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Boot_WB
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:02:57
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Joined: 14-Feb-2006 Posts: 1134
From: Kingston upon Hull, UK | | |
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| @Thread
Finally caught up with the end of the thread.
The RAM configuration suggests dual channel to me. Although 4GB address space is available to 32-bit cpus, (as has been discussed many times) only around 1.8-2GB (iirc) is available to AmigaOS (rest taken up by i/o, device addresssing etc). To need 4 ram slots strongly suggests 64-bit - will be interesting to see how this plays out (eg 32-bit 0S4.1.x sandboxed in first 1.8GB address space, hosted in OS4.2 with access to 64-bit address space?
The multi-core nature seems to be more-or-less confirmed - again I'm looking forward to seeing how this is implemented (although EDF has been hinted at), and curious what the performance gain will be.
Thank goodness all those crappy PS2/serial/parallel ports are gone! If they're still needed for debug-logs, etc they should be left as headers on the motherboard - the average user doesn't need the real estate taken up on the ATX panel.
The info about Xena is tantalizing (thanks guys, just what I need - more anticipation!). I'd love to see a classic-hardware-emulation card being created for this (Natami/clone-A), but I sincerely hope that hardware emulation of classics will NOT be on-board the motherboard - why bother given the increased development costs/time that would bring? In fact, I suspect this is what Xena is - a specialised bus for allowing additional CPU/chipset boards to be used for hardware emulation, allowing access to the motherboard resources (pci-bus, memory).
4 x SATA - Thanks guys, good to see you're dropping PATA - the real-estate costs are ridiculous in this day and age (motherboard space and cabling).
The audio is perhaps one of the most interesting parts - optical out and a 5.1 (or even 7.1?) terminal block. I can't believe no-one has mentioned this yet! Suggestive of surround-sound on the Amiga (dependent on AHI being updated to handle 5.1/7.1).
Gigabit ethernet will be a blessing, if indeed that is what is included.
There are a lot of headers towards the "front edge" of the board - front audio? front USB? front panel connectors? Well, that accounts for maybe half of them. Option jumpers maybe? Will have to wait to find out...
The large (non-hidden) chip behind the PCIe16 slot has got me confused though. A southbridge or something (but I would expect that to be integrated into the cpu). Surely not a pci controller (PCIe is directly routed to the CPU) Looks way too big for a SATA controller. A PCIe - PCI bridge maybe? Not a GPU (no video out ports)
I like the overall design philosophy - keep it simple, stupid! Looking at the teaser, the motherboard design is kept as simple as possible (ie no on-board video, no legacy i/o (except probably a serial header).
Everything else seems to be provided through expansion slots: Video, etc
I like it
@Rogue
You weren't kidding about not being disappointed by the specs, and we haven't even got them yet! Last edited by Boot_WB on 03-Jan-2010 at 09:08 PM.
_________________ Troll - n., A disenfranchised former potential customer who remains interested enough to stay informed and express critical opinions. opp., the vast majority who voted silently with their feet. |
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Hans
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:04:08
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Elite Member  |
Joined: 27-Dec-2003 Posts: 5116
From: New Zealand | | |
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| @Derfs
Quote:
Derfs wrote: posted by Rogue over on amiga.org
Quote:
Well, seriously, most of it is already out there. 2x PCIe 16x (16 lanes connected, they'll scale down to 2x 8x if both are populated) 3x PCIe 1x (Xorro slot in line) 2x PCI legacy slots 4x SATA 8x USB Onboard Audio 4x RAM socket
It can run 8 programs at 25% each, so that makes it how many cores?
As far as I can see, the only unknown factors not yet guessed are the CPU itself, Xena and Xorro...
For that... well... see you tomorrow 
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This is what I have been waiting for. A 16x PCI-Express bus means more powerful Radeon HD cards and a fast bus to the card; no more 33 MHz PCI bus and lower end (64-bit VRAM) cards. I'm going to have to start saving up for new hardware.
Hans
_________________ Join the Kea Campus - upgrade your skills; support my work; enjoy the Amiga corner. https://keasigmadelta.com/ - see more of my work |
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TheDaddy
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:04:21
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Elite Member  |
Joined: 30-Sep-2005 Posts: 4499
From: Quattro Stelle | | |
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| Power requirements for a fully loaded board?
