EPoX EP-AT690G is probably the first full ATX motherboard that incorporates the AMD 690G integrated graphics chipset. As we test this boardIn our days of test, we have tested out the integrated graphics performance in comparison with various chipsets from NVIDIA, SIS and its own RS485.

So far, the results are quite encouraging. The 3D scores are also much better than the previous RS485 and NV6100 chipset. As you can see, the AMD 690G is paired up with the SB600, that upped the performance levels in USB and disk performance. PCmark05 score also improved. When paired with an external graphics card, the results are quite similar to most chipsets.

In terms of features, the board uses passive cooling. The south bridge SB600 is passively cooled and controls the 4 SATAII ports and 1 IDE channel. The SATA II ports support RAID 0,1,0+1. On its right is 4 DDR2 DIMM slots supporting up to 16 GB of memory runing in Dual Channel. The back panel consists of PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse, 4 USB ports, 1 VGA, 1 DVI, 1 x GbE LAN port and 8 ch audio. This is definitely more than enough for a HTPC. The only regret is that it doesn't come with 1394 and SPDIF.

Heatsinks on both the north bridge and south bridge are pretty cool to touch. This is definitely a plus as you don't have to pay a hefty sum for a copper heatsink/heatpipe board. It will also prolong the life of the chipset if it only generates minimum of heat.

Overclocking wise, the board seems to be able to boot up to 250MHz. We managed to get it to POST and Stable at 270MHz x10 but it suffers from cold boot problems. I suspect it has something to do with the CLKGEN used.

I will definitely go for AMD 690G for building my next HTPC once my LCD TV arrives. I just hope that future drivers will improve on the image quality.

Pricing (US/UK)

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Pros

• 7.1 HD audio
• GbE
• Good USB performance
• Integrated 3D performance is good

Cons

• 3D performance
• BIOS too limited
• No 1394
• No S/PDIF

Ratings

Here are my ratings out of 10.