Introduction

The K7SOM+ has a 1.2ghz AMD Duron soldered to the board. This isn't a new idea, But it is the first time an onboard CPU motherboard has used a reasonably powerful CPU. A combination of generic SiS based sound, video and LAN, and a Duron 1.2, makes a good specification for a plain vanilla workstation, or a home file server, mp3 box, anything bar gaming and the most demanding workstation tasks. It is also a very small board, measuring only 190mm by 244mm

Pricing

The greatest feature of the K7SOM+ is the price tag. A mere £60 buys you a 1.2gig Duron with heatsink and fan, a MicroATX motherboard, and sound, LAN and graphics capabilities. To put all this together from separate parts would cost more, considering £40 is the base line price for a budget motherboard, add on £25 for the CPU, and £5 for the cooler, you would have to shell out at least £70. The ECS K7SOM+ offers a small saving in monetary terms, but when you consider it is a hassle free way of making a low end system, it becomes a very attractive proposition. If you have ever tried to build up a computer from bargain bin parts, you will know of the compatibility issues, driver conflicts, untraceable reliability problems, and the annoyance of having to RMA faulty parts. Having almost a whole system sold as one product makes life a lot easier. Obviously, this is attractive to businesses, and I wouldn't be surprised if lots of OEMs decided to use the K7SOM+ as a base for their budget office machines.

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