In my hands at the moment is a regular old micro-ATX size motherboard box in black and yellow. I immediately notice two things that seem strange with this product – one, it’s a Zotac, and two, the board seems to have been laundered and have shrunk when it dried – I couldn’t find the motherboard in its box at first.  Zotac is better known for its videocards, especially the AMP! series which gives very respectable overclocks for not a large premium. This time, they’re out to make a name for themselves in the motherboard space, and they have chosen to make a tiny statement in the form of the ITX form factor nForce 610i-ITX.

This Zotac ITX motherboard is very tiny – it is only about as big as an Archie’s comics length-wise, and only an inch wider. In this diminutive piece of silicon, Zotac has crammed in motherboard components typically found only in its bigger, micro-ATX brothers. Starting from the center, the chipset is the Nvidia 7050 paired up with the 610i southbridge. As explored in a previous motherboard review, the 7050 is one of the first truly capable on-board video chipsets available for motherboards, with performance similar to the old discrete 7100 GS chip from Nvidia. While not meant to play heavy 3D games, the on-board graphics is capable of giving a smooth Vista Aero-interface, smooth scrolling in graphics intensive applications like Google maps, and is very capable in video playback if paired with a decent CPU and enough memory.

                                             Size comparisons between a standard ATX and micro-ATX motherboard.

Speaking of CPUs and memory, the 610i is capable of supporting up to 4GB of DDR2-667 memory, spanning over 2 memory slots. Intel Core2 Quads in the 65nm process are supported, as well as Core2 dual 45nm chips. Something to consider: although the 7050 officially supports only 1066MHz FSB, the Zotac lists support for 1333MHz – from previous experience, this type FSB overclock is more than stable and shouldn’t give the user any trouble. The components on this board is only limited by the space available on the PCB, which is a shame considering the number of I/O options the 610i southbridge has on offer. This board has one PATA connector, two SATA 3.0Gbps ports, one set of HD Audio 5.1 Ports,
two PS/2 ports for legacy input, a serial Port (pin header), four USB ports at the back panel along with a single RJ45 port, and an additional four USB ports on pin headers. The RJ45 is a 10/100 part in keeping with the 610i chip. The VGA out at the rear panel and a single PCI-E x1 slot rounds off the expansion capabilities – a somewhat disappointing option considering the small number of x1 devices.

                                             The bundles items include the CD driver, backplate, IDE and SATA cables, and a manual, all of which threaten to engulf the motherboard itself.

Much as I would have preferred a full PCI or even a PCI-E x16 slot in place of the x1 slot, this would have been an impossibility with the mini-ITX board’s dimensions, as well as the fact that this board will most probably be used in projects and mods instead of a straight-on PC build for a regular desktop user. For its intended purpose, the Zotac 610i is very well-equipped – as a media center, its 7050 graphics should put it ahead of other typical small form factor offerings. Its multiple USB connectors also give the user the ultimate flexibility when it comes to expanding the capabilities of a mini-ITX based computer.

                                             Components are packed tight together, there's barely room between the major connectors.

                                              The rear has an empty space where a DVI might reside. It may be for a future chipset upgrade.

                                             The single PCI-E x1 is surrounded by USB headers; the x1 interface has limited usability.

The market for super tiny mini-ITX boards is also correspondingly small, and there aren’t a lot of options. Off the top of my head only the VIA Epia series has made any kind of impact locally. This Zotac product is set to make waves upon its release with its use of a modern Nvidia chipset in such a small PCB size. In addition to its obvious capability, most people will also simply be smitten by its size and the number of connection options it offers. More pictures to follow.

                                              Zotac thoughtfully provides a stopper to prevent the board from rattling around its "oversized" box.