GNU Libreboot Adds Support For Another (Outdated) Intel Motherboard

A mini-ITX board running the GNU Libreboot downstream of Coreboot sounds interesting for a fully free software HTPC/media center PC, right? Too bad this new motherboard port is for an i945 board released back in 2008 and has integrated a painfully slow original, single-core Atom chip.

If you happen to have the Intel D945GCLF2 motherboard, it's now supported by GNU Libreboot eight years after the product was launched with the i945GC Express chipset. The port landed with this commit.

Even if you have this board or are able to find it used, the preloaded BIOS is write-protected so you must externally flash Libreboot onto the motherboard. SeaBIOS is used by the Libreboot port rather than GRUB2 as the flash chip is only 512KB. More details on this board's status with GNU Libreboot via this web-page.

Amazon appears to still offer this motherboard, but it will set you back $120 USD for having this single-core Atom mini-ITX board that supports DDR2-677 memory and offers 10/100 networking. At that price you probably would have a better performing experience buying a Coreboot/Libreboot-compatible Chromebook. Good luck finding newer x86 motherboards supported by Libreboot due to -- in large part -- Intel's FSP and AMD's AGESA binary blobs.