Are any Celeron 1037U Motherboards actually available?

[nForce2]

Does anyone know if any of the Celeron 1037U motherboards are actually available for purchase? I'm finding quite a few listings with manufacturers, but I can't find any retailers that actually sell them.

These would seem to be perfect for HTPCs... WAY more powerful than the low-power Atom boards, twice as powerful as the Celeron 847 boards, PCI-E slots for graphics expansion, etc, etc, etc, all with a CPU that runs at just 17W TDP. :thumbsup::thumbsup:



Examples:

BIOSTAR NM70I-1037U
http://www.biostar-usa.com/app/en-us/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=654#

ECS NM70-TI/1037U
http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Pr...goryID=1&DetailName=Feature&MenuID=17&LanID=0

Jetway NC9Q-1037
http://www.jetwaycomputer.com/spec/NC9Q-1037.pdf

Foxconn D70S-P or D70S-PD
http://www.foxconnchannel.com/ProductDetail.aspx?T=motherboard&U=en-us0000604
http://www.foxconnchannel.com/ProductDetail.aspx?T=motherboard&U=en-us0000607

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Not that I've seen. All the 1037Us I've found are in netbooks.

But I don't think it'd be worth it.

A couple months ago, I got the C847 version of the ECS NM70-I for $70. Worth every penny, no complaints, reliable, runs good, boots fast, barely even turns on the cooling fan. And I totally grok your HTPC idea.

BUT:

A faster version of the same board would probably cost a lot more money. (Niche market, diminishing returns as you go up the performance curve). And the computer will mostly be running at idle or low % CPU use. So it would probably make more sense to get a G1610, undervolt or underclock it if you can, and throw it into any uITX motherboard with the features you want.

You'll have a computer that would spend most of its time eating only a couple more w at idle or close to it, and which would have a LOT more oomph to spare when the time came. (G1610 has a bigger clockspeed advantage over the 1037U than the 1037U has over the 847.)

 

[SithSolo1]

Closest thing I've seen is this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128598

It uses the 1007U which is clocked at 1.5ghz vs the 1.8ghz 1037U, it also has an old school PCI slot instead of a PCIe for some odd reason. That being said its about $95 shipped.

This board paired with the G1610 suggested above will run about $16 more with the same form factor. It will use about double the power under load, say 30-40w total, but will be a much more powerful system and can be bought right now.

 

[nForce2]

A couple months ago, I got the C847 version of the ECS NM70-I for $70. Worth every penny, no complaints, reliable, runs good, boots fast, barely even turns on the cooling fan. And I totally grok your HTPC idea.

:thumbsup:

BUT:

A faster version of the same board would probably cost a lot more money. (Niche market, diminishing returns as you go up the performance curve).

I think it would be close, if not even cheaper...

The Celeron 847 has a recommended price of $134.00
http://ark.intel.com/products/56056
... but the 1037U has a recommended price of $86.00
http://ark.intel.com/products/71995


Obviously this isn't the pricing that the motherboard manufacturers get, as you can purchase an 847 MB+CPU for $80 at NewEgg. But it shows that they are in the ballpark for sure. Being that the 847 is a 2011 Sandy Bridge CPU and the 1037U is a 2013 Ivy Bridge CPU, I would see the Celeron 10xx-series as the replacements - not the "premium" options.

And the computer will mostly be running at idle or low % CPU use. So it would probably make more sense to get a G1610, undervolt or underclock it if you can, and throw it into any uITX motherboard with the features you want.

You'll have a computer that would spend most of its time eating only a couple more w at idle or close to it, and which would have a LOT more oomph to spare when the time came. (G1610 has a bigger clockspeed advantage over the 1037U than the 1037U has over the 847.)

All completely true, but with the disadvantage that it produces (or rather, "can produce") a LOT more heat when it does start using that extra headroom... which limits case designs and forces alternate cooling requirements. 17W vs 55W at load is a pretty substantial thermal difference for a small case!


