• PC World
• »Components
• »Motherboards

HANOVER, GERMANY -- Via Technologies is officially introducing the EPIA-N Nano-ITX motherboard at the Cebit trade show here this week. Measuring 4.7 inches by 4.7 inches, the Nano-ITX is the smallest PC motherboard form factor to hit the market.

The Nano-ITX motherboard is based on Via's CN400 chipset and works with Via's Eden-N processor running at speeds up to 1 GHz, the company says in a statement.

The Eden-N does not require a cooling fan and measures .6 inches by .6 inches, smaller than any other x86 processor, Via says.

The CN400 chipset, which was also launched this week, offers an integrated graphics core, hardware acceleration for MPEG2 and MPEG4 video, and supports up to 1GB of DDR DRAM, the company says.

In addition to the Eden-N, the CN400 also supports Via's Eden, C3, and Antaur processors running at speeds up to 1.4 GHz, it says.

Petite PC

The first PC based on the Nano-ITX motherboard is expected to start shipping within the next three months. Called Nanode, the PC measures 3.7 inches by 5.9 inches by 6.3 inches, making it one of the smallest fully-configured desktop computers ever produced.

U.K. firm Hoojum Design designed the device, which Mini-ITX.com will sell online. Nanode pricing has not been finalized, Mini-ITX.com says.

The Nanode will be available in two versions. The PC version will ship with a CD-ROM drive, a 20GB or 40GB hard drive, and optional 802.11b wireless networking. The second version is a thin client without a CD-ROM drive and hard drive.

Pricing for the Nano-ITX motherboard and the Eden-N processor was not disclosed.