AOpen First to Market Motherboards for Intel's Pentium 4 845 Chipset; MX4BS & AX4BS Boards Extremely Well-Suited for Mainstream Applications

Business Wire, August 27, 2001

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 27, 2001

Timed with the current introduction of Intel's Pentium 4 platform with the 845 chipset, AOpen Inc. announced today that it is the first board manufacturer to ship two new motherboards built specifically to take full advantage of the newest Pentium 4 processor's power and functionality. In addition, the new boards -- combined with Intel's new processor -- offer mainstream application developers new opportunities in what they can offer their users.

"PC System builders in North America will appreciate AOpen's continued commitment to design/manufacturing dependability and reliability with our new P-4 Series boards," said Bernie Tsai, CEO of AOpen Inc. "Although our motherboards practically sell themselves by wearing a long-standing badge of quality, the real benefit of choosing an AOpen P-4 Series board as the keystone for building a PC is more than just the board. The fact that we're the first ones out the gate with boards supporting the Pentium 4 845 chipset proves our dedication to giving our channel partners an extra boost to stay ahead. Our superior technical support, coast-to-coast localized service and blanket 3-year warranty make our boards some of the best you can buy through the reseller channel at a margin-sustainable price."

The MX4BS and the AX4BS both sport a unique black PCB and come with Socket 478 and Intel 845 chipset designs, and use PC-133 SDRAM memory. Both boards come with one AGP slot; one CNR slot; support for four USB ports (two front/two rear); two IDE ATA33/66/100 controllers; an AC97 audio interface; and LAN on-board. The MX4BS comes with three PCI slots and a uATX form factor (244mm x 244mm), while the AX4BS comes with five PCI slots and an ATX form factor (305mm x 220mm).

The MX4BS has an estimated street price of $139 USD -- the AX4BS $149 USD. Both boards fully support ACPI 1.0 and APM 1.2 specs, come bundled with Norton Anti-Virus 2001 software, and feature AOpen's standard three-year warranty. They are available through all authorized AOpen channel partners.

Phone conferences with key members of AOpen executive management -- to further discuss the major significance of the announcement of this new series of boards -- are available during the period from Aug. 27th through Sept. 5th, 2001. Members of the media may schedule a conference by contacting mediarelations@intersightcom.com by email or calling AOpen's Media Relations group at 408/232-1297. Photos of the two boards for website posting or publication are also available by request.

About AOpen

AOpen Inc. is the world's largest total component solutions manufacturer and a member of a $10 billion technology group. Leveraging more than 24 years of technology manufacturing experience and more than 1,000 Group patents, AOpen designs, develops and markets advanced PC motherboards, optical drives, PC housings, peripherals, multimedia and networking solutions for resellers, system integrators and those who value reliability and performance.

Editor's Note: More information about AOpen, AOpen Products, services, and business partners is available on the World Wide Web at: www.AOpen.com.

AOpen is a registered trademark of AOpen Inc. All other products, brand names or companies are trademarks or registered marks of their respective companies.