an enthusiast board but still pleasantly capable.

"BIOSTAR generally has a reputation for making low end or budget oriented motherboards. Fortunately that isn't all BIOSTAR designs and builds. The Hi-Fi Z77X is an unusual motherboard in that it seems to be targeted towards HTPC and media type duties while still addressing enthusiast hardware and overclocking concerns."

Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:

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• Gigabyte Z77X-UP4-TH @ [H]ard|OCP
• ASUS Maximus V Formula @ Bjorn3D
• Gigabyte Z77MX D3H TH @ Guru of 3D
• ASRock Z77 OC Formula @ X-bit Labs
• ASRock Z77 OC Formula Intel LGA 1155 @ techPowerUp
• LGA 1155 Mainboard with Everything You Need and Nothing You Don’t: Asus P8Z77-V LX @ X-bit Labs
• ASRock Z77 OC Formula @ Hardware.info
• MSI Z77A-G43 Socket 1155 Motherboard Review @ Madshrimps
• MSI Z77IA-E53 Mini-ITX @ Kitguru
• MSI Z77 MPower @ Hardware.info
• Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X Intel ATX Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews
• Gigabyte Z77X-UP4 TH Motherboard Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• ASUS P8Z77-V LE Plus LGA1155 Motherboard Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• BIOS Option Of The Week - Byte Merge @ TechARP
• Sapphire Pure Black 990FX Motherboard Review @ Neoseeker
• Gigabyte 990FXA-UD7 Rev 1.1 Review @ OCC
• MSI FM2-A85XA-G65 (A85X) Motherboard Preview @ eTeknix
• MSI FM2-A85XA-G65 (A85X) Motherboard Review @ eTeknix
• MSI FM2-A85XA-GD65 Motherboard Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Gigabyte F2A85X-UP4 (A85X) Motherboard Review @ eTeknix
• Gigabyte GA-F2A85X UP4 @ Guru of 3D
• Asus F2A55-M (A55) Motherboard Review @ eTeknix
• ASUS F2A85-V Pro Review: A Look at FM2 with A85X @ AnandTech
• GIGABYTE GA-A75-D3H FM1 Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews
• ASRock FM2A85X Extreme6 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
• MSI FM2-A85XA-GD65 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

Biostar Launches Mini-ITX A68I-350 Deluxe Motherboard

Subject: Motherboards | September 10, 2012 - 09:29 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: mini-itx, htpc, fusion, biostar, APU, amd, a68i-350 deluxe, a68

While Intel has gotten a lot of Mini-ITX love lately, AMD is not out of the game yet. Motherboard manufacturer Biostar recently launched an AMD Fusion APU powered Mini-ITX motherboard that would make for a nice little HTPC. The A68I-350 Deluxe is based around some of the latest technologies including support for DDR3, PCI-E 3.0, and USB 3.0 standards.

The A68I-350 Deluxe motherboard measures 17 cm x 17 cm and comes with a bundled dual core AMD Fusion 350D APU. A heatsink and passive cooling for the south bridge are also provided in the package. The graphics card, memory, storage and other accessories are up to you, however. The Mini-ITX board features two DDR3 DIMM slots that support a maximum of 16 GB. Located in the lower right-hand corner are three SATA 3 6Gbps ports. Below that is a single PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot for a graphics card or other peripheral. Additional internal IO includes:

• 1 x printer header
• 2 x USB 2.0 header
• 1 X front panel audio
• 1 X front panel header (hdd, power, reset, ect)
• 1 x S/PDIF-OUT header
• 1 x CPU fan header
• 1 x system fan header
• 1 x serial header

According to Biostar, the motherboard also uses all solid capacitors to improve longevity.

Rear IO on the board is not quite as extensive as some of the other offerings available, but is still fairly good for the price. It features two PS/2 ports for keyboard and mouse, one HDMI out, one VGA output, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, one Ethernet port (Realtek RTL8111F Gigabit controller), and three audio output jacks (Realtek ALC662 6-channel HD audio).

The AMD APU that comes with the A68I-350 Deluxe features Radeon 6310 graphics, which are not the fastest but will still provide plenty of oomph for watching videos on the big screen. While it has not yet shown up at online retailers like Amazon and Newegg yet, it is reportedly already shipping and will have an MSRP of € 66 (euros) or approximately $84 USD. Considering the Intel options that have recently surfaced are going for $100+ easily, this Biostar motherboard should provide a nice budget option for your next HTPC or small form factor PC build!

You can find more information on the A68I-350 Deluxe over at the Biostar website.

Read more about Mini-ITX motherboards at PC Perspective.