[Leaplist] $60 Linux-focused motherboard

[Richard F. Ostrow Jr.]

On Wed, November 7, 2007 8:59 pm, patrick wrote:
> Damien McKenna wrote:
>> http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS5305482907.html
>> Micro-ATX, 1.5ghz VIA CPU, onboard video, ships with Linux.  Groovy.
>>
>
>
> The cpu is soldered directly to the board.  There are combo sets for $59
>  (and, even less!) if you look at http://pricewatch.com

That's usually the way Via CPUs work. They're mostly designed for small,
dedicated applications where as long as the use case doesn't change, the
hardware doesn't need to change either. This is the first I've seen anyone
attempt to use a Via system for a general purpose machine.

Personally, I don't see the point here. Sure, you get extreme low power
consumption (Via machines tend to run in single to double-digit wattage),
but if you're attempting to build a desktop, you're going to notice it's
not quite as fast as an AMD or Intel CPU.

Generally, if you want to use a Via machine, you'd buy it in a mini-itx
form factor (the whole machine is the size of your CD-ROM), the nano-its
form factor (about 1/4 that size), or the pico-itx form factor (about 7 cm
x 5 cm). All of these are full x86 machines with integrated video,
network, and audio. Applications range from home theater machines (imagine
a DVR that's 1/10th the size of a tivo, holds hundreds of hours more
recordings, and plays DVDs to boot) to personal hobbies (I'm using one to
use as a control center in my car, for instance).

You can find more info on such machines and their applications at various
web sites. I recommend the following two:

http://logicsupply.com
http://mp3car.com

> Some are even faster.  I spent a flat $80 for my complete MSI K8NGM2-FID
>  board, with DVI and SVGA nVidea video connectors, SATA Raid, 7.1 audio,
> a 939 socket AMD Sempron 3000+ cpu, heat sink and certified fan.  No
> shipping charges.
>
> It loves GNU/Linux. There are proper deals if you'll just look.
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