Thanks for the reply, Dave. :thumbsup:

 

[SithSolo1]

All completely true, but with the disadvantage that it produces (or rather, "can produce") a LOT more heat when it does start using that extra headroom... which limits case designs and forces alternate cooling requirements. 17W vs 55W at load is a pretty substantial thermal difference for a small case!
:thumbsup:

But the G1610 will never see a close to a 55w load. The 55w TDP is the limit of Intel's entire standard dual-core IVY bridge line-up:

Intel has a 55w TDP listed for the following:
G1610 -- 2.6ghz, 2MB L3, Intel HD Graphics, no Hyper-Threading
G2020 -- 2.9ghz, 3MB L3, Intel HD Graphics, no Hyper-Threading
G2130 -- 3.2ghz, 3MB L3, Intel HD Graphics, no Hyper-Threading
i3-3240 - 3.4ghz, 3MB L3, Intel HD 2500 Graphics, Hyper-Threading
i3-3245 - 3.4ghz, 3MB L3, Intel HD 4000 Graphics, Hyper-Threading

Do you really think the G1610 draws as much power under load as the i3-3245?

Of those, the i3s will be the closest to a 55w power draw under full stress though probably still a few watts under. The entire G1610 system should be in the mid-30s under normal load. A G1610, motherboard, 2 sticks of ram, and a HDD/SSD combined will not draw 55w even under full stress.

 

[nForce2]

Closest thing I've seen is this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128598

It uses the 1007U which is clocked at 1.5ghz vs the 1.8ghz 1037U, it also has an old school PCI slot instead of a PCIe for some odd reason. That being said its about $95 shipped.

Thanks! :thumbsup:

I had looked at that one, indirectly, because I had found it in a nice small case on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111127790693

But yeah, I think if I'm doing an upgrade like this, I would want a PCI-express slot. :\

But the G1610 will never see a close to a 55w load.
...
A G1610, motherboard, 2 sticks of ram, and a HDD/SSD combined will not draw 55w even under full stress.

Points taken... but even so, it's clear that the G1610 is in an entirely different power category than the 1037U. The 1037U takes so little of a heatsink that ECS built it as a "Thin" Mini-ITX form factor. This is the side profile *with* the CPU heatsink/fan:

Please don't get me wrong... because I *DO* appreciate the help from both of you. :thumbsup:
But I wasn't asking "What is the best low-power HTPC setup available now"... I was asking if anyone knew where the mysterious 1037U motherboards were at. The 1037U would be perfect for my needs. There are plenty of pictures out there, and plenty of mentions in the computer news blogs- but the boards themselves are either not yet in the retail chain, or a surprising number of big name manufacturers are pushing vaporware.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

The news blurbs say the boards were announced in July, and didn't give an expected street date. I'd give it 90 days and grab some coffee.

 

[cbn]

Oh I do like!!

....and I really like the idea of DC power in too!!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but thin-mini-ITX has been around a while, as have low-profile coolers. You can also add DC input to any motherboard with a PicoPSU, although thin ITX boards usually use external DC power.

It's doable with almost any lower-powered CPU these days.

Neat build:

http://www.techspot.com/article/667-thin-mini-itx-fanless-pc-build/

 

[cbn]

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but thin-mini-ITX has been around a while, as have low-profile coolers. You can also add DC input to any motherboard with a PicoPSU, although thin ITX boards usually use external DC power.

It's doable with almost any lower-powered CPU these days.

Neat build:

http://www.techspot.com/article/667-thin-mini-itx-fanless-pc-build/

Oh yeah, I have known about Intel's thin Mini itx for a while now.....

Unfortunately the socketed boards I have seen in thin Mini itx have been really expensive.....so have the cases (including the recently released Silverstone PT13)

Hopefully this board will be different in price as it is BGA, but something tells me not to hold my breath.

P.S. ASUS is releasing a BGA thin mini-itx for AMD's Kabini....so maybe will eventually see a pricing change making this form factor more affordable in the future?

