Classic HW, SAM440 or EFIKA ?

[amigadave]

Have you seen and used an EFIKA?

If not, you should.

As for the form factor, mine came with a perfectly nice case, though it is not fancy.  I like it because it is smaller than an external 5.25" CD-ROM, runs faster than a CyberStorm 233 PPC Classic Amiga, and only uses a tiny amount of electricity even with the 128mb Radeon 9250 graphics card.

The performance is very close to that of the SAM440ep, but it won't run AmigaOS4.1 if that is what floats your boat.

It fits in the "Palm" of my hand (pun intended).

[Palm]

DUDE...not you got me all unsecure again :-)))

Ok, I will look into efika again, then I can live with that for a while before MOS for minis come out, or SAM comes out in a new and/or cheaper version :-)

Ok. Google efika...here we go


BTW: Is the EFIKA OPEN CLIENT just a cased EFIKA 5200B mobo ?

ALSO: Is the Peg mobos "dead" as in totally discontinued ? which means EFIKA is the "new" mobo in the range, taking over for the peg2 ? (cheaper, yet less specced) ??


Espen

[takemehomegrandma]

So a macminiG4 version of MOS is something I would go for. unless I find 500 euros in a pocket that I had forgotten about

That's the best option IMHO. But if you want to get started now but feel that the Efika is too underpowered, you could always look for a second hand Pegasos 2 G4. :-)

OS4 is defintely MUCH cooler than MOS

Excuse me, but I beg to differ! ;-)

With a few exceptions, I think it's safe to say that MorphOS is the first hand choice for anyone who really experienced it. And if Amiga compatibility is important to you, then it's the best option for that reason as well.

-- maybe not technically, but it is Amiga.

So is MorphOS! :-)

And I would very much prefer AOS before MOS -- just because it is exactly that, Amiga
I am loyal to the brand, even though MOS might be better or more compatible or whatever.

Well, whatever floats your boat. But what if Amiga Inc (the legal owner of the Amiga IP) succeeds in their efforts to remove the Amiga brand from OS4? Then what?

 :crazy:

[takemehomegrandma]

BTW: Is the EFIKA OPEN CLIENT just a cased EFIKA 5200B mobo ?

Yes, it's a complete system (case, motherboard, HDD and GFX card).

Also look here:
http://www.directron.com/efika.html

There you will find the Efika motherboard for $99. Especially good if you already have suitable components lying around and don't mind providing a case yourself. Or you could go for the motherboard/case combo, and pick a HDD and GFX card of your choice before checking out...

ALSO: Is the Peg mobos "dead" as in totally discontinued ?

Yes, but it's "alive" as in currently the fastest, working Amiga solution out there, that you could still get second hand.

which means EFIKA is the "new" mobo in the range, taking over for the peg2 ? (cheaper, yet less specced) ??

The Efika isn't comparable to the Pegasos 2. Not in any way. If you want real power and expandability then there currently is *no* option like the Pegasos 2 G4.

The Mac Mini will beat it though, but it's not here now...

[spirantho]

For me it's a bit of a no-brainer - though admittedly I've never used MorphOS (not through choice - my Prometheus isn't supported so I can't run it).

From what I've heard MorphOS is pretty good - but flawed - with the EFIKA hardware, which is intrisically underpowered. And like it or not, it's not an Amiga, it's as much Amiga as a Linux box running Wine is running Windows.

Of course, I am biased - I run AOS 4.0 on my A4K and it runs very very nicely. I also run AOS 4.1 on my A1XEG4 and it absolutely flies. Hyperion have done an incredibly good job with the OS IMHO - it's very fast, very stable, and the improvements under the hood are very important to a modern, serious OS.

But at the end of the day, there's one reason more than any other to buy a SAM 440 with AmigaOS 4.1 - you can get it. You can wait as long as you like for this or that OS running on whatever hardware, but until it's available now you're not supporting anyone by waiting, and if there's anything the Amiga débacle has told us it's that waiting is probably a Bad Idea(tm). Ask anyone who was told new Amiga hardware was available Real Soon Now when the initial run of AOS 4 machines was sold out.

As I said, I've not used MorphOS. But I can say you won't be disappointed with AOS 4.1 on a SAM 440ep - and yes, it's expensive, but since when has the Amiga been a cheap hobby? And anyway - it's still a lot cheaper than the A500 was when it came out.

