VIA Technologies EPIA ME6000 - VIA Motherboard - Mini ITX Instruction Manual

Operating Guidelines Version 1.20
VIA EPIA M-Series Mini-ITX
Mainboard Operation
Guidelines
Contents
•Overview
•Layout
•Specifications
•Processor SKUs
•CLE266 Chipset Overview
•I/O Back Panel Layout
•Layout Diagram & Mounting Holes
•Noise Levels Data
•DVD Playback Tests
•Power Consumption Data
•Compatible Chassis
•Power Specifications
•FliteDeck – System Management Suite
•Smart5.1 – Intelligent 6 Channel Audio
•Linux & Microsoft Driver Support
•Contact

Operating Guidelines Version 1.20
EPIA M-Series Overview
Optimized for today’s killer digital media applications such as watching DVD movies
and listening to music, the 17cm x 17cm VIA EPIA M-Series includes a growing range
of feature rich and highly versatile solutions for building a complete range of
connected multimedia entertainment devices that meet the technical, ergonomic and
aesthetic requirements of this emerging but highly demanding market.
In addition to an integrated VIA C3 or fanless VIA Eden processors running at speeds
of up to 1GHz, the VIA EPIA M-Series features the VIA Apollo CLE266 chipset with
embedded UniChrome MPEG-2 decoder and integrated 2D/3D graphics core to
ensure smooth DVD playback and a rich overall entertainment experience. With the
sizable memory bandwidth of DDR266 SDRAM and the high data transfer speeds of
ATA/133, the VIA EPIA M-Series ensures the high performance levels required of
today’s most popular digital media and productivity applications. The user’s digital
media experience is further enhanced by support for 5.1 surround sound, courtesy of
the onboard VIA Six-TRAC 6 Channel AC’97 codec. The latest in high-bandwidth
connectivity is supported with IEEE 1394 and USB 2.0 connections provided, as well
as S-Video and RCA TV-Out (NTSC & PAL) and 10/100 Ethernet for seamless
broadband connectivity. The VIA EPIA M-Series also offers support for a growing
number of LVDS embedded LCD panels, has a PCI slot for expandability options, and
is compatible with a full range of Mini-ITX chassis as well as FlexATX and MicroATX
enclosures. It is also fully compatible with Microsoft® and Linux-based operating
systems.
EPIA M-Series Layout
Embedded VIA C3™-E
or Eden™ ESP 6000 processor
VIA CLE266 North Bridge,
featuring UniChrome MPEG-2
decoder and integrated
2D/3D graphics core
1 x DDR266DIMM
2 x IDE Ports ATA/133/100/
Support
1 PCI Slot
VIA VT8235 South
Bridge
10/100 Ethernet
TV-OUT IEEE 1394
USB 2.0
Audio Jacks / VIA Smart5.1
Surround Sound

Operating Guidelines Version 1.20
EPIA M Processor SKUs
The EPIA M-Series is available in two different speed grades. The EPIA ME6000
utilizes VIA’s ultra low power Eden processor while the EPIA M10000 utilizes the
robust VIA C3 processor.
E
EP PI IA A M ME E6 60 00 00 0
nVIA Eden™ ESP
Processor
nFanless Operation
n1.2v Operating Voltage
n128KB L1 Cache & 64KB
L2 Cache
nMMX and 3DNow!
E
EP PI IA A M M1 10 00 00 00 0
nVIA C3-E™ Processor
n1.35v Operating Voltage
n128KB L1 Cache & 64KB
L2 Cache
nMMX and 3DNow!
Suitable for fanless
systems where silent, ultra
low power operation is the
priority
Suitable for compact, low
noise, power efficient
systems running Multimedia
& productivity applications

