I ordered the Intel D945GCLF2 Essential Series Desktop Motherboard back in 2008. Over a decade later when I am writing this post, I still have this MOBO in working condition and it is a real pleasure to be able to write about it. Intel introduced it's Atom family processors in the same years and I clearly remember my enthusiasm around this little board back then. It is powered by a 64 bit Dual Core Intel Atom 330 Processor which is embedded within the MOBO.

Back then, I was looking for a simple Desktop computer which won't be power hungry yet allow me to perform simple stuff like web browsing, watching YouTube, editing documents things of that nature. This Mini-ITX Motherboard was very similar to what I was looking for. So, I placed an order for this MOBO from Amazon and the Apex Mi-800 Black Mini ITX case from Newegg for this build. I threw an Kingston 2GB DDR2 low-profile Ram and it was up and running in no time.
Since this MOBO doesn't come with built-in WiFi module, I purchased a TP-Link Low-Profile PCI Wireless Card to connect with my router. I thought about the USB WiFi module then again I had no use of the single PCI expansion slot of this board anyway. With Windows XP installation, this PC performed fairly well and I got no major complain. Now, lets talk about some of the Pros and Cons.
The Good
As I mentioned above, it is a decent MOBO for regular office work and that's about it. However, it would be a great file or web server for home or office usage that wont draw too much power. I am yet to test Windows 10 on it so I won't be able to give you any real life user experience right now.
The Bad
Please bare in mind that its highly unlikely that you will be happy with heavy tasks like photo editing with Photoshop or even Gimp. In fact, you will struggle even to watch any Hi-Definition video content. Be it in YouTube or on your computer. It simply is not capable of doing all these. Since this MOBO doesn't have any expansion slot to support modern Graphic card, you would have to live without all these features. This board features Intel 82945GC Graphic Chipset which supports native 1K resolution or 1920x1080 pixels with VGA ans S-Video port. So, please don't expect any miracle with that low resolution.
One standard PCI expansion slot was useful for me as I used it for the WiFi card. Otherwise, there are barely any use of these slots now a days. Another important issue that one should keep in mind that just in case if you decide to use Mini-ITX case like me, be sure to get the low profile memory module just to be on safe side. In my case, my standard memory module actually touched the power supply above the board and I had to get a new low profile memory.
Conclusion
The only reason I am still using this board a decade later is that, it is still functional and works just fine for me as a file server. If you are in the market of building a Mini-ITX computer, there are so many of them are out there. Based on your requirements, choose the one that fits your bill. In my honest opinion, this board is almost irrelevant at this time and age but a legend by its own right as it was one of those board that basically introduced Intel Atom Processors for Desktop computer form factor and that's that.
Disclosure: This Review is not Sponsored.
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