[Palm]

Hello. yeah, I for sure am biased too when i comes to using the AOS. And you are correct, the SAM *IS* available (althought sold out...) and to be totally honest, paying 500 euros TODAY to get a running AOS4.x system, is better than waiting for a OS that is not yet possible to buy for the macmini

Do you know if the dec2008 date at acube is to be trusted, or have they been known for delays in the past ?

SAM440 would make a nice xmas gift for myself


Espen

[Lorraine]

/

[itix]

@Palm

4. ClassicHW with PPC + Amiga OS4.x

MorphOS also runs on PowerUP Amigas and is free. But I would still agree that old Amigas are not good option. They are flakey, expensive and underpowered.

[Everblue]

I this case good for Sam440?

Thanks!

[zylesea]

@ Palm

I suspect MorphOS for the Mac Mini comes around Easter 2009.
There will be another release (V2.2) probably still this year, but it'll be exclusively for for Pegasos & Efika.
Frank Mariak (core team member) confirmed in early autumn that the release for Mac Mini will come as soon as possible (audio driver and network driver is still missing).

I'd gor for that, unless you have some funds available to spend for fun projects like the Efika (and I *have* fun with mine) or Sam (which has a quite better performance than the Efika but requires some *serious* funds). Alternatively you may go for a used Pegasos, you have to keep your eyes open, but they are offered from time to time for reasonable prices (less than a Sam and much more powerful).

[recidivist]

  The $99 efika ,some spare bits ,and the demo version of morphOS is a way to get something closer modern Amiga inexpensively.
  Just hooked up efika here with ps from old free tower,former laptop drive,usb mouse and keyboard,and lcd monitor.

 Spring is months away.

  :roll:

[Palm]

I am afraid a $99 deal on the efika ended in 2007 :-)

Now it costs lik 375 or something (with case i believe).

A $99 efika would be awesome, as this is SO cheap, that I would buy it even if it is not ultracool (hardware-wise).


Espen

[Palm]

Now, after all this talk. I am again in total dispair


1. Mac Mini w/MOS: cool, but unavailable at the moment.
2. Efika + MOS:    Not quite powerful enough, imho.
3. Peg2 + MOS:     "old" HW ....naaaahhh..
4. SAM440+AOS4:    Available, yet indeed expensive.


I am again back in the thinkingbox, but I must say SAM is on my mind alot

Let's have a poll. Which one would YOU go for ?
1,2,3 or 4 ?


Espen

[Painkiller]

Palm wrote:
I am afraid a $99 deal on the efika ended in 2007 :-)

Now it costs lik 375 or something (with case i believe).

A $99 efika would be awesome, as this is SO cheap, that I would buy it even if it is not ultracool (hardware-wise).

How so?

Just the mobo and agp-riser:
http://www.directron.com/efika.html 99$

With case and PSU:
http://www.directron.com/efikakit1.html 175$

Tough I still would wait for Mac Mini port I did have an idea of a solar powered efika system, but burried it for now. They do sell pretty cheap solar panels at www.dealextreme.com

BTW PEG2 + MOS would be a lot better system than SAM440

[takemehomegrandma]

Palm wrote:
I am afraid a $99 deal on the efika ended in 2007 :-)

Now it costs lik 375 or something (with case i believe).

A $99 efika would be awesome, as this is SO cheap, that I would buy it even if it is not ultracool (hardware-wise).

It's still there alright, $99 Efika, in stock = YES. If you live outside USA you will have to contact them directly via mail instead of using the webshop in order to make special arrangements for payment and shipping.

[takemehomegrandma]

1. Mac Mini w/MOS: cool, but unavailable at the moment.

Nothing in the Amiga NG scene will (ever?) beat this though, so I think it's worth waiting for. :-)

2. Efika + MOS:    Not quite powerful enough, imho.

Available, about equally powerful as the Sam but much less expandable.

3. Peg2 + MOS:     "old" HW ....naaaahhh..

Pegasos2 G4 is the fastest Amiga solution available *today*, although only by second hand. Powerful, good quality and good price on many of them.

Let's have a poll. Which one would YOU go for ?
1,2,3 or 4 ?

I would go for (in order):

If you want power and don't mind waiting: 1, 3, 2
If you want it cheap and have it now: 3, 2, 1

Personally I don't consider the Sam an option. If it had a 7447A CPU or 8640 SoC I would buy it at that price, but not with this class of CPU.