AOpen Releases Core Duo To The Desktop

One thing you have to love about Aopen is that they’re never boring. No, not with the release of their new low-powered PC with Core Duo support. The first looks is not likely what you expect - so read slowly.

Ever since Intel’s Core Duo mobile processor was introduced, we have been asking hardware manufacturers whether they were working on motherboards to support Core Duo in the desktop space. The answer we received most often was: “The market is too small.” We do not believe this is true, since there are more applications for fast and energy efficient PCs than most people realize - especially as systems scale down in size.

Low-powered desktop PC solutions based on mobile processors are not new. AOpen was the first to release a Pentium M MicroATX motherboard based on the 855GM chipset, back in 2004; DFI followed quickly. Last year, both companies added 915GM based products to their portfolios, supporting the new Pentium M Dothan at the faster FSB533 bus speed. Although both platforms were suitable for desktop use and did sell, we suppose the majority of these went into commercial or industrial applications - such as ATMs, self-check-in machines, information terminals and medical systems.

As computers become smaller and more powerful, new applications will emerge for them. Ironically, these applications are not only restricted to what I just mentioned: It is Intel’s Digital Home vision that will have a real chance as systems become cooler, quieter, smaller, more efficient, and more powerful. Welcome, Core Duo. Now, do you really think that the market might be too small? Source: TH