Intel has launched two new motherboards for small form factor notebooks and desktops.

The Desktop Board D945GSEJT is fully integrated with the 45nm Intel Atom processor N270 and the Mobile Intel 945GSE Express Chipset, and is designed as a low-power board for low-power netbooks or thin client PCs. The platform offers a number of I/O capabilities such as PCI Express Mini Card and conventional PCI slots, Serial ATA ports, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and gigabit Ethernet LAN connectivity, high-definition audio and legacy expandability.

The Intel Desktop Board DG41MJ supports low power Intel Core 2 Quad processors and Intel Core 2 Duo processors to offer users space saving desktop capabilities and is aimed at catering to everyday multimedia needs.

Speaking at the Intel Solutions Summit 2009, Intel product manager for client desktop boards, Norman Cheng, said the vendor was responding to customer and market demands for smaller form factors and lower power technology.

"We offer these boards for our smaller channel partners as a way for them to compete more effectively with the big guys in the small form factor arena," he said. "The idea of motherboards like these is to keep prices down for those partners, who previously would have to build a custom board, which would drive costs up in comparison to the HPs and Dells."

The DG41MJ is available now, while the D945GSEJT will be available towards the end of the first half of 2009.

- Matt Sainsbury travelled to the Intel Solutions Summit in the Gold Coast as a guest of Intel.