congatec announces new COM Express small form factor module based on latest Intel Core i7 processor

The major highlight of the COM Express Basic (95x125mm) module with type 2 connector pin-out is the boosted graphics performance. The 3D performance was increased substantially over the last generation of Intel integrated graphics. Paired with the additional computing performance of the Intel® Core™ i7 processor the conga-BM57 is an ideal solution for intense graphics applications which are often found in gaming or medical image applications.

The implemented Intel® Turbo Boost Technology provides an on-demand boost in the clock speed for one processor core if the other core is less utilized. This new feature improves the computing performance by as much as 25% - as measured by congatec during benchmark testing.

In order to keep the power consumption at about the same level as the predecessor generation, the Intel® Core™ i7 processor supports new power management states. The C6 state, already known from Intel® Core™ processors, saves the architectural state to a dedicated SRAM. Then the cores can be switched off to reduce the current to almost zero. The independence of the C6 states for each core boasts even greater power savings for the platform.

Five PCI Express lanes, eight USB 2.0 ports, three SATA, one EIDE and a Gigabit Ethernet interface allow for fast and flexible system extensions. Fan control, LPC bus for slow speed extensions and Intel® High Definition Audio complete the feature set.