Gigabyte GA-K8N51PVMT-9

     The role of the home computer has evolved from being an oversized calculator into a very robust multi-media platform. While the majority of most personal computers today are still built with gaming in mind, home entertainment has begun to build momentum. The Do It Yourself system builders know that just about any collection of hardware will do to make a home entertainment server. Due to the fact that the system will normally be put on display along with the rest of the home entertainment equipment, a little thought and planning needs to be done. Such as finding an enclosure that matches your already existing equipment and finding a PC enclosure small enough to fit along side the rest of the gear. Small form factor enclosures fit this bill perfectly, but this means you'll be limited to using a mircoATX design motherboard.

     Most enthusiasts will put aicroATX motherboards on the bottom of their list because of the lack of features, performance, and expandability. Before we judge the whole class of microATX systems to harshly, we need to take a hard look at some of the more recent offerings, such as Gigabyte GA-K8N51PVMT-9. Based upon the nVidia NV430 MCP chipset, Gigabyte has produced a board that is really loaded with features.

     As the name suggest, microATX boards are just like their bigger brothers but are more condensed. The specifications and features are all there, just in a smaller package. As we can see from the picture, we still have 4 ram slots which offer two sets of DUAL-CHANNEL DRAM operation. We've still got a PCI Express x16 slot to add a more powerful video solution, and we still have a two standard PCI as well as one PCI Express x1 slot. Downsizing to microATX also means that the components are a lot closer together, and I'll cover clearance issues a little later.

     Features.......

GA-K8N51PVMT-9