PC Partner RC410MS7-A82C

Following in the success of NVIDIA's nForce series, ATI has been at the game of creating a viable Chipset since their first complete launch in 2003 with the introduction of the 9100 IGP + IXP250. While the various other Chipset providers have been engineering solutions for much longer, ATI has managed to create an excellent offering with its RADEON Xpress 200 series. Supported by the Xpress 200 is not only support for AMD and Intel's latest processors but also ATI CrossFire supportive as well as a model with integrated video comparable to X300 graphics. Of the many manufacturers to implement the Xpress 200 Chipset in its products, the engineers at PC Partner have designed a micro-ATX solution around this Northbridge/Southbridge combination. In fact, based off the ATI Xpress 200/200P is over 22 PC Partner AMD and Intel motherboards. The PC Partner motherboard we have our hands on today is their RC410MS7-A82C, which is based upon the ATI RC410 + SB450. This motherboard is compatible with Intel LGA-775 processors, including the Pentium D series, and offers integrated video comparable to the X300. In addition, there is six channel audio, Gigabit LAN, and PCI Express x16 support all on a PCB measuring in at 244 x 220mm.

Features:

Processor
· Intel Pentium 4(LGA775 Socket) (533/800MHz FSB) (HT Support)

Chipset
· ATI RC410 + SB450

BIOS
· Phoenix (Award) PnP Flash ROM BIOS

Memory
· Two DDRII Sockets Supports up to 2GB (DDRII-667)

Expansion Slot
· Two PCI Slots

Graphic Interface
· One PCIE x16 Slot

Graphics (X300 DirectX 9.0 core)
· Integrated 128-bit 3D/2D Graphics Engines with DirectX 9.0 hardware support.
· Hardware Motion Compensation and iDCT & Hardware MPEG2 Decode (DVD).
· Max. 128MB Frame Buffer Shared with System Memory.
· Integrated 24-bit 350MHz RAMDAC.
· Integrated TV Encorder, Macrovision Support, Composite and S-Video Out (Via Cable Adapter), Pal & NTSC Support.
· Surround View Supported with ATI RADEON PCIE Card

Audio
· Integrated AC'97 Controller with Standard AC97 Codec
· 6 Channel Audio Codec Support

LAN
· Optional 10/100/1G Mb/s Lan (Realtek)

I/O
· Integrated in chipset, USB2.0 x 8
· Integrated ATA133 and Serial ATA Controller

Optional HW Monitoring
· CPU & System Overheat Protection

Contents:

Like ASRock and the other manufacturers who spend more time engineering the motherboard than they do picking out the packaging selection, inside of the PC Partner RC410MS7-A82C we found the bare essentials needed for operation. The parts consisted of a PC Partner user's manual with installation CD, RC410MS7-A82C micro-ATX motherboard, I/O panel, one SATA cable, one video header, one FDD cable, and one IDE cable. The expansion slot video header connects to the motherboard and provides support for S-Video and Composite out with its integrated ATI graphics. With the video support offered by the motherboard, it certainly looks as it could be a viable option for HTPC users but only if its performance is there.