ETX 3.0 module consumes little power but offers good 3D graphics

According to Kontron, the new ETX 3.0 Computer-on-Module impresses with its low-power-consumption design without compromising on excellent 3D graphics performance in addition to planned long-term availability. This makes the Kontron ETX-CN8 Computer-on-Module suitable for large-volume applications that require an optimal price/performance ratio for energy-efficient 3D dual graphics with support for DirectX9 and Windows Vista.

The Kontron ETX-CN8 Computer-on-Module supports up to 2GB of fast DDR2 RAM, two quick RAID-capable SATA II interfaces (300 MB/s), USB 2.0 and all the other standard ETX 3.0 interfaces. With a power consumption of only 10.5W at full load (with the VIA Eden processor), the ETX-CN will match the needs of applications such as those in the areas of infotainment, gaming, medical technology and HMI/thin clients for automation.

It is claimed to be the only ETX 3.0 Computer-on-Module on the market based on the new VIA CN896 northbridge with integrated VIA Chrome9 HC graphics processor. The new processor module offers flowing DirectX9 3D graphics with multitexturing and trilinear filtering for impressive 3D graphics quality on Windows Vista. With up to 128Mbytes of integrated graphics memory, the new Kontron ETX-CN8 module supports dual-screen operation with resolutions up to WUXGA (1920 x 1440) via VGA and UXGA (1600 x 1200) via DVI/LVDS with 18/24 bit including TV-out up to HDTV and hardware accelerated MPEG-2 video decoding. There is also audio support for multimedia applications in accordance with the AC97 standard.

Reduced power demand

For optimal energy use, the Kontron ETX-CN8 Computer-on-Module supports the S0/S3(cold and hot)/S4/S5 suspend modes. Thanks to the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI), up to 15 SerialATA devices can be connected to the Kontron ETX-CN8 via a single SATA connector. The Kontron ETX-CN8 also reduces peak load in multiple disk systems since the disks spin up sequentially (staggered spin-up).

With the VIA PadLock Security Engine in combination with leading security software, the Kontron ETX-CN8 Computer-on-Module offers uncompromising security. Special features include a random number generator and a high-quality cryptography engine that supports AES encoding, SHA-1/SHA-256 hashing and accelerated RSA algorithms.

All of this is integrated on a footprint of just 95 x 114mm. The wide range of software add-ons that come with all Kontron Computer-on-Modules simplifies the development of customer-specific carrier boards.

The new Kontron ETX-CN8 Computer-on-Module supports Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 9x, CE and Embedded as well as Linux and is available now.

More information about about ETX is available at www.kontron.com/ETX.