AMD Fusion (Zacate+Hudson) ITX Motherboard List

The ideal CPU for the INTEC275 PC would be AMD's new Fusion (Zacate) APU. Here're the list of ITX motherboards that I found to date.

Make	Model	Price	Form Factor
Asrock	E350M1	$109.99@newegg.com	Mini-ITX
Asrock	E350M1/USB3	$119.90@newegg.com	Mini-ITX
MSI	E350IS-E45	$129.99@newegg.com	Mini-ITX
MSI	E350IA-E45	$139.99@newegg.com $159.00@logicsupply.com	Mini-ITX
GIGABYTE	GA-E350N-USB3	$149.99@newegg.com	Mini-ITX
ASUS	E35M1-I DELUXE	$174.99@newegg.com*	Mini-ITX
ECS	HDC-I2	n/a	Mini-ITX
ECS	HDC-I2/E-240	n/a	Mini-ITX
Jetway	NC85-E350-LF	$149.99@newegg.com	Mini-ITX
Sapphire	PURE Fusion Mini E350	$139.99@newegg.com	Mini-ITX
Sapphire	PURE White Fusion E350	$109.99@newegg.com	Mini-ITX
Foxconn	AHD1S	n/a	Mini-ITX

* Newegg took this mobo off its shelf as of 4/21/11 still listed on ASUS website though.

From my brief web search (see here) indicates that there are more to come. For example, Biostar and Zota have not released their Zacate/Hudson board. Yep, that's why I'm not in any hurry to make up my mind on motherboard :)

The concern of using one of these Mini-ITX boards is that the board (17cm x 17cm) extends enough so that the optical drive will cover up portion of the board. With < 79mm height of the case (even less between mobo and the drive), the motherboard heatsink may not fit under the drive. I will need to do more in depth assessment later.

In case that none of these motherboards are short enough, the alternative choices are

Make	Model	Price	Form Factor
Intel	D945GSEJT	$99.95@logicsupply.com	Mini-ITX
Via	EPIA-N800	n/a	Nano-ITX
Via	EPIA-N700	n/a	Nano-ITX
Via	EPIA NX	n/a	Nano-ITX
Via	EPIA NR	n/a	Nano-ITX

The Atom-based Intel board is a nice one. It's short (< 20 mm H). The combination of underpowered single-core Atom and GMA 950 graphics is a concern, but it may not be critical as I am not interested in 1080p video playback with this PC. Also, there are several people over on the AVS Forum already using this mobo for their HTPC with Marvell CrystalHD video decoder.

Via Nano-ITX boards have the ideal size (12mm  x 12mm) but they are not really geared towards multimedia (especially hi-def video playback). So, they will be the ultimate last resort when packaging completely falls apart.

The ideal scenario is for somebody to release Nano-ITX Fusion board... and I found this! It doesn't appear that they do business in the U.S., but I'm keeping my figures crossed someone in the U.S. will sell it (at a reasonable cost).

Update 4/21/11
Newly in-stock: Asrock USB3 version, Sapphire Pure White Fusion E350
Off the shelf: Asus E35M1-I DELUXE

INTEC275 PC 想定動作環境

オンキョーPC（INTEC275 PCとでも呼びましょうか）の動作条件。

やはり元がCDプレーヤーということで、そう格別高く想定しないし出来ない。やはり、シャーシの寸法が市販のMini-ITXのケース並の容積（特に高さ、ヒートシンクの選定に気をつけねば）しかないのが痛い。よって、PCのスペックは下記の条件を満たせれば良しとする。

• メディアセンターのユーザインターフェースの感度が良好であること。
• オーディオ再生（本当はサウンドカード付けたいが、スペースが絶対的に無いのでボツ）
• DVD再生
• マルチメディアサーバ機能