Operating Guidelines Version 1.20
EPIA M-Series Specifications
Processor -VIA C3/Eden EBGA Processor
Chipset -VIA CLE266 North Bridge
-VT8235 South Bridge
System Memory - 1 DDR266 DIMM socket
- Up to 1GB memory size
VGA - Integrated UniChrome graphics
Expansion Slots - 1 PCI
Onboard IDE - 2 X ATA 133/100/66 Connectors
Onboard Floppy - 1 x FDD Connector
Onboard LAN - VIA VT6103 10/100 Base-T Ethernet PHY
Onboard Audio - VIA VT1616 6 channel AC’97 Codec
Onboard TV Out - VIA VT1622 TV out (Optional)
Onboard 1394 - VIA VT6307S Firewire
Onboard I/O
Connectors
- 1 USB connectors for 2 additional USB 2.0 ports
- 2 1394 connectors for 2 1394 ports
- Front-panel audio connectors (Mic and Line Out)
- CD Audio-in connector
- FIR connector
- PS2 connector
- Wake-on-LAN, Wake-on-Ring
-CPU/Sys FAN/FAN3
- System intrusion connector
- 1 I²C connector
- 1 connector for LVDS transmitter module (Optional)
- Serial port connector for second com port
Back Panel I/O - 1 PS2 mouse port
- 1 PS2 keyboard port
- 1 Parallel
- 1 RJ-45 LAN port
- 1 Serial port
- 2 USB 2.0 ports
- 1 VGA port
- 1 RCA port (SPDIF or TV out)
- 1 S-Video port
- 3 audio jacks: line-out, line-in and mic-in; can be switched to 6
channel output with Smart5.1
BIOS - Award BIOS
- 2/4Mbit flash memory
System Monitoring &
Management
- CPU temperature monitoring
- CPU voltage monitoring
- Wake-on-LAN, Keyboard-Power-on, Timer-Power-on
- System power management
- AC power failure recovery
Form Factor - Mini-ITX (4 layer)
- 17 cm x 17 cm

Operating Guidelines Version 1.20
VIA CLE266 Chipset Overview
The VIA Apollo CLE266 Chipset is designed to enable high quality digital video
streaming and DVD playback in a new generation of fanless, small form factor PCs
and IA devices. The CLE266 features the embedded UniChrome MPEG-2 decoder and
integrated 2D/3D graphics core as well as DDR266 support to ensure a rich overall
entertainment experience. Outstanding connectivity features include USB 2.0, IEEE
1394, TV Out, 10/100 LAN and ATA/133. For more information on the VIA CLE266
visit the VIA website at www.via.com.tw/en/apollo/cle266.jsp.

Operating Guidelines Version 1.20
EPIA M-Series I/O Back Panel Layout
The EPIA M’s ultra compact 17cm x 17cm integrated design supports all the standard
legacy x86 connectivity options as well as Ethernet LAN, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394
(onboard headers) and VIA Six-TRAC AC’97 audio. Video connectivity options are
second to none and include a VGA port, RCA port (SPDIF or TV Out), and S-Video
port.
PS/2 Mouse Connector Parallel Port Connector
RJ-45 LAN Port
VGA Dis
p
la
y
Connector
COM
Line-In
Line-Out
Mic-In
2 x USB Ports
S-Video Port
RCA Video
or
S/P DIF Port

Operating Guidelines Version 1.20
EPIA M-Series Layout Diagram & Mounting Holes
Noise Level Data
VIA and the EPIA series have been at the forefront of the quiet computing initiative.
The EPIA M–Series has been designed to be totally non-obtrusive with noise levels
equivalent to a person whispering. With noise levels ranging from the totally silent
EPIA ME6000 to 25dBA for the EPIA M10000, a new wave of system design
innovation and exciting opportunities are being created in an almost limitless number
of emerging new market segments - ranging from silent running mini-PCs and living
room digital media entertainment centers to Car PCs and a host of embedded
applications such as Kiosk, POS, and Industrial Control machines.
Common Sounds dBA Level
Threshold of hearing 0 dBA
EPIA ME6000 0 dBA
Normal breathing 10 dBA
Whispering at 1 meter 20 dBA
EPIA M10000 25 dBA
Conventional PC 35 – 50 dBA
Rainfall 50 dBA
Normal speech 60 dBA
The dBA scale is logarithmic, i.e. 10 dBA represents a doubling in volume. dBA values are measured at a
distance of one meter.

