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FIC
FALCON CR51 MINI-ITX BAREBONE SYSTEM
With
barebone systems quickly gaining a part of usual ATX systems, many companies
have launched themselves into that market. Consequently, lately names such
as Shuttle
and Soltek have been well known for their success in that specific
sector.
| Features |
Info
|
- RaptureWare
- Mini-ITX Form Factor
- 150W Flex PSU
- Low Power Consumption
- Quiet Operation
|
|
However,
in this review we shall examine FIC’s Falcon CR51
based on one of VIA’s EPIA mainboards.
What’s so Special
The
Falcon CR51 might look like a normal barebone system,
but it actually has a few tricks up its sleeves. In the BIOS, there is an
option to activate the built-in RaptureWare firmware.
After installing a memory module, an optical drive, and powering on the system,
a few seconds later the system loads an interface which enables you to play
MP3 CDs, VCDs, and even DVDs. Therefore, there is no need for a hard
disk drive for the CR51 to function. Personally, I really enjoyed this feature
because there was no need to boot Windows XP for me to view movies or to listen
to some music.
Furthermore,
the Falcon’s BIOS actually can detect up to four IDE devices even though the
specifications mention x1 HDD and x1 Optical Drive. In fact, I opened the
case and changed the 150W Flex PSU (it only had three power connectors) for
a 250W standard power supply then took standard IDE cable and I was able to
install and use two HDDs, a CD-RW, and a DVD-ROM (outside the compact case) without
any problems.
A
First Look
As
I mentioned before, the CR51 SFF (Small Form Factor) system is based on the
EPIA Mainboard
family line (more specifically the original EPIA). These system boards
adopted the Mini ITX Form Factor which actually occupies only 39% (170mm x
170mm vs. 305mm x 245mm) of your typical ATX board’s surface while still maintaining
Micro ATX chassis compliancy unlike the 30% bigger Flex-ATX platforms.
Furthermore,
like the left picture tends to suggest (if you look really carefully), there
is no CPU socket on these type on motherboards: the processor is actually
soldered onto the board to save maximum space. Moreover, all onboard processors
are based of the C3 Ezra-T core which can run up to 933 MHz and can function
while only equipped with a heatsink and/or a relatively
small cooling fan (this helps keep the system quiet).
As
for other components, our 933 MHz CR51 featured:
·
133 MHz Front Side Bus
·
x2 IDE connectors (ATA 100/66/33 compliant)
·
x2 168 pin DIMM memory connectors (1GB max)
·
x1 keyboard connector
·
x1 mouse connector
·
x1 parallel port
·
x1 serial port
·
AGP 2X integrated graphics (VIA Apollo PLE133 embedded; up
to 8 MB)
·
AC’97 codec onboard
·
10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet
·
x4 1.1 USB ports (x2 rear, x2 front)
·
x1 Low profile PCI
·
150W Flex Power Supply
All
this is contained in a compact and stylish 135mm x 294.5mm x 260mm case.
Graphics
As
you can see from the previous list of components, the CR51 is not meant to
be a gaming system. Its AGP 2X 8MB integrated graphics solution is not what we
could call a gamer’s dream. Running under Quake III, this graphics adapter
could barely pass the 15 FPS barrier while executing the game at 640 x 480
resolution and 16 bit colors (17 FPS in 3DMark2000 game demo 1 is not the
best score ever seen). In addition to that, SDRAM memory is not the best way
to boost video performance. However, that was never FIC’s
intention. It was meant to be a quiet home or office system that could be
used for web browsing, DVD playback, or office work
without taking much space. In fact, our system could easily fit on top of
any mid size desk while standing next to a 17” long neck CRT monitor.
As
for the DVD playback, it was quite acceptable while using Cyberlink’s
PowerDVD XP. The image quality was reasonable and the playback
was quite smooth. Paired up was its low noise level and its optional TV-Out
(unfortunately our system was not equipped with one) the Falcon can easily
be utilized as a DVD Player.
However,
with the help of PCI video card such as an ATI AIW Radeon
7500, the Falcon CR51 can also be used as a compact Personal Video Recorder
or a multimedia entertainment center.
A
Couple of Benchmarks
Test
Setup:
- VIA
C3 Ezra-T 933 MHz (7.0 x 133 MHz) Processor
- x1
128 MB Micron SDRAM PC133 Memory Module
- x1
Maxtor 7200 RPM 20 GB HDD
- Onboard
Sound
- Onboard
Graphics
- VIA
Hyperion 4in1 4.45
- DirectX
9.0
- Windows
XP Professional
Benchmarks:
- Sisoftware
Sandra 2003 Pro
- PCMark2002
For
these tests, we try to install basic components to simulate a normal office
or web browsing system.
Sisoftware
Sandra 2003 Pro
CPU
Arithmetic Benchmark
We can notice that the lack of L2 cache (64kb) for the VIA C3 CPU is really
penalizing the Falcon in the CPU Arithmetic Benchmark. The 933 MHz Processor
is even beaten by a 750 MHz PIII Processor. This has always been one of the
weaknesses of VIA/Cyrix Processors.
CPU Multi-Media Benchmark
These are typical results from C3 CPUs. Again the lack of L2 Cache comes back
to haunt the CR51.
Memory Bandwidth Benchmark
For
this benchmark, we have to keep in mind that the integrated graphics is actually
slowing down the memory module. Therefore, the results are reasonable for
a PC133 solution.
PCMark2002
As
for the PCMark2002 results, we can say that they are acceptable for such a
system. These scores are enough for such a simple system (it will not be running
UT 2003 or MAYA though).
Summation
FIC’s
Falcon CR51 is quite an impressive system. Its sets new standards when it
comes to size, style, and compliance. It can play DVDs, MP3 CDs, and VCDs without even having to install a HDD or booting an OS.
It is very quiet and possesses incredibly low power consumption.
Still,
the lack of an AGP slot, the integrated 8 MB graphics, and the lack of L2
Cache can really hold the Falcon back. Nevertheless, this still remains quite
an attractive product when it comes to using it as an office, web browsing,
or DVD playback system. In addition to that, it also comes with a reasonable
price: $150 USD.
David Dorgerville
04.09.03
