BIOSTAR Launches First Mini-ITX AM4 Motherboards
Subject: Motherboards | April 24, 2017 - 07:31 PM | Sebastian Peak
Tagged: X370GTN, small form factor, SFF, ryzen, racing, motherboard, mITX, mini-itx, biostar, B350GTN, amd, AM4
We covered news of BIOSTAR's upcoming mini-ITX motherboards for AMD Ryzen processors at the beginning of March, and now the company has made them official. The RACING X370GTN and B350GTN are "the world’s first mini-ITX motherboards for AMD AM4 platform", and both support up to 95W AM4 processors and DDR4 speeds up to 3200 MHz - though officially only up to 2667 MHz for Ryzen CPUs.
"BIOSTAR is thrilled to announce the latest addition to the growing mini-ITX family of BIOSTAR motherboards with the introduction of the world’s first mini-ITX motherboards for AMD AM4 platform and the first mini-ITX RGB LED-capable motherboards with AMD X370 and AMD B350 chipsets. BIOSTAR is pleased to welcome the new BIOSTAR RACING X370GTN and RACING B350GTN mini-ITX motherboards into the RACING Series family.
Both motherboards aim to deliver the best balance of form and function, delivering the full potential that the AMD AM4 platform offers especially with AMD RYZEN CPUs, all in a small package. The BIOSTAR RACING X370GTN and RACING B350GTN comes equipped with BIOSTAR 2nd-gen RACING features like 5050 LED Fun Zone with dual 5050 LED header for DIY customization, the BIOSTAR exclusive VIVID LED DJ with full RGB LED control that lets enthusiasts design their own system lighting with precise control. Together with that, BIOSTAR also adds performance and quality features for maximum system performance and stability."
Both motherboard models are identical (other than the chipset, of course)
The full specs from BIOSTAR for both motherboards are reproduced below:
| BIOSTAR Mini-ITX AM4 Motherboard Specifications | ||
|---|---|---|
| Model | X370GTN | B350GTN |
| Form Factor | Mini-ITX (170 mm x 170 mm) | |
| Chipset | AMD X370 | AMD B350 |
| CPU Support | AMD A-series APU / Ryzen CPU / NPU for Socket AM4 Maximum CPU TDP (Thermal Design Power) : 95Watt |
|
| Memory | Support Dual Channel DDR4 3200(OC)/ 2933(OC)/ 2667/ 2400/ 2133/ 1866 MHz Support Non-ECC & ECC Un-buffered DIMM Memory modules 2 x DDR4 DIMM Memory Slot Max. Supports up to 32GB Memory * DDR4 2667 for AMD Ryzen CPU |
|
| Storage | 4 x SATA3 Connector Support SATA RAID: 0,1,10 1 x M.2 Key M 32Gb/s Connector, support M.2 type 2260/ 2280 SATA 6Gb/s & PCI-E Storage(on the back of the motherboard) * M.2 (32Gb/s) : The bandwidth is depended on CPU, Ryzen is 32Gb/s ; APU & NPU is 16Gb/s |
|
| LAN | Realtek RTL8118AS - 10/100/1000 Controller Support Super LAN Surge Protection |
|
| Audio | Realtek ALC892 8-Channel Blu-ray Audio Support BIOSTAR Hi-Fi |
|
| USB | 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 (10Gb/s) Type-C port (1 on rear I/Os) 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 (10Gb/s) Type-A port (1 on rear I/Os) 6x USB 3.1 Gen1 (5Gb/s) port (4 on rear I/Os and 2 via internal header) 2x USB 2.0 port (2 via internal header) |
|
| Expansion Slots | 1 x PCI-E x16 3.0 Slot (x16 for Ryzen CPU only, NPU/APU run at x8 speed) | |
| Rear I/O | 1 x PS/2 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Port 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Port 4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Port 1 x HDMI Connector, resolution up to 4096 x 2160 @24Hz or 3840 x 2160 @30Hz 1 x DVI-D Connector, resolution up to 1920 x 1200 @60Hz 1 x RJ-45 Port 5 x Audio Connector 1 x S/PDIF Out Port |
|
| Internal I/O | 1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Header 1 x USB 2.0 Header 4 x SATA3 6Gb/s Connector 1 x M.2 Key M 32Gb/s Connector, support M.2 type 2260/ 2280 SATA 6Gb/s & PCI-E Storage(on the back of the motherboard) 1 x Front Audio Header 1 x Front Panel Header 1 x CPU Fan Header 1 x System Fan Header 2 x 5050 LED Header |
|
| OS Support | Windows 7 (x64), Windows 10 (x64) | |
The rear I/O for both the X370 and B350 versions
As to pricing, BIOSTAR has set the MSRP for the RACING X370GTN at $129, with the RACING B350GTN at $109. A search of Amazon and Newegg does not show results for either board at time of press, but we should expect these in the retail pipeline soon.
BIOSTAR Shows Mini-ITX AM4 Motherboard for AMD Ryzen
Subject: Motherboards | March 4, 2017 - 11:32 AM | Sebastian Peak
Tagged: X370GTN, x370, small form factor, SFF, ryzen, racing, motherboard, mITX, mini-itx, B350GTN, b350, amd, AM4
The first images of a mini-ITX AM4 motherboard are here, courtesy of BIOSTAR (via ComputerBase). Part of their second-generation RACING-series of gaming motherboards, BIOSTAR is now the first company to show an AMD Ryzen-capable mini-ITX option with their X370GTN.
Image credit: ComputerBase
There had been mention of an upcoming mITX board for AMD Ryzen CPUs from BIOSTAR, with a (rather low-key) mention of such a product in a recent company press release (“the exciting new RACING X370GTN in the mini-ITX form factor will also be available”), and these images from the company's RACING event are now circulating along with the specs of two different mITX offerings.
Image credit: ComputerBase
There will in fact be two mini-ITX motherboards, with both X370 (shown) and the lower-end B350 chipsets (with the RACING B350GTN). ComputerBase provided slides with specifications (via Zolkorn, Thai language) who covered the BIOSTAR event:
Image credit: Zolkorn via ComputerBase
Image credit: Zolkorn via ComputerBase
BIOSTAR has not announced availability or pricing of their mini-ITX Ryzen boards yet, but given the pent-up demand for mini-ITX solutions for enthusiast AMD processors (with AM3 conspicuously absent from mITX), this is great news for small form-factor enthusiasts.