必要最小限のPCのコンポーネント（マザーボード、HDD、光学ディスクドライブ、DC-DCコンバータ）を如何にうまく配置出来るかが最初の肝になりそうだ。

でもって、一番の肝は元からのパネルの機能を完全に温存する事。C-722Mの前後のパネルの機能は下記の通り。

• 前部パネル
• CDのトレー
• ボタン（８：Power・Eject・Play・Stop・Pause・Forward・Backward・Display）
• Standby LED (スタンバイ時に点灯)
• VFD (vacuum fluorescent display、蛍光表示管)
• IR （赤外線）リモートのレシーバ
• 後部パネル
• オーディオ出力用RCA コネクタ（２、左右）
• オンキョーRI 端子用3.5-mm モノラルミニジャック（２）
• デジタルオーディオ端子 (光学/RCA、マザボによる)

INTEC275 PC Specification

The primary goal of this project is to keep the user experience unchanged before and after as far as listening to CD. Hence, I'm not asking a lot as far as the PC spec is concerned. The PC should be able to provide:

• Smooth Media Center UI experience
• Stereo audio playback
• Possibly DVD playback (shouldn't be a problem)
• 7"/8" Touch screen control panel (only if I can find a unit that I like)

As far as the core PC components are concerned, the challenge is how to fit everything in the box. The external dimension of the chassis is only 275 mm (10.8") W x 79 mm (3.1") H x 308 mm (12.1') D, and the actual internal dimension would be even smaller.

The true challenge of this case mod is to keep all the original interfaces intact. C-722M has the following accessible to users:

• On the front panel:
• Optical disc drive access
• 8 Buttons (Power, Eject, Play, Stop, Pause, Forward, Backward, Display)
• Standby LED indicator (which is lit when the unit is not on)
• VFD (vacuum fluorescent display)
• IR remote receiver
• On the rear panel:
• 2 RCA jacks for left & right audio out
• 2 3.5-mm mono jacks for Onkyo proprietary wired RI (Remote Interactive) cables
• S/PDIF connection (optional, depends on motherboard support)

死に際の第2世代オンキョー INTEC275 CDプレーヤー

このプレーヤー、Onkyo C-722M、音飛びのみなので、まあ修理しようと思えば出来る（レーザーモジュールの交換が必要なだけ）けど、それじゃあ面白くないと。音源はどんどんオンラインに移ってるから、これからCDを買う機会もなくなるし（この過去5年でも5枚買ったかどうか）。もういっそのこと、中身をがっつり抜いてPC化してしまおう。という趣旨のプロジェクトのブログです。


米国在住のため 基本英語でのブログですが、（普段使わず鈍ってる）日本語の練習も兼ねて出来るだけ日本語のエントリも挙げて行く予定です。当然ながらコメント日本語OKです。

My Onkyo CD Player is on its last leg...

Well, not really. It still plays CDs OK. But it skips like crazy at the beginning of CDs (and don't you dare walk by it while it's playing, LOL). Yes, the problem can be fixed (by replacing the laser assembly, which costs anywhere from $50 to $100+), but that does not satisfy my craving of entering the world of PC case modding :)

Here's the unit, Onkyo INTEC275 C-722M (the "2G" model, product detail can be found here in Japanese):

The unit on the bottom is the matching INTEC275 integrated stereo amp unit (A-922M). Onkyo does not sell their INTEC product lines in the U.S. (or in the Europe based on a brief web search). As the name suggests (INTEC275) they are 275mm (10.8") wide. (Onkyo also makes INTEC205 series, which is even narrower at 205mm wide.)

This CD player was one of my prized possessions during my undergraduate years. Although I don't remember the exact time of purchase (circa 1997-98) I do remember hauling 2 heavy boxes (C-722M and a full-size Pioneer amp) with me back from Japan and paying import tax for them to the U.S. Customs at the airport. They were pretty darn heavy, and the tax was completely unexpected, but the system was well worth all these troubles in the end.

Anyway, the 15-year old CD player is dying (as expected to be) but I love its simple and elegant chassis design, and the matching amp is still going strong. At the same time, I don't listen to CDs as much as I use to, and my wife always tells me that she wants all CDs to be ripped and have them available on our home network. All these naturally leads to my long-time dream of PC case modding (all while she's rolling her eyes)!

So that's how this blog has begun, mainly to help me brainstorm the ideas and (hopefully) to show the actual modding progress.