ATX-855GME: ATX Motherboard by Kontron with 1.6 GHz Pentium M or 1.2 GHz Celeron M Processor

Robust ATX Platform with Long-Term Availability

Eching, June 17, 2004 - The Intel® Pentium® M Processor - part of the Intel CentrinoTM Mobile Technology and initially created for mobile PC applications - is now available on a standard ATX motherboard designed for harsh ambient conditions. The ATX-855GME board with 400 MHz FSB by Eching-based Kontron Embedded Computers will be available for at least five years. The board´s outstanding features include: a 1.6 GHz processor requiring only passive cooling; the high-performance 855GME chip set (also a part of the Centrino Technology); the ICH4 I/O hub with fast South Bridge and the latest technology support. It could have been a genuine Centrino board if Kontron had also integrated Intel´s Wireless Network Connector. However, as most Embedded applications get by without this feature, this advertising-friendly add-on has been abandoned.

Even without the Centrino add-on, the board´s extensive feature set stands out: up to 2 GByte DDR-SDRAM can be installed in two 184-Pin DIMM sockets. The AGPx4 slot, the standard VGA connection for high-performance graphic boards, provides up to 250 MHz to the motherboard via Intel Extreme Graphics II. Six USB 2.0 interfaces, two 16550 UART compatible interfaces (RS232 / IrDA), one 10/100 MBit Ethernet interface and one parallel interface offer abundant connectivity that can be extended by the user via six PCI interfaces. The keyboard and mouse are connected via PS/2. In addition, two floppy drives and four EIDE drives (PIO Mode 4 or UltraDMA 33/66/100) can be connected internally.

AC97 CODEC realizes sound support with line-in and line-out and microphone on slot brackets, CD-in by internal connector. The feature set of the ATX855GME board, running under Windows 2000, XP, VxWorks and Linux, is completed by a programmable real time clock, watchdog and fan, power and temperature monitoring for operation from 0°C to 60°C. Support of other operating systems can be provided on request. The board is also available with a 1.2 GHz Celeron M processor as an alternative to the Pentium M processor.

What Makes the Pentium M Processor so Attractive?
The Pentium M processor´s exceptional feature is that it offers the computing power of a Pentium 4 at considerably lower power consumption. As the clock rate is also lower, the speed of the Pentium M cannot be compared 1:1 to the Pentium 4 speed: one can say that the Pentium M is offers similar performance to a Pentium 4 with the power consumption of a Pentium III processor. Measurements have shown that, depending on the program, the Pentium M 1.6 GHz processor can match the performance of a Pentium 4 2,4 GHz to 2,7 GHz processor. This level of performance, with low power consumption and low power loss, is particularly suited to embedded applications in the high-end area, where passive cooling is generally needed.



Reader inquiries:
Kontron Embedded Computers GmbH
Oskar-von-Miller-Str. 1
85386 Eching, Germany
[email protected]
Tel: +49 (8165)77-0
Fax: +49 (8165)77-219

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