 

[Insert_Nickname]

You'll have a computer that would spend most of its time eating only a couple more w at idle or close to it, and which would have a LOT more oomph to spare when the time came. (G1610 has a bigger clockspeed advantage over the 1037U than the 1037U has over the 847.)

Have a Celeron G1610+Asrock B75M-ITX here. Uses ~6W idle undervolted to 0.5V. Full load it uses 11-12W. Entire system idles at ~25W, but that most likely because of the PSU.

 

[nForce2]

....and I really like the idea of DC power in too!!

Me too - that's a huge plus for the ECS board, so I'm hoping that one becomes available. :thumbsup:

Granted, the picoPSUs are easy enough... but having the power conversion on-board saves a lot of wiring and is a much cleaner look. :thumbsup: I suppose you would have to figure out a separate power supply for the drives though.... hmmm...

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but thin-mini-ITX has been around a while, as have low-profile coolers.
...
Neat build:

Unfortunately the socketed boards I have seen in thin Mini itx have been really expensive.....so have the cases (including the recently released Silverstone PT13)

That's an interesting concept (Dave) - to pipe the heat directly to the case like that to save vertical space. How do the other Thin-Mini-ITX heatsinks work, are they a heatsink with the fan on the side instead of the top? (They would have a bit less vertical space to work with, due to the inclusion of the CPU socket....)

Have a Celeron G1610+Asrock B75M-ITX here. Uses ~6W idle undervolted to 0.5V. Full load it uses 11-12W. Entire system idles at ~25W, but that most likely because of the PSU.

That's great information, thanks! :thumbsup: For reference, what kind of hardware is included in your "entire system"? And is it underclocked to go along with the undervolting?

 

[nForce2]

The news blurbs say the boards were announced in July, and didn't give an expected street date. I'd give it 90 days and grab some coffee.

90 days would put them right around the time of the Black Friday deals.


I sent off a batch of inquiries last night... one each to Biostar USA, Foxconn (global), Jetway (USA), and ECS USA, inquiring about their various 1037U motherboards.

I also sent one to Newegg, to see if they were planning on carrying any 1037U motherboards in the near future.

So we'll see what they say.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

That's great information, thanks! :thumbsup: For reference, what kind of hardware is included in your "entire system"? And is it underclocked to go along with the undervolting?

Its not underclocked, but the option is there. But I figured the extra clockspeed is well worth the very minuscule amount of extra power consumption. Its spends most of the time at 1600MHz anyway, video decoding only uses between 10 and 15% of the CPU.

The PSU is a Corsair CX430, its really not that efficient at such low loads. 4GB PC1066 RAM @ 1.25V. Other then that there is only an SSD (Intel 320 120GB) connected.

What I find most intriguing is the fact that the G1610 uses less power then my previous G465 (32nm singlecore with HT @ 1900MHz). Compared the 1610 has a full additional core and a 500MHz clockspeed advantage. Intels 22nm process is really impressive for its low power use.

 

[nForce2]

I sent off a batch of inquiries last night... one each to Biostar USA, Foxconn (global), Jetway (USA), and ECS USA, inquiring about their various 1037U motherboards.

Update: I heard back from Foxconn and Biostar.

Foxconn suggested buying it from Newegg, or contacting their other distributors. I couldn't decide if it was a template response or hand-written, but either way, their distributors don't have them for sale (yet) that I can see.

The Biostar response, however, was much more interesting. They (Biostar USA) have the motherboards... but they're waiting to release them until the NM70I-847 inventory is reduced. :hmm:



So it at least sounds plausible that the Biostar boards could hit the market relatively soon. I did a quick check of the retailer inventories: Newegg has 113, and there's less than 20 of them on Amazon. Tiger Direct let me put 10,000+ in my cart, so their ordering system must not be accurate for their inventory. Also, I have no idea how much inventory Biostar themselves has - or if it is more of a courtesy to their retailers that bought a lot of them. Either way, I'll keep an eye on it. :thumbsup:

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Cool. I guess I know what's going in my next weird case mod.

