Whoohoo! A Mini PC That Goes To The Max

Generational Comparison: ATX Vs. Flex-ATX

ATX (left) vs. Flex-ATX: only compact motherboards make mini PCs possible. The ATX standard is hopelessly out of date with only the cost factor keeping it alive.

The upper image shows two Shuttle motherboards, both of them fitted out with the same chipset (SiS 651/962). Thanks to high integration of the chips, the small Flex ATX board (in the mini PC) attains functionality comparable to the standard ATX board. A closer look reveals that on the Flex ATX, the AGP and PCI interfaces have simply been brought on board turned at a 90° angle. The board layout for Northbridge and Southbridge, processor sockets and memory slots are virtually unchanged.

Shuttle's ultra-compact board (FS51 V1.1) takes up less floor space than a shoebox. A highlight is the AGP slot, which is placed hard by the PCI slot.

A glance at the connectors on the Shuttle FS51 board.

The FireWire chip: VIA VT6306.