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FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall we are impressed with the G45 chipset. While the X4500 IGP represents
only an incremental increase in both 2D and 3D performance over the G45, power consumption
was much improved. We would love to see Intel make G45 their
defacto chipset rather than the woefully outdated
and inefficient G945 chipset used in the desktop versions of Atom boards. The G45 chipset
would have made Atom-based solutions truly killer. The potential power savings would
improve battery life in mobile devices and the vastly superior graphics subsystem
would help make up for the Atom's lack of processing power when playing multimedia.
However a motherboard is not just a chipset — the manufacturer is key in
how the finished product ultimately ends up. While the DG45FC is more of a consumer/enthusiast
product, it is still mainly a business-oriented Intel workhorse. The
BIOS is completely locked down, and the fan control system is primitive. We should also
note that the board does not support quad-core or older high TDP dual core CPUs
— this may be a power regulation issue as there might not be enough room
on the PCB to fit all the electrical components required to handle a high power
processor.
Despite these quibbles, for a mini-ITX mainboard, the Intel DG45FC probably has no current equal. It has a vast feature-set
including 4 SATA ports, gigabit ethernet, and eSATA, and a wealth of digital
outputs. Its $130~150 price-tag is quite reasonable — mini-ITX gear generally
goes for a large premium, but the DG45FC is only marginally more expensive than
equivalent mATX motherboards. Paired with a Wolfdale processor and an efficient
power supply, the DG45FC is an excellent choice for a powerful yet energy-efficient
mini PC.
PROS
* Core 2 Duo compatibility
* Very low power consumption
* Excellent HD playback
* Multitude of digital outputs
* Priced well |
CONS
* Does not support quad core
* Poor fan control
* Restricted Intel BIOS
* Limited 3D performance |
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