We are quite excited to release Biostar TA690G AM2 motherboard today; a MicroATX platform ideal for home theatre PC application. This board stands out because of the comprehensive video outputs it has. A standard analog video output isn't too astounding, but a digital DVI port, S-Video TV-output and an HDMI video output all on one motherboard is pretty unique!

The Ultimate On-board Graphics
The Biostar TA690G AM2 motherboard is built on AMD's 690G Northbridge and SB600 Southbridge chipsets, and it supports all Socket AM2 processors from the AMD Sempron to the Athlon64/X2 and FX processors. The platform can be used for 32-bit or 64-bit computing as well. Four DDR2 slots accommodate up to 8GB of DDR2-400/533/667/800 memory. In terms of data storage, four 3.0Gb/s Serial ATA II channels provide lots of room for additional drives, and RAID 0,1,10 is possible too. There is one one parallel IDE port, so you're best off connecting a DVD/ROM there. Gigabit Ethernet and 7.1 channel High Definition audio come standard, though the COM and parallel printer ports are both only available from headers. With its' ATI Radeon X1250 Graphics on board, the Biostar TA690G AM2 provides a good solid platform for office applications and the like, without the need to install a stand alone videocard. If gaming is your thing, you'll want to install a nice Geforce 8600GTS PCI Express 16 videocard or something comparable. The onboard graphics card shares up to 512 MB of system memory.

In terms of expansion the Biostar TA690G AM2 provides ten USB 2.0 ports for peripherals (four are on the rear I/O, the rest via internal headers). There is a PCI Express x16 slot for stand alone videocards (a good idea if you plan on gaming), a PCI Express x1 slot for high bandwidth devices and two PCI slots for legacy peripherals

Superior Features

There are a couple of nice nods towards the user experience like a set of hard Power and Reset buttons on the PCB

Also fully passive thermal solution for each chipset is eye-catching. The large and higher heatsink attached to the NB to dissipate heat efficiently. The heatsink above the SB will cool down the temperature rapidly.

Solid electrolytic capacitors, using conductive polymer materials will extend the live-span of the board.

Low-distortion audio design is based on Biostar own concept with one independent high-efficiency capacitor for each channel. An unwanted noise will be shut out and SNR ratio will be over 95dB – good enough for Vista premium.

“Those looking for a no fuss multimedia system have a real alternative, every other integrated chipset out there requires a few extras here and there. The Biostar TA690G AM2 is a strong motherboard with a lot to offer. If you want to build a home entertainment machine or just want a low cost workstation computer, the TA690G AM2 should definitely be on your radar.”
Source: PC Stats, Canada (http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2106&page=13)

“The “THUMBS UP” award goes for perfect design and overall manufacturing to Biostar TA690G AM2. There are quite a few outstanding features besides great integrated graphic and HDMI port; including complete passive cooling and eye-catching overclocking options” Source: Computer Magazine, Czech Republic.

• IDE Cable
• FDD Cable{INS_STR}
• SATA Cable{INS_STR}
• SATA Power Cable
• I/O Shield
• CD Driver
• User Manual

• 1 x IDE Cable
• 1 x FDD Cable
• 2 x SATA Cable
• 1 x SATA Power Cable
• 1 x I/O Shield
• 1 x CD Driver
• 1 x User Manual

• Manual

  File	Download
  R690A-M2T_1226_B.exe

• BIOS
  Caution !!
  
  We don't recommend the user to update the BIOS while the system is running in good condition. The failure of updating the BIOS due to improper operation will cause a damage of the system, BIOSTAR is assumed no responsibility. Please do not hesitate to contact us with E- Support if you have any question.

  File	Description	File Size	Upload Date	Download
  R69AM828.BST	Improved sounds. (Beta)	524288	2008-08-28
  R69AM604.BST	To support AMD 4450E CPU. (with Biostar logo)	524288	2008-06-04

  Bios Utility

  Operating System	Version	Date	File Size	Download
  Windows  XP x86/ XP x64/ Vista x86/ Vista x64/ Server 2003 x86/ Server 2003 x64/ XP MCE/ 7 x86/ 7 x64/ 8 x64/ 8 x86	1.9.4.8	2012-09-17	4.08 MB

  BIOScreen

  Operating System	Version	Date	File Size	Download
  Windows  XP x86/ XP x64/ Vista x86/ Vista x64/ XP MCE/ 7 x86/ 7 x64/ 8 x64/ 8 x86	0.9.2.9	2012-10-09	3.32 MB

• Driver

  Category	Description	Version	Date	File Size	Download
  Chipset	Operating System:Windows  XP x86/ XP x64	1.0.0.0	2007-06-12	148.25 MB
  	Operating System:Windows  Vista x86/ Vista x64	1.0.0.0	2007-06-11	123.4 MB
  On-Board LAN	Operating System:Windows  2000/ XP x86/ XP x64/ XP MCE	5.810.1218.2012	2013-04-23	5.66 MB
  	Operating System:Windows  Vista x86/ Vista x64	6.252.1109.2012	2013-04-23	5.72 MB
  On-Board Audio	Operating System:Windows  Vista x86/ Vista x64/ 7 x86/ 7 x64/ 8 x64/ 8 x86	6.0.1.6662	2012-08-17	98.17 MB
  	Operating System:Windows  2000/ XP x86/ XP x64/ XP MCE	5.10.0.6662	2012-08-17	31.12 MB
  HDMI	Operating System:Windows  2000/ XP x86/ XP x64/ Vista x86/ Vista x64/ XP MCE/ 7 x86/ 7 x64/ 8 x64/ 8 x86	R2.70	2012-10-09	22.1 MB
  USB 2.0 Controller	Operating System:Windows  2000/ XP x86/ XP x64/ XP MCE	1.0.0.0	2008-08-20	108 KB
  Serial ATA RAID	Operating System:Windows  XP x86/ XP x64	2.5.1540.39	2007-06-12	525.9 KB
  	Operating System:Windows  Server 2003 x86/ Server 2003 x64	2.5.1540.28	2007-06-12	463.59 KB
  	Operating System:Windows  Vista x86/ Vista x64	2.5.1540.43	2007-06-12	877.92 KB