Introduction

The AMD 690 chipset was released in 2006, and BIOS LEVEL previously reviewed the chipset's successor, the 780 chipset. The 690 made appearances in many AMD motherboards, but a popular use for the chipset was mobile applications such as laptops.

Asus recently sent us the P2-M2A690G, the AMD 690G chipset barebone under Asus' "Pundit" series of booksize PCs. The P2-M2A690G features support for socket AM2 CPUs, dual DDR2 RAM slots, ATI Radeon X1250 graphics, and an HDCP-compliant HDMI port.

Packaging

The P2-M2A690G was shipped in cardboard packaging, bearing a P-Series logo, as well as the Asus product number.

With the packaging opened, I found the unit's power cord packaged on the top. The unit itself was packed in with only cardboard protection, rather than any Styrofoam. However, it was covered in a Styrofoam sheet to protect against scratches.

Before I remove the sheet and begin installation, I will review the features and specifications of the P2-M2A690G and the AMD 690G chipset inside.