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FINAL THOUGHTS
While it is outclassed in 3D performance by Intel's GMA X3500 and AMD's HD3200
and Geforce 8300 IGPs, Geforce 7050 is surprisingly strong for HD playback and
efficiency. Unfortunately it is limited by the choice of video outputs —
VGA only. Without DVI or HDMI, it makes less than ideal HTPC/media center. In
addition, the chipset lacks a dual channel memory controller — something
they're not keen on advertising. While this won't result in a huge performance
difference, it is something to be considered. The IGP/chipset is also cooled
by a very small heatsink which may cause problems down the road.
Power consumption, which is a result of the efficiency of the chipset as well
as the power regulation implemented by the manufacturer, was good, besting the
Asus P5E-VM HDMI by an average of 5W during light load. The tables turned when
high load was applied, but generally a system is rarely at such a state and
spends most of its time idle. The lack of suspend-to-RAM is downright criminal,
however, and a heavy blow for some users. Standby/Sleep is an effective yet
convenient way to reduce power consumption — suspending the system costs
only an extra watt on most systems compared to shutting the system down completely
and allows for very short wait to return to full functionality. Without suspend-to-RAM
however, this feature is basically useless.
Ultimately, the Zotac NF610i-ITX is a marriage of convenience, the joining
of the mini-ITX platform to a basic, low-priced nVidia chipset. The result is
an affordable, compact platform that has the potential to be as powerful as
a system many times its size. Being able to use some of the fastest desktop
chips available gives the NF610i-ITX an undeniable edge for those looking for
sheer computing power and a small physical footprint. Its underlying strengths
however, are undermined by a series of faults and omitted features that are
neither minor or inconsequential. For a specialized commercial or industrial
application, it might be fine, but for a home user, it fails to meet basic requirements.
The best thing we can say is that the price is very modest for removable CPU
mini-ITX board. The good thing for Zotac is that they've also released an alternate
version of this product using the nForce 630i chipset, and it offers both VGA
and DVI outputs. That model strikes us as being a substantially better option
for the DIY buyer.
PROS
* Core 2 Duo/Quad compatibility
* Low power consumption
* Efficient HD playback
* Affordable pricing
|
CONS
* Limited BIOS options (namely the inability to undervolt)
* Cannot suspend-to-RAM
* Small chipset heatsink
* Lack of connectivity (DVI, HDMI, S/PDIF)
* No dual channel memory controller |
Our thanks to Zotac
for the NF610i-ITX sample.
* * *
Articles of Related Interest
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Motherboard?
Intel D201GLY2 Mini-ITX mainboard
AMD 780G: Best Ever Integrated
Mainstream Chipset?
Asus P5E-VM HDMI: A microATX
C2D board for gamers?
Albatron KI690-AM2: A Mini-ITX Powerhouse
AOpen i945GTt-VFA
VIA EPIA EN12000E m-ITX board
* * *
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