About SMD silly comments: SMD in fact causes that failure rate is much lower because you can rule out easily bad contacts, chips coming loose, cracked sockets, users inserting chips in the opposite way... it saves power and allows designing smaller boards. Even the A3000 uses SMD for its 030.
Yes, as I stated - the 030/882/881 is smd. That was stupid, but it was done for cost reasons. Surface mounted components and my observation of them are not silly. I am a tech in an industry going 25+ years servicing motherboards. In theory, what you stated is true: smd's equal less maintenance. That was all and good within their (the company's legal liability) useable lifespan, which is 7 years. In reality, smd components still suffer the same fate as socketable components: only that they are that much more of a bitch to deal with and diagnose than previous designs. I deal with several computers and circuit boards daily. Replacing a socket (rarely necessary) and more likely, cleaning the legs of a chip are much more desirable than dealing with the uncertainty of guessing (or using precision instruments) which one of those tiny bastards are to blame in dealing with smd components.
@magnetic - I do recognize soldering a NiCad battery to the mobo, where it was so close to vital componenets was retarded. For sure. Horrible, horrible design. But again - 7 year legal liability lifespan. Can't tell you how many other consumer electronic companies did similar things.
Ask an "engineer" why they do the things they do to placate the FCC or other legal "entities". There's politics behind consumer electronics and who always gets to sniff the glove? why you and I of course.
