The AM1 Kabini Motherboard Preview: Analyzing the Hardware
by Ian Cutress on April 19, 2014 2:00 PM ESTMSI AM1I
MSI has a single AM1 motherboard at Newegg at the time of writing, a mini-ITX model that takes a slightly different line. Being the cheapest AM1 mini-ITX motherboard (the Biostar AM1ML is more a half-way to micro-ATX), MSI has gone slightly creative and added a mini-PCIe slot. This opens up the platform for an integrated WiFi solution. It would be interesting to see what bundle price MSI could produce with a combined 802.11ac card.
MSI has learned from other mini-ITX projects and helpfully placed the 24-pin ATX connector outside the DRAM slots. The DRAM slots themselves use single-sided latches, to help with removing memory when a large PCIe device is installed. The PCIe slot, while an x4 designation from the chipset, seems to be fully populated with pins (which is a little odd).
Next to the mini-PCIe slot is a pair of SATA 6 Gbps ports, angled away from each other to allow easy removal of locking SATA cables. Perhaps confusingly the COM header and the front panel header are next to each other just inside the DRAM slots, and the front panel header is not labeled. Ideally this would be outside the DRAM slots on the right and labeled for ease of use.
The 4-pin CPU power connector is in a good position for cable management, and MSI have tried to save some cost by having the motherboard battery stuck to the rear panel.
The rear panel is similar to the previous motherboards, consisting of PS/2 ports, video outputs, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port and ALC887 audio jacks.
MSI AM1I | |
Price | Link |
Size | Mini-ITX |
CPU Interface | FS1b |
Chipset | Kabini |
Memory Slots |
Two DDR3 DRAM slots, supporting 32GB Single Channel, 1333/1600 MHz |
Video Outputs |
VGA (1920x1200) DVI-D (1920x1200) HDMI (4096x2160) |
Onboard LAN | Realtek RTL8111G (10/100/1000) |
Onboard Audio | Realtek ALC887 |
Expansion Slots |
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4) 1 x mini-PCIe |
Onboard SATA/RAID | 2 x SATA 6 Gbps |
USB 3.0 | 2 x USB 3.0 (Chipset) [back panel] |
Onboard |
2 x SATA 6 Gbps 2 x USB 2.0 Headers 2 x Fan Headers 1 x TPM Header 1 x COM Header Front Audio Header Front Panel Header |
Power Connectors |
1 x 24-pin ATX 1 x 4-pin CPU |
Fan Headers |
1 x CPU (3-pin) 1 x SYS (4-pin) |
IO Panel |
1 x PS/2 Mouse Port 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port VGA DVI-D HDMI 2 x USB 2.0 2 x USB 3.0 1 x Gigabit Ethernet Audio Jacks (ALC887) |
Product Page | Link |
So far we have moved from $33 to $36 in our analysis and the changes made between the Biostar and MSI are actually quite drastic. The MSI platform (including MSI’s standard software one would assume), while slightly more expensive, offers a lot better value. The only downside is perhaps the name. Putting an ‘I’ next to a ‘1’, in the wrong font, makes the AM1I look odd.
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RoboJ1M - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - link
I've been wondering how these AM1 boards can be so cheap compared to the usual ITX fare.It occurred to me that if Kabini is a SoC, does that make these mobos basically breakout boards? Like you get for Computers on Module stuff?
Ortanon - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - link
That's more or less accurate, yeah. Which means the boards should be cheaper than they currently are; it's just that it's brand new. So later this year we should see a lot of price drops.Haravikk - Sunday, April 27, 2014 - link
Personally I prefer the "horizontal" RAM layout, and I'm surprised more manufacturers don't use it, as it's just better for cooling overall IMO. The only issue really is that many coolers aren't designed for it, because not enough motherboards do it, but if they did then cooler manufacturers would adapt. We can only hope.Personally I don't see the point of the PS/2 port(s) on these motherboards, likewise with VGA. I think that nowadays that HDMI and USB are so common that you're not saving much (if any) money opting for older standards unless you just happen to have these lying around. Even so, I have two HDMI to VGA adapters just lying around, so it's not like it'd be hard to hook up a VGA monitor anyway if you really needed to.
medra - Saturday, June 14, 2014 - link
"The AM1H-ITX is also the only motherboard in this roundup with a 7.1 audio codec, using the Realtek ALC892 compared to the ALC887 or ALC662 on the others which are both 2.1 at best."Actually, ALC887 is a 7.1 channel HD Audio Codec while the ALC662 is a 5.1 channel HD Audio Codec.