µ-A1-I (for industrial).
I don't see the logic, here. Most PPC solutions are built-to-order for high volume, and if you're low-volume, you'll want to use less efficient off-the-shelf components to increase your flexibility. If IBM was making these boards, I could understand, but nobody is going to buy them from Eyetech unless they have no business sense whatsoever. This isn't a knock on PPC, but let's face it, nobody is going to buy 50 PPC boards at $600 each for a kiosk when they can get a prebuilt system from IBM will a full replacement service
guarentee. Most kiosk machines I've seen use Celeron-powered IBM desktops because they need the corporate support, not efficient hardware.
These mobos make sense for PPC developers who want a full desktop to write software for their embedded devices, but then they'd just get the "commercial' version. Who is going to buy one of these "industrial" models?
Competitively priced? Compared to what?
I don't think price has anything to do with it. Supply alone is a reason to be wary. If Eyetech wants to sell AmigaOne boards, that's great, but if they're trying to diversify their product line to extend outside the Amiga community, I doubt they'll find any real business, which is quite ironic.
1 PCI slot...
I still don't understand why people WANT motherboards with only one expansion slot. They must really like cheezy graphics and CPU-hungry on-board components. I'd like to know how much CPU time the hard drive controller and audio system use on the AmigaOne boards.
Yes, you can build a pizza box, but you still can't make a laptop. Besides, with the rise of flat-panel displays, I'm surprised more companies don't make sideways computers that mount behind the monitor. You can still get a machine with PCI slots if you do that.
CPU Cooler - £10.00
Why does everyone insist on using tiny HSFs for the CPU? I thought the PPC was supposed to be so cool. A plain, passive heatsink for $2 should do fine for such a chip.
One A1 reseller equiped their boards with Thermaltake Orb coolers. Despite their small size, they make a LOT of noise -- I know because I used them for a while. I don't recommend them at all.
...and it is cpu fan failure which is one of the major causes of unreliability in computer systems.
I've never had a CPU fan die on me. I've seen other peoples' computers with dead fans, but that's because they're clogged with dust and were kept on the floor. My uncle's computer suffered from the fan detaching from the heatsink completely because the fan screws were too tight and the plastic broke. Meanwhile, AmigaOne resellers are attaching their overkill copper fans with thermal tape. Just try an tell me the fan won't fall off in a year.
The biggest killers are dust, the lack of air filters, add the complete lack of experience with building and attaching themal solutions. I've been building computers for years and I could make a great passive cooler for Eyetech. I don't like what I'm seeing from the Amiga dealers at all.