The number of mini-PC options has rapidly expanded over the past few months, with the inexpensive Raspberry Pi leading the pack. Adding to the trend, VIA is now launching a new Pico-ITX board which is slightly larger than a Raspberry Pi mini-PC. The VIA EPIA-P910 features a 1GHz VIA QuadCore E-Series x86 processor with DirectX 11 support.

"The VIA EPIA-P910 features the most advanced technology from VIA with the latest VIA VX11H MSP and VIA QuadCore E-Series processor," said Epan Wu, VIA Technologies' Head of the VIA Embedded Platform Division. "It provides superior computing performance and the richest display capabilities allowing embedded system designers to innovate for immersive embedded environments."

The fact that VIA's chips are x86-compatible means the P910 can run just about any OS users want, from Windows 8 to OS X and Android. The CPU is a four-core part clocked at 1GHz, while the DirectX 11-compatible Chromotion 640 GPU can pump out 3-D and 1080p content "flawlessly," as VIA touted.

VIA laid out the P910 like a traditional PC mainboard, which means users get dual USB ports, Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, and a pair of SATA ports. An optional expansion board can also be attached to add PS/2 ports, six more USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, and audio jacks. Users will, however, need to add their own internal storage, as well as their own RAM. The board can support up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM.

VIA squeezed everything onto a tiny circuit board just slightly larger than the Raspberry Pi standard-bearer. On the other hand, while the Pi costs just $35, the VIA EPIA-P910 will likely cost significantly more. VIA's press release made no mention of pricing, but considering the hardware involved you can expect the board to cost a bit more than basic ARM-based solutions.

According to VIA, its newest Pico-ITX embedded PC can be used in a wide range of next-generation ultra-compact devices suitable for applications in health care, logistics, fleet management, as well as other vertical market segments. The company has not provided a release date yet.