[archy121]

I'm very keen to buy this motherboard to do my first MPC build but put off by one thing which is major to me - No COAX audio out.

I want to use the new MPC for listening to audiophile grade music by connecting it to an external DAC & a high end stereo AMP.

I just wish Asus had included this & i would have started my build months back.

Worst thing is the second ITX motherboard I wouldn't mind - Gigabyte also does not have COAX out.



Can someone please suggest a good solid AMD Llano ITX motherboard that has COAX audio out as well as USB3 & SATA3 support ?

[Dougie Fresh]

I built a system with the EMC-800BL and it's a great little case -- built like a tank! The internal PSU seems to throw a lot of heat though.

Those Habey cases are rebadges of cases from a company in China called Realan. They have a new line of cases with vents on the top.

http://www.minicase.net/product_E-I3.html
http://www.minicase.net/product_E-I5.html
http://www.minicase.net/product_E-I7.html

Those will be a nice alternative.

The E-I5 and E-I7 will at least be available here in a few weeks.

http://www.ecosmartpc.com/

[bluray]

Can someone please suggest a good solid AMD Llano ITX motherboard that has COAX audio out as well as USB3 & SATA3 support ?

How about this- ASRock A75M-ITX FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX AMD Motherboard

[eskro]

reemi:

thanks for the answers!
thats what i thought tho about the remote...
i dont really recommend it and some reviews say the same,,,

however, doesnt mean the board is bad,
actually, on a review made comparing the different miniITX FM1 boards,
guys found out that AMD APU's when used on that ASUS DELUXE board,
were performing slightly better then when sitting the other FM1 boards!
so its probably the best board.

in the other hand, for HTPC use,
you might miss the power ON from OFF state (which many boards do)
but you cant do nothing about it except get the Simerec CPS-1 Internal Receiver...
only down side to it is that,
you void your PSU warranty as u need to splice its 5v stand by lead...
and some might not like the idea...
specially if your HTPC is new...
oh and, you can't control your HTPC with the Simerec thing,,,
its really only for Power ON from OFF state and nothing else....

if you would have went with the ASROCK board,
you would have had the CIR option
which allows Power ON from OFF state.
and you could have used the INTESET Internal CIR Receiver...
and its probably the best there is currently,
but to make it work, you need to re-pin the wires following this image ---> http://i.imgur.com/2BPDN.png
as the pin are arranged for INTEL CIR enabled motherboards...
but once re-pinned, it works!
and it also act as a full Microsoft eHOME transceiver!
so u can buy any MCE remote, and wallà!
this is confirmed working as a user named voip-ninja here done it!!

but the ASROCK doesnt have WiFi built-in,
so, your gonna have to rely on USB WiFi adapters
if your case doesn't have expansion slots of course...
and after searching for those,
this one i recommend --> [USB 2.0] Rosewill RNX-N180UBE 300Mbps WPA2 Band:2.4GHz ($20 + $3)

so, ASROCK FM1 board + CIR Receiver with MCE Remote + USB WiFi Adapter = $142

[Andori]

Can someone please suggest a good solid AMD Llano ITX motherboard that has COAX audio out as well as USB3 & SATA3 support ?

How about this- ASRock A75M-ITX FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX AMD Motherboard

I don't think the A75M-ITX does COAX digital audio, only optical. In my limited experience I've not encountered many machines that do COAX out.

[eskro]

right, out of luck for FM1 mini ITX...

[archy121]

right, out of luck for FM1 mini ITX...

Yep i thought as much

I was hoping to buy a slim metal fanless case which wouldn'thave a spare bay for additional sound card. Need it to be a compact tidy solution - one that i can hang behind plasma or look right sitting next to top end hi-fi components.

I have the option to use Optical to Coaxial adapter but that's another external device requiring power plug.

Also not sure about the quality of conversion jitter etc..

What are the chances of FM2 boards having COAX ?

.. I know i'm asking the obvious but one can hope.

Eskro - do you think its worth holding out for AMD Trinity build as i'm in no huge rush ?

I'm after maximum performance that can be had at lowest APU power requirement. Not sure if there is enough incentive to wait for me. I read there would be <35W APU's but will these be limited to OEM laptops ?

If I was to go ahead with a build now i would like to have an A8-3800 for its performance/power but it can't be had anywhere in UK.

[eskro]

well FM2's are scheduled for JUNE only,,,
but thats if they dont change their minds...

and unLess i work for AMD,
i can't say about COAX plans...

but i beleive its fading away as HDMI rules supreme,,,

[archy121]

I hope not all motherboard vendors follow this route as plenty of Audiophile equipment owners still prefer COAX.
HDMI has it share of audio transmission issues for high end audio lovers.

Am i right to think this is not chipset related & instead a design preference by the motherboard vendor ?

[eskro]

well i dunno,,,

if u need COAX, here are your choices for AMD --> http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLis...geSize=100

so yeah, forget about Fm1...

[bluray]

Can someone please suggest a good solid AMD Llano ITX motherboard that has COAX audio out as well as USB3 & SATA3 support ?

How about this- ASRock A75M-ITX FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX AMD Motherboard

I don't think the A75M-ITX does COAX digital audio, only optical. In my limited experience I've not encountered many machines that do COAX out.

My bad- I thought that the orange plug is COAX, but it is not. It's one of those "Center/subwoofer connector"....

[Beer40oz]

Hi Reemi

so how is that asus mother board treating you?

Stable?

My asrock I think it's crapping on me.... still testing it.
Might buy the one you have.

You have any pics of the inside of your build?

I saw that the RAM slots are on the back instead of the sides from the asrock.....

Thanx....

[bluray]

My asrock I think it's crapping on me.... still testing it.
Might buy the one you have.

Hey Beer, sorry to read it. I hope that you can get it fixed soon......