Taipei - Via today announced its new Epia MS Mini-ITX mainboard, which comes without the standard I/O back plate to allow small form factor.

Via said that the new 6.7" by 6.7" mainboard targets flat panel electronics such as entertainment PCs. As a significant change to the traditional PC I/O bracket design, the Epia MS integrates onboard headers for 6-channel audio, TV-out and USB 2.0 connectivity, with a low profile SODIMM memory slot on the underside.

The board is also the first Mini-ITX which supports the fanless 1GHz Via Eden ESP processor to further enahnce power consumption and noise reduction, the company said. Additionally, the board is also available with a 1.2 GHz Via C3 or an 800 MHz Via Eden ESP processor.

The board includes Via's CLE266 chipset with integrated a S3 Unichrome 2D/3D graphics solution which is optimized for DVD playback, support for DDR266 SDRAM as well as S-Video and RCA TV-Out (NTSC & PAL) and 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet. The VIA EPIA MS also offers support for a growing number of LVDS embedded LCD panels, has a PCI slot and is compatible with Mini-ITX chassis as well as FlexATX and MicroATX enclosures, Via said.

The mainboard already is available from resellers with street prices starting at about $180.