_________________ www.loriano.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk |
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Derfs
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:05:25
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Cult Member  |
Joined: 8-Mar-2003 Posts: 790
From: me To: you | | |
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| @Boot_WB
there is no PCI-X, its PCIe slots _________________
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Trev
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:05:50
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Cult Member  |
Joined: 24-Jul-2005 Posts: 778
From: Sacramento, CA, USA | | |
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| @all
Not going to read the whole thread (yikes!), but the board layout looks a bit like the C-One to me. (EDIT: And A-Eon works as a play on C-One.) Is Jens involved in some way? Apologies if the question has already been asked and answered.
EDIT: And, I just spent $1000+ on a Sam440ep rig. WTF? The wife and I also just bought a new Samsung UN55B8500 LCD TV, so I think new 'puter stuff will be on hold for a while. Last edited by Trev on 03-Jan-2010 at 09:23 PM. Last edited by Trev on 03-Jan-2010 at 09:06 PM. Last edited by Trev on 03-Jan-2010 at 09:06 PM.
_________________ Sam440ep-flex 733 MHz/1 GB RAM/Radeon 9250/AmigaOS4.1 Update 2 borked A1200/Blizzard1260+SCSI-IV/Z4+MediatorZIV/Deneb/Voodoo3/CatweaselMk3 more borked A1200/MBX1200z/Indivision A500/clockport/RRNet A600/A603 |
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Derfs
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:07:15
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Cult Member  |
Joined: 8-Mar-2003 Posts: 790
From: me To: you | | |
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| @Hans
be afraid, as everyone will be asking you for 2D/3D drivers for every Radeon HD PCIe card there is  _________________
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Boot_WB
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:07:28
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Super Member  |
Joined: 14-Feb-2006 Posts: 1134
From: Kingston upon Hull, UK | | |
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| @Derfs
d'oh, my bad. Meant PCIe (as in express), not PCI-X (as in 64-bit PCI).
Correcting now... _________________ Troll - n., A disenfranchised former potential customer who remains interested enough to stay informed and express critical opinions. opp., the vast majority who voted silently with their feet. |
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Amiga1200Mark
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:10:56
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Regular Member  |
Joined: 25-Jul-2008 Posts: 139
From: Liverpool | | |
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| @tomazkid
Slightly off topic but Amiga Future 82 has been put back from the 5th January until 15th and the front cover has been replaced by a coming soon screen. Maybe they are going to fit something in about an ambitious project. Also the review for 4.1 update 1 was due for this issue.
Last edited by Amiga1200Mark on 03-Jan-2010 at 09:11 PM.
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Hans
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:12:30
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Elite Member  |
Joined: 27-Dec-2003 Posts: 5116
From: New Zealand | | |
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| @Derfs
Quote:
Derfs wrote: @Hans
be afraid, as everyone will be asking you for 2D/3D drivers for every Radeon HD PCIe card there is  |
Noooooooooooooooo!
Hans
EDIT: On second thoughts, there's an "ask" button on this page.  Seriously though, I'll be maintaining a compatibility page so that people know which cards have been tested by others when they're buying. That should make life easier for everyone.Last edited by Hans on 03-Jan-2010 at 09:24 PM.
_________________ Join the Kea Campus - upgrade your skills; support my work; enjoy the Amiga corner. https://keasigmadelta.com/ - see more of my work |
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ChrisH
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:12:56
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Elite Member  |
Joined: 30-Jan-2005 Posts: 6679
From: Unknown | | |
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| @KimmoK Quote:
I think any legacy stuff is not worth it on a board that aims for the future. When we get more CPU power, we have no difficulties handling legacy stuff in SW. |
You could well be right. I would just like to (slightly mis-) quote Rigo from May 2009: Quote:
As each OS revision has been released more and more work has gone into "improving" the system as a whole. Sometimes this means that some OS3 compatibilty has been sacrificed to ensure that OS4 moves forward.
As there are two schools of thought, my advice is: 1) If you want classic support, stick to your antiquated hardware running a dated OS. 2) If you want to ride the bus into AmigaOS' future, then you have to pay the fare.
This decision ideally should be made when embarking on contemplating buying OS4 to start with. It is an evolution of the old OS3 system, and lots of software written for that old system made use of undocumented features that were never guaranteed to work in the future (ie: Now). There have already been lots of instances where hacks have been included to ensure that older software ran on the new system, but this has to stop. Some classic software was classed as "a must have" in order to further the OS, but most old software that relies on these features will not continue to work as these "features" are removed from the system.
