ASRock E350M1 AMD E-350 APU (1.6GHz, Dual-Core) AMD A50M Hudson M1 Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU Combo

Pros: It is possible to record three shows over ethernet (from HDHomeRun PRIME) and watch a 1080i movie at the same time without any stuttering. However, see other thoughts on how I achieved this.

Cons: Realtek 8111E Ethernet controller. The Ethernet connection just cuts out at random times, maybe 2-3 times per week and can only be corrected by disconnecting the cable and reconnecting it. This is unacceptable when the PC is being used as an HTPC streaming and recording TV from an HDHomeRun PRIME. Realtek is a notorious for their mediocre Ethernet controllers. Intel is notorious for their server-grade Ethernet controllers...I might have to get a low profile Intel NIC.

When GPU is active, it can get hot. Up to ~78C I have seen. AMD appears to be rated for higher temperatures than intel processors, but if the motherboard can't handle it, then that seems like trouble. Idle temps are ~45-50C when not doing any video processing. This is, however, in a cramped mini itx case with 2x40mm case fans.
For comparison, I have an Ivy Bridge Celeron server running in a 2U rackmount chassis with all components in the 25-34C range.

Other Thoughts: Cons aside, I am impressed that I was able to achieve an HTPC capable of recording 3 HD TV streams while playing a fourth HD source on screen. I was only able to achieve this by using a WD Black drive for live TV buffer and recording. An eSATA RAID 0 array of Hitachi Deskstars did not cut it. It seems the hard-drive bottleneck is right there with the CPU bottleneck, so having a high-performance drive for streaming storage and reading is important. It hides the lack of horsepower of the CPU but just enough so that the HTPC is enjoyable - no stutters.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear ASRock Customer

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Please uninstall the LAN driver, download and reinstall the LAN driver at link "http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?cat=Download&os=Win764&Model=E350M1".
Check the local network area (Modem, Router, Switch, cable) causing the issue.
If you have any technical issues or warranty questions please contact our Tech Support at http://www.ASRock.com/support/tsd.asp. We can assist you shortly.

Thank you

ASRock SUPPORT
Tech Support Email: user@ASRockamerica.com

Pros: Excellent motherboard/CPU combo for the price. Posted correctly the first time, haven't had any issues since purchase. All the useful ports on this motherboard are again outstanding for the price. It's quiet and rarely ever gets too hot even under great demand. The dual core processor works for general computing applications very well.

Cons: The APU can't handle HD video at a decent frame rate and the motherboard reserves 1.3 GB of ram for hardware, however I believe that issue can be fixed, in terms of the ram.

Other Thoughts: Purchasing a low end graphics card may be necessary for alot of HD video streaming, but even with that, still a very good deal. Had that not been an issue, I would have given 5 stars.

Pros: Plays 1080p, has optical and hmdi

Cons: Poor CS, poor quality board. 2nd time I've had to RMA this thing in 7 months. The replacement only lasted 2 weeks, was shipped back in inside-out used boxes. The tracking number they provided wasn't valid but at least it showed up.

Other Thoughts: As soon as I saw all the spelling and grammatical errors in their RMA forms and emails I knew I was dealing with a low-end company. The cheap return packaging, incorrect tacking number and poor communication sealed it.

2 dead/dying boards, three weeks of downtime in the seven months and over $30 in return shipping. This is the last Asrock board for me.

Pros: Fast little APU. Seems to be play HD video better than a T56N fusion. Has all the video outputs you need. PCIe for a low profile gpu or wireless adapter. Dimms can support up to 8GB each. I currently inherited this from a co-worker. A vender let us play with it in house and ended up not using it in production. I built it up with Windows 8 64 320GB 3.5" HDD, 6GB ram, PCIex4 wireless N adapter in a rosewill mini-itx case with 250W power supply. Haven't tested the power consumption yet but I believe this little guy draws around 35W. The hottest the APU got was 70C with 100% CPU load for 1 hour. Ambient temperature was 73F. Intels Tj Max states 90C. Also flashed the bios to V1.80 on Asrocks website for more compatibility with windows 8. I play all types of video formats over my network from my server and it plays video wonderfully.

Cons: No msata, wish it had two msata busses for a mini msata wireless and a full msata for a ssd.

Other Thoughts: Great for a HDTV media box PC build. Plays HD video great.

Pros: None

Cons: Board is DOA, not displaying video and cannot POST

Manufacturer Response:

Dear ASRock Customer

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Please trouble shooting the mainboard for below steps with known good components;
Remove the mainboard from inside computer to outside. Place the mainboard on top of the empty mainboard’s box
Clear the CMOS
Check the memory is in the mainboard's support list to avoid compitable issue ( http://www.asrock.com/mb/memory/E350M1.pdf)
Test with 1 memory module (non-ECC, un-buffered), try with another known good memory if its same issue.
Pug monitor to onboard Video output.
Power supply with connecting 24 pins ATX power to the mainboard
Plug the computer case’s power switch to mainboard's front panel power header and try again
If you have any technical questions please contact us at http://www.ASRock.com/support/tsd.asp. We can assist you shortly.


Thank you

ASRock SUPPORT
Tech Support Email: user@ASRockamerica.com

Pros: Extraordinarily tiny motherboard. Plugged everything in and it started up flawlessly first try. BIOS is good. Minute power usage.

Cons: It's astonishingly slow compared to a nearly 10 year old rackmount server I have. Granted the rackmount server is a dual-dual-core Xeon monster, and this board is supposed to be a low cost solution, but I'd gotten used to high speed compilation.

Other Thoughts: Wanted low power usage, got low power usage. Wanted enough SATA ports, got enough SATA ports. Good value.

Pros: HDMI out, Convenience, small form factor.

Cons: no

Other Thoughts: I have owned this board for almost a year. It is used as a Mythtv frontend for tv / video streaming and is paired with 8g DDR3 1066 memory. This handles it without a hitch through HDMI on my 50inch TV. Seems to run at decent temps after 8 hrs use in an enclosed cabinet without much air flow. Fan is not very noticeable even when cabinet sits open. Nice option for a frontend htpc.....oh.20 yrs IT experience and home PC building / repair.

Pros: none

Cons: i have over 10 years of pc/servers hardware experience so i know what i am talking about. no video output, dead board.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear ASRock Customer

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Please trouble shooting the mainboard for below steps with known good components;
Remove the mainboard from inside computer to outside. Place the mainboard on top of the empty mainboard’s box
Clear the CMOS
Test with 1 memory module (non-ECC, un-buffered).
Plug monitor to onboard Video
Power supply with connecting 24 pins ATX power to the mainboard
Plug the computer case’s power switch to mainboard's front panel power header and try again
If you have any technical questions please contact us at http://www.ASRock.com/support/tsd.asp. We can assist you shortly.


Thank you

ASRock SUPPORT
Tech Support Email: user@ASRockamerica.com

Pros: none

Cons: Received 2 dead boards. No video output on either board.

Other Thoughts: Just stay away from it.

Pros: Awesome little combo unit. Was great for my uncle's new machine. Will do all that he needs and more.

Cons: None