Operating Guidelines Version 1.20
DVD Payback Test
The table below compares VIA C3™ processor and CLE266 chipset DVD playback
performance to that of a powerful Intel® Pentium 4 1.7 GHz and 845 chipset with
Leadtek Geforce 4 MX440 VGA card. Despite giving away 1.167 GHz of processor
speed and competing with Geforce4 graphics the VIA CLE266 platform delivers
equivalent performance at a fraction of the cost and required space and cooling. Note
that this is a comparison of only the DVD playback performance, not a of overall
system performance, as digital media performance is what counts for the lifestyle
PC.
DVD Playback Performance
This table also shows that both platforms have achieved the magical figure of 30 frames per
second that indicates smooth or flawless DVD playback.
Power Consumption Tests
As the DVD playback performance is comparable in the table above, we will also look at the
different power consumption results for a range of typical home PC activities with the VIA EPIA
M-Series mainboards compared to the typical “one size fits all” platform that is being promoted by
others in the PC industry. We have also included the low power VIA EPIA-Series Mini-ITX
mainboards as a frame of reference. Where the VIA EPIA M-Series mainboards are aimed at the
living room space, the VIA EPIA 800 and fanless VIA EPIA 5000 are aimed at the thin-client,
small footprint desktop and education PC markets, although they are also being used as 1u
server, Personal Video Recorder and car PC platforms amongst others.
The “one size fits all” system that we are using as a reference platform is an Intel 845-based
Pentium 4 platform and we are comparing the power consumption to that of the VIA EPIA M-
Series Mini-ITX mainboards. Some of the tests are not aimed solely at Digital Media
performance, so they also include the power consumption numbers for the VIA EPIA Mini-ITX
mainboards. All tests were conducted using the Microsoft Windows® 2000 operating system and
include the wattage consumed by the total platforms. The table below each diagram uses the
Intel platform as a frame of reference for the accompanying calculations.
Intel 845 with Leadtek
Geforce 4 MX440
VIA Apollo CLE266
Platform
29.968--2529.7810—12Windows ME
Frame
Rate
CPU Usage
Frame
Rate
CPU usagePerformance
Pla
y
er
Cyberlink
PowerDVD4.0-(DxVA)
Cyberlink
PowerDVD4.0-(DxVA)
Vendor
Intel® Pentium 4 1.7GHzVIA C3™ 533MHz
CPU

Operating Guidelines Version 1.20
24.3 22.3 23.2
15.1
53
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Watts
EPIA M 10000 EPIA M E6000 EPIA V10000 EPIA VE5000 Intel 845-
based M B
Pentium 4 1.7G
Playing DVD
DVD playback performance of these two platforms is not only flawless but the scores are also
very close to each other. In figure 2, the power consumption of the EPIA M10000 and the Fanless
EPIA ME6000 is less than half of that of the reference platform.
22.6
20.4 20.9
13.3
39.3
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Watts
EPIA M 10000 EPIA M E6000 EPIA V10000 EPIA VE5000 Intel 845-
based M B
Pentium 4 1.7G
Playing MP3
Power consumption of the fanless VIA EPIA ME6000 is around half of that of the reference
platform at 51.9%. It is interesting to note that for MP3 playback the fanless VIA EPIA VE5000
only uses around 30% of the power that the reference platform uses. This is significant power
sensitive systems like car MP3 players are gaining in popularity.

Operating Guidelines Version 1.20
17.1 16.2
12.1
9.3
24.3
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Watts
EPIA M 10000 EPIA ME6000 EPIA V10000 EPIA VE5000 Intel 845-
based M B
Pentium 4
1. 7 G
Idle
In this comparison, the power consumed while standing idle is compared and the VIA EPIA M-
Series mainboards draw around 60% of the power that the reference platform draws.
30.4
21.9 24.4
14
71.1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Watts
EPIA M10000 EPIA ME6000 EPIA V10000 EPIA VE5000 Intel 845-based
M B Pentium 4
1. 7 G
Running Office Apps
Lifestyle PC systems will be used most for digital media applications but they will also be able to
be used as fully functional PCs. The comparison above uses CC Winstone 2001 to compare
power consumption while carrying out standard office tasks like word processing, manipulating
spreadsheets and web browsing. In this comparison, the fanless VIA EPIA ME6000 mainboard
uses less than 30% of the power used by the reference platform. It is interesting to note that the
fanless VIA EPIA5000 uses less than 20% of the power used by the reference platform.