MorphOS 2.0 Released

[Jeff]

I appreciate the fact that the developers need to be paid for their work. This will only factor in if you want to know the total cost in advance before building a system. It's about the same as the cost of the hardware needed to run it if you recycle a couple of parts.

-Jeff

[amigadave]

Matt_H wrote:

Also, for comparison's sake, what is the speed difference between an Efika and the fastest PegasosII ever produced?

600MHz, maybe?

In practical terms that's hard to say. MorphOS 1.4.5 is perfectly tolerable on a CSPPC and an Efika is twice the clockspeed and lacks other old hardware bottlenecks. Like all Amiga stuff, I'm sure it's responsive, but lacks raw crunching power for heavy duty stuff.

Yeah, I guessed that it would be hard to measure the user's experience of any speed difference.  Like if the screen updates would be twice as fast, or if the only real noticeable difference would be running a ray tracing program, or crunching lots of numbers managing a large database.

I don't suppose there are too many demanding programs written for MorphOS2.0 yet.

I wonder how demanding the "Classic" Amiga 68k emulation will be on an Efika?  Will it be able to run the old programs at a speed equal or greater than an actual A4000 040, or 060?  Probably not, but then I imagine that the Efika was not intended for that purpose.  As long as it can still run some of the older programs and games at the speed of a stock A1200, the buyers will probably be satisfied.

[Methuselas]

A note on Directron. They're located in H-Town, Texas (where I'm currently at again for the next six months.) Out of *ALL* of the PC dealers I've dealt with over the years, they are the *BEST* wholesale distributor I've ever dealt with. I'm planning on building a new quad core with them for my graphics, since I'm here.

I can't do anything, but give Directron nothing but good marks. They're a wonderful company. They're the AmigaKit of the PC world. ;-)


Hmmm.....I get paid tomorrow.


I may just go buy one.  :crazy:


I just don't like the 128MB of ram and no room for expansion... :inquisitive:  

[amigadave]

Methuselas wrote:
I just don't like the 128MB of ram and no room for expansion... :inquisitive:  

The specs for the Efika say that it can access up to 512mb RAM, but to do that would the Efika buyer have to remove the SMD 128mb RAM and replace it with two 256mb RAM modules?

Not something I would want to do to a brand new Efika board.  Too bad the manufacturer is not offering a 512mb RAM version, or are they?

[Matt_H]

@ pkillo

A little heads up if you buy from Directron: their complete systems seem to come with XGI graphics cards, which I don't believe are supported in MOS. Just go for the board and case and grab a $20 (low-profile) Radeon from eBay or an Amazon third party.

[Matt_H]

Too bad the manufacturer is not offering a 512mb RAM version, or are they?

It would probably have to be a special order. I don't think any have been built with that spec so far.

There are traces for adding an additional set of RAM chips on the underside of the board, so you might be able to go up to 256MB total without huge difficulty, other than the danger of SMD soldering. And finding the correct chips. And hoping there isn't additional support circuitry needed to use RAM at that location.

[amigadave]

Matt_H wrote:
@ pkillo

A little heads up if you buy from Directron: their complete systems seem to come with XGI graphics cards, which I don't believe are supported in MOS. Just go for the board and case and grab a $20 (low-profile) Radeon from eBay or an Amazon third party.

Not that I have any extra cash to buy an Efika right now, or that I have decided that it is a must have item for me, but thanks for the heads up Matt.  It may save several potential Efika buyers from making a mistake in buying that graphics card only to find out later that it won't work for MorphOS, which if they are reading about the Efika from here, the buyers are most likely going to want to run.

Matt_H wrote:
@ pkillo

A little heads up if you buy from Directron: their complete systems seem to come with XGI graphics cards, which I don't believe are supported in MOS. Just go for the board and case and grab a $20 (low-profile) Radeon from eBay or an Amazon third party.

Good to know, thanks man! I almost ordered it with the video card... should have checked for compatibility first, I suppose.

The documentation on the efika is slim, at best. Am I correct in assuming this board will work with an 8x AGP card? or do I need a slower one? no luck finding one for $20, but there's a $40 one I've got my eye on...

[gazgod]

pkillo wrote:
Am I correct in assuming this board will work with an 8x AGP card?

What you want is a Radeon 9250, as these are very well supported by Morphos, I run them in both my peg 2 and my efika.

Gaz

Very cool, as that is what I was looking at buying already (just for the price). Can't seem to find any low-profile cards with 256MB so I guess 128 will have to do....

[TheMagicM]

I once had a g3/600 Peg 1 and 1.4.5 was blazing fast (thats an understatment).  MOS 2.0 is allegedly faster than 1.4.5, it should fly on a EFIKA.  What would be great is if somehow BBRV would happen to be in San Antonio since he is here quite often and just happened to have a EFIKA I could buy for $99.  So if you're reading this BB.....

[zyphoid]

WHAT ARE THE ONLINE OPTIONS WITH MORPH OS2 WITH EFIKA? IS THERE A WIRELESS OPTION OR SUPPORT, (NO HIGHSPEED HERE!)

edit: oh and cd/dvd opts?

[Senex]

For those who'd like to have a look, I've put some screenshots at photobucket.

[DamageX]

I'm glad to see that it's released, as I've had an Efika here collecting dust for the past year. But first...

Graphic cards supported:
------------------------
- Radeon7000(VE)/7200/7500/8500(LE)/9000(PRO)/9100/9200(SE)/9250,
  a card with at least 128MB recommended
- Voodoo3/4/5
- SiS6326, SiS305, SiS315
- Permedia2/Permedia2v

Has anyone used a PCI video card on the Efika? I have a SiS6326 PCI, but I hesitate to try it out because the PCI slot seems to be backwards with respect to the AGP slot, and certain other PCI cards will fit into either way! I'm worried that trial&error might not be the way to go in this case.

The idea of having to hunt around for a suitable crusty old video card is troubling considering they're going to make a massive price increase in only two weeks!

[bloodline]

Jeff wrote:
It looks like the final price for MorphOS 2.0 will be 150 Euro.

Oh wow! That's pretty steep! OSX 10.5 is cheaper than that, how do they justify that price?