There are low profile aftermarket coolers available. Typically designed for 1U servers. They're a little higher than the 25mm target for thin mini itx, but not by much.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835200057

This one is rated for up to 65w TDP CPUs, and is 29mm tall.

 

[nForce2]

Hold the phone... I found another one. Nano-ITX this time.

Qotom Q1037U
http://www.qotom.com/zhongduanji/view_Q1037U.html

$112.86 shipped, from here:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Nano...-Dual-Display-1-SIM-mainboard/1124018545.html

Hmmmm.................... :hmm:


I've heard all kinds of stories, bad AND good, about buying through AliExpress. Maybe this one is worth a chance?

 

[Zap]

The Biostar response, however, was much more interesting. They (Biostar USA) have the motherboards... but they're waiting to release them until the NM70I-847 inventory is reduced. :hmm:

So maybe time for another Newegg bundle of "free" 8GB DDR3 with the NM70I-847 motherboard? :awe:

One thing I don't like about the Biostar boards is the tiny heatsink/fan used. I would rather have a big heatsink with a bigger, slower fan.

I've heard all kinds of stories, bad AND good, about buying through AliExpress. Maybe this one is worth a chance?

Looks as if it ships from somewhere in Asia. I've had reasonable luck with products purchased that way, but warranty and returns really sucks to deal with.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Hold the phone... I found another one. Nano-ITX this time.

Qotom Q1037U
http://www.qotom.com/zhongduanji/view_Q1037U.html

Looks like it's limited to the onboard 2GB of RAM?

 

[nForce2]

Looks like it's limited to the onboard 2GB of RAM?

Good catch. The different websites seem to have different specs... Most list it as having SO-DIMM expansion "up to 8 GB", but others do list it as just 2GB.

I can't see any soldered RAM in the pictures, but I can't see enough space for a memory slot either. Maybe the slot(s) or soldered memory are on the underside of the motherboard?


Either way, I seem to have found the first "available" 1037U motherboard.

 

[nForce2]

Another somewhat related development - the 1037U-based Gigabyte BRIX GB-XM14-1037 is now available from a seller on eBay, for $230 shipped direct from Taiwan:

www.ebay.com/itm/271259815785

So we might start seeing these pretty soon too.

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4606#sp

 

[nForce2]

It looks like this product, the QOTOM-Q100, is the Qotom Q1037U motherboard in an aluminum case, bundled with an 8GB SSD and power supply. One of the references says that it will come to the market in September.


The photos I'm finding show two different case designs... no idea which one you would get. But if you need small size with a case, it might be a bit more flexible than the BRIX depending on your needs.

 

[VirtualLarry]

So maybe time for another Newegg bundle of "free" 8GB DDR3 with the NM70I-847 motherboard? :awe:

One thing I don't like about the Biostar boards is the tiny heatsink/fan used. I would rather have a big heatsink with a bigger, slower fan.

I sincerely hope that BIOSTAR fixes whatever BIOS power-management bug that prevents them from working properly with Ubuntu-based Linux distros.

 

[cbn]

I sincerely hope that BIOSTAR fixes whatever BIOS power-management bug that prevents them from working properly with Ubuntu-based Linux distros.

I looked into the Random reboot issue myself.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2094859&p=12480422#post12480422

According to that above post disabling both RC6 options in the BIOS is the fix.

 

[nForce2]

I sincerely hope that BIOSTAR fixes whatever BIOS power-management bug that prevents them from working properly with Ubuntu-based Linux distros.

According to that above post disabling both RC6 options in the BIOS is the fix.

Ugh... Good luck with that - hopefully they eventually fix it the right way.

I would *NOT* be happy if I specifically purchased an ultra-low-power board, only to find that it was unstable, and the "fix" was to disable the power management features! :\