(Click here for a larger view of Via's Artigo A2000)
Via's Epia N700
(Click for further information) | |
The new Artigo A2000 shares branding with Via's previously released
Artigo A1000 mini-PC (see further background below), but does not employ that device's tiny
Epia PX10000 pico-ITX main board. Instead, the new home server is said to use a "custom"
nano-ITX main board, "optimized for stability in an always-on server," such as network-attached storage (NAS) servers. The board may be an offshoot of the
Epia N700 (right) Via released in August.
Like the Epia N700, the Artigo A2000 comes with Via's 1.5GHz
C7 processor, and supports up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM via a single SODIMM socket. Also employed on both products is Via's
VX800, a 33 x 33m chip that integrates northbridge and southbridge functionality.
Since it is intended primarily as a server, the Artigo A2000 could well be run headlessly. Thanks to inclusion of the VX800, however, the device gets Via's Chrome9 2D/3D graphics engine with DirectX 9 compatibility, plus hardware acceleration of MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VC1 and DiVX video playback.
Via's Artigo A2000
(Click either image to enlarge)Ports on the A2000, as shown above right, include not only VGA and gigabit Ethernet, but also three USB ports, plus audio I/O. An 802.11b/g wireless LAN module is optionally available, and supported by the antenna hole seen above.
The A2000's
raison d'etre, of course, is storage. Here, the device stands out by providing room for two 3.5-inch SATA II hard disk drives, within an overall footprint of 10.2 x 5.3 x 4.5 inches. Via says the drives -- intended to be selected and installed separately by a purchaser -- offer up to 1.5TB of storage apiece, and transfer rates up to 3Gbps.
Via's "System Management Tool," supplied with the A2000, is a Windows application that may be configured to alert a user remotely when disk space falls below a pre-specified percentage, according to the company. The device is also capable of shutting itself down automatically after downloads, and of creating encrypted virtual drives using the "StrongBox" application, which employs the C7's on-die hardware acceleration of key cryptographic operations, Via says.
While the Artigo A2000 is claimed to "comfortably run Windows Vista," it also caters for installation of Windows XP Embedded. A bootable, Type I CompactFlash slot, "located discreetly beneath the motherboard," permits secure installation of this slimmed down operating system, according to Via.
Features and specifications listed by Via for the Artigo A2000 include:
- Processor -- Via C7-D clocked at 1.5GHz, with VX800 chipset
- Memory -- Up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, via single SODIMM slot
- Storage -- Dual 3.5-inch bays for SATA II HDDs (hard disk drives), plus Type I CompactFlash slot
- Networking -- Gigabit Ethernet
- Other I/O:
- 3 x USB (2 rear, one front)
- VGA port
- Audio -- mic/line in, line inExpansion -- Type I CompactFlash slot, as mentioned above
- Power requirements -- Unspecified DC current, via external 100 to 240VAC adapter
- Operating temperature -- n/s
- Dimensions -- 10.2 x 5.3 x 4.5 inches (259 x 135 x 155mm)
- Weight -- n/s
According to Via, the Artigo A2000 runs Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows XP Embedded, Ubuntu 8.04, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10. Other operating systems may also work, but have not been tested on the device, the company says.
Jerry Yuan, embedded business development manage for Via, said, "Building on the success of the Artigo A1000 pico-ITX builder kit, VIA has once again broken the mould for barebones, creating a device that embodies our reputation for innovation and creativity in small spaces."
The Artigo A1000
Via's Artigo A1000
(Click for further information) | |
As mentioned earlier in this story, Via's earlier Artigo A1000 (right) was one of the first products to use the company's pico-ITX main board format. Measuring 3.9 x 2.8 inches (10cm x 7.2cm), pico-ITX boards have half the surface area of nano-ITX boards, and a quarter that of boards based on the now six-year-old mini-ITX standard. The miniaturization, pictured below, has been enabled in part by an 82 percent real estate reduction of Via's chipsets, which have shrunk from 50 x 50mm in mini-ITX's original "Socket 370" processors to just 21 x 21mm for the "nanoBGA" package used in Via's current C7 product family.
Via's steadily shrinking motherboards
(Click above to enlarge)
Since its introduction, the A1000 has made quite a splash. For example, it was given away this year to every "all access" attendee at ESC (Embedded Systems Conference) Silicon Valley, and to those attending Microsoft's keynote at ESC Boston. The A1000 is also offered as part of a discounted "Spark Your Imagination" bundle for Windows CE hobbyists, and is a prize in Microsoft's "Sparks Will Fly" contest, which challenges students, academics, and hobbyists to envision the "home of the future" using Windows CE.
Given this level of interest, therefore, Via can perhaps be excused for applying the "Artigo" moniker to a second product! As one way of tying the devices together, the company says those who order an A2000 before Dec. 21 will receive a coupon worth $100 off the price of a "Spark Your Imagination" bundle. For more information on the bundle, which includes Microsoft's Windows CE and Visual Studio, see our earlier coverage, here.
Further information
Via did not release pricing for the Artigo A2000, but said the device will be available on Dec. 15 from online retailers Bell Micro, EPRO-ITX, Fry's Electronics, and Logic Supply in the U.S., and from Mini-ITX.com, Monclick and Ibertronica in Europe. Pricing appears to run about $300. "Wider availability" will follow in January, the company says.
More information on the Artigo A2000 may be found on the Via website, here.
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