ASUS AT5IONT-I Intel Atom D525 (1.8GHz, dual-core) BGA559 Intel NM10 Mini ITX Motherboard / CPU Combo

Pros: As far as Atoms go, this is a great performing board. I really like having no fans on the board which can make noise and will eventually fail. The 2nd gen ION graphics is a big plus if you plan on doing anything video intensive such as 1080p video playback. This is one of the few Atom boards I have seen with USB 3.0.

Cons: There is no analog video output. The DVI output is digital only so you cannot use a simple DVI to VGA adapter. Based on other reviews on Newegg and elsewhere, it seems this board can be picky about what memory it will work with. I played it safe and just ordered two sticks of the Kingston KVR800D3S8S6/2G memory. The Kingston website recommends this memory for this Asus board and others have reported it works well with this board. It would be nice to have more than 2 SATA ports, although this wasn't a problem for my current application.

Overall Review: I installed MythBuntu 11.04 beta 1 on this system. Everything worked smoothly including hardware accelerated video playback at 1920x1080p. I was able to record 4 video streams (2 HD channels + 2 SD channels) and playback one of those HD channels all at the same time with top reporting just over 75% idle.

Pros: Board layout is easy to use. Low power consumption. 3 Fan plugs (3 pin) in case you need to use a cpu/case fan. single USB 3 port on backplate. Gigabit Ethernet. HDMI. 4 USB 2.0 ports on backplate with headers for more. Optical audio out. Hardware acceleration works very well, BluRay playback leaves 90%+ idle cpu. Nvidia has good driver support for both Windows and Linux. One of the faster clocked Atom processors at 1.8Ghz Tons of features for this small board!

Cons: Hardware SATA RAID not available. 2 SATA channels and that's it. Reputation for being picky with memory. Passive cooling may not be enough.

Overall Review: I can confirm that the memory: KVR800D3S8S6/2G Works with the board that I got. I have a single stick of that memory and it works well. I am running 2 SATA drive, on (2 TB "green" lower power drives) software RAID for mirroring in Linux. In Linux the HDMI video works fine, and with the most recent ALSA and Nvidia drivers HDMI audio works fine as well (after unmuting the Nvidia digital out channels) - at least with kernel 2.6.35 I haven't tried any others. I have a single slow spinning 120mm fan in the case which is mostly above the heatsink and the cpu temp doesn't rise above 38C, gpu doesn't get above 42C so far. I don't know if it can be purely passively cooled, but it can be very quiet. Booting off USB wasn't obvious, like another said you have to choose a boot device with F8. Flash 10.1 in Windows is great with this board, since it utilizes the GPU's hardware acceleration. I am using this board as both a file server and HTPC, and it does a fantastic job.

Pros: * Low energy usage idle and under load * Nice picture quality - 720p video is a breeze * processor reasonably fast for day to day activities

Cons: * only 2 SATA risers (limitations of the NM10 chipset though), however a PCI express slot is on board to install a PCI to SATA card if necessary. * no onboard wifi, would have been a nice feature, especially at this price point

Overall Review: Unlike other users I cannot confirm the statement that this board is picky with memory. The important factor is that the CAS latency is >=7 and almost every memory stick will work. I can confirm that this one (Mushkin) does work flawlessly and it is 2GB per stick. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226019.

Pros: This systems totally rocks!! Silent and runs cool. I did the research for the best frontend I could find or build and THIS IS IT! If you are reading this then you too did the research and came to the same conclusion. This is the perfect solution for your a Digital frontend. ALL digital board so connecting by analog VGA is not a option. HDMI out for the video, 8-Channel Digital optical out Audio, This was the biggest surprise and it is awesome! I originally configured the system for 64-bit Mythbuntu 10.10 and now running 11.04 without issue. NVIDIA ION Graphics Awesome completely made the difference while playing back 1080i video. Folks, You will know you have done the surround sound right when the dog keeps jumping up to see who else is in the room or you constantly find yourself looking over your shoulder while playing a video!!!

Cons: none worth subtracting egg for

Overall Review: This is stupid awesome and great addition to a HT system, I am so glad I was not chased off this product by negative comments. I have only owned one other Asus product but not only would I recommend this I will be buying another myself

Pros: Silent, draws less than 40 watts at idle and less than 45 watts playing a bluray (as measured using watt meter).

Cons: Only 2 SATA II connectors. Only one on board USB header.

Overall Review: Running Widows 7 with 4 GB Kingston KVR800D3S8S6 memory. Windows assessment gives the following ratings: Processor 3.5 Memory 4.9 Graphics 4.7 Gaming Graphics 5.6 After loading the USB 3.0 drivers, Windows update offers an optional ACS-6xxxx update. Do not install it. If you already have, remove the USB drivers and the ACS-6xxxx driver using device manager. Then reinstall the USB drivers and tell windows to hide the optional update. My PCI x1 slot works fine. I have not tested the HDMI connection yet.

Pros: Small Form Factor, HDMI out, NVIDA Graphics/Controls. Good Horse Power for a microATX Atom board.

Cons: I wish it could pull a little more memory for the shared video card. But for my needs it works out pretty well.

Overall Review: Mostly, I wanted to say that after successfully using the Mushkin 4GB memory for a year. I recently decided to try out the 8GB version of the same memory since the price had come way down. I can confirm that it seems to work perfectly so far. It booted right up, and Windows 7 64bit displayed the full 8gb. Here's what I ordered. Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Laptop Memory Model ... Item #: N82E16820226021

Pros: Small form factor, no fans=no noise; integrated GPU and CPU so all you need is a case w/power supply, RAM, and a hard drive. Despite what some previous reviews have stated, this mobo CAN play 1080p media, you just need to know what you are doing. I have Windows 7 Ultimate running with XBMC media center, all of my high def files play flawlessly. If you have issues, there is an option in playback settings of XBMC for hardware acceleration that should clear anything up.

Cons: None, this is a perfect motherboard combo unit for a media center PC

Overall Review: This isn't going to play Modern Warfare 3, but that isn't what ASUS designed this for. If you are looking for something to play your music and video and browse the web, this motherboard is right up your alley.

Pros: I've had this motherboard for 6 months now and it's worked out well for running Ubuntu and MythTV. Driving 1080p display, digital audio over HDMI.

Cons: Runs hot. Be sure you buy a suitable fan to place right on the big heat sink (e.g. 100mm Scythe Kaze Jyu Slim does the job quietly). I tried to run this motherboard with only a case fan but the system was constantly shutting down from overheating (> 95C) even when under-clocking the GPU. Fan on the heat sink made a 25C difference-- that is no joke.