So what do we think of the AMD 690G chipset? If you intend to build a small, quiet PC with integrated graphics and you're keen to save money on your processor and motherboard then the 690G is a winner. If you want a motherboard with integrated graphics that can support two monitors or you're connecting to an HDTV over HDMI then, again, the 690G is the chipset of choice.

It's quite possible that the Nvidia MCP68 will upset this particular apple cart when it launches later this month. However, on past form, the Nvidia chipset will be relatively expensive.

That's the chipset covered so now let's quickly turn to the Asus motherboard. This Micro-ATX design has a reasonable list of features but there are a couple of notable omissions. The Realtek HD audio only has three 3.5mm audio sockets with no option for digital output, and while you can easily plug a sound card into one of the two PCI slots that rather misses the point with a highly integrated motherboard like this one is supposed to be. We would have appreciated a Firewire port and, ideally, a couple more USB 2.0 ports. There are three USB headers on the board, which is handy if you have ports mounted in your case, but you don't get any brackets in the package. The single parallel ATA connector is laid down to make cable routing easier and the four SATA connectors are neatly positioned in the corner.

Lord knows why Asus has included a Parallel port.

It's hardly an exciting design but it is neatly laid out with the power connectors at the edges of the board and there are two spare fan connectors in the unlikely event that you feel the need for more cooling.

Verdict

The new AMD 690G chipset is a superb bundle of budget silicon that delivers the best integrated graphics money can buy. The graphics are an incremental improvement over the previous X300 core, but brings scope for HDMI output and multi-monitor support. The price is low and the power draw is even lower, and those are two very appealing features.

Related stories

Nvidia GeForce 7150/nForce 630i integrated chipset (25 September 2007)
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.67GHz desktop processor (20 July 2007)
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 & MSI P35 Diamond mobo (17 July 2007)
Intel power PC platforms: Core 2 Extreme QX6800 and V8 (5 June 2007)
Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 hard drive (25 May 2007)
EVGA 680i LT SLI nForce-based motherboard (30 April 2007)
MSI NX8600GTS graphics card (17 April 2007)
Sapphire Radeon X1950 GT-based graphics card (2 April 2007)
AMD updates Catalyst graphics software (30 March 2007)
Sapphire Radeon X1550 graphics card (1 March 2007)
Abit KN9 SLI Socket AM2 motherboard (12 January 2007)
LG GBW-H10N internal Blu-ray disc burner (13 December 2006)
Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS graphics card (16 November 2006)
Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX graphics card (8 November 2006)
Abit AW9D-Max 975X-based mobo (20 October 2006)