So, first and foremost, decide what you want from your AmigaOS4 system: A system that is compatible with older software? Go with MorphOS (which makes big bones about its legacy compatibility), or do you want an AmigaOS system that is prepared to look forward into the future and prepare itself for what lies ahead?
As each release of AmigaOS come out, it will undoubtedly include less and less cludges for this old software to work, that is the price of moving the system forward. So those that need 25 year old software to work are better off looking to another system, or be prepared to use E-UAE on AmigaOS to gain that compatibilty. |
(emphasis added by me)
I think 64-bit, SMP & memory protection are all quite possible with such a mindset. Particularly since Rogue/etc has discussed in past how they planned to provide OS4.x wrapper onto new OS4 with radically revised API. (Although I should point out that they were clear that details had not yet been worked-out at the point, so who knows what we will actually be getting?)Last edited by ChrisH on 03-Jan-2010 at 09:26 PM. Last edited by ChrisH on 03-Jan-2010 at 09:23 PM.
_________________ Author of the PortablE programming language. It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue... |
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CptPingu
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:25:37
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Joined: 14-Dec-2003 Posts: 46
From: Leicester,UK. | | |
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| found this image on a-eon, nothing major gave away but anyway...
New image
don't recall seeing it before - a sign of something to come...
Pingu |
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asymetrix
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:26:05
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Cult Member  |
Joined: 9-Mar-2003 Posts: 868
From: United Kingdom | | |
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| @thread
My guess :
QorIQ P4 series 8 core cpu
DDR2/DDR3 capability
Multiple AmigaOS running on each core
Gigabit ethernet
multicore communication lane / protocol
FPGA for hardware acceleration or multimedia HD DSP
AKA ' The BEAST'  Last edited by asymetrix on 03-Jan-2010 at 09:30 PM.
_________________ Download 499.26 Mbps, 659.94 Mbps Upload :) |
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Troels
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:28:00
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Elite Member  |
Joined: 8-Mar-2003 Posts: 2005
From: Unknown | | |
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| @CptPingu Yeah thats new to me. How did you come across that? _________________
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Hans
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:29:31
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Elite Member  |
Joined: 27-Dec-2003 Posts: 5116
From: New Zealand | | |
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| @ChrisH
Quote:
ChrisH wrote: I think 64-bit, SMP & memory protection are all quite possible with such a mindset. Particularly since Rogue/etc has discussed in past how they planned to provide OS4.x wrapper onto new OS4 with radically revised API. (Although I should point out that they were clear that details had not yet been worked-out at the point, so who knows what we will actually be getting?) |
I'd be interested to see what solutions they come up with, particularly with regard to all those tag-lists that assume that a pointer is a 32-bit ULONG. Regardless, SMP, etc., will be greate to have.
Hans
_________________ Join the Kea Campus - upgrade your skills; support my work; enjoy the Amiga corner. https://keasigmadelta.com/ - see more of my work |
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CptPingu
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:31:36
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Joined: 14-Dec-2003 Posts: 46
From: Leicester,UK. | | |
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| @Troels
Let's just say...process of elimination!
Pingu |
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-Sam-
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:35:01
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Elite Member  |
Joined: 18-Apr-2003 Posts: 3041
From: Yorkshire Dales, United Knigdom | | |
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| @CptPingu
Quote:
Let's just say...process of elimination! |
Crikey! How long did that take?_________________ Sam |
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Hans
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:36:31
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Elite Member  |
Joined: 27-Dec-2003 Posts: 5116
From: New Zealand | | |
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| @CptPingu
Quote:
CptPingu wrote: found this image on a-eon, nothing major gave away but anyway...
New image
don't recall seeing it before - a sign of something to come...
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With all these people fishing around on the server looking for unreleased clues, I'm betting that the server logs look interesting. 
Hans
_________________ Join the Kea Campus - upgrade your skills; support my work; enjoy the Amiga corner. https://keasigmadelta.com/ - see more of my work |
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mike
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:38:08
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Regular Member  |
Joined: 31-Jul-2007 Posts: 406
From: Alpha Centauri | | |
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| Interesting Image link
Moderator note: Image was to big, please fix. Weirdo note: Done Last edited by mike on 03-Jan-2010 at 10:13 PM. Last edited by zerohero on 03-Jan-2010 at 09:44 PM.
_________________ C= Amiga addict ,,, (Oo) ⎛☮ໄ ﮑὠՀ Couldn't care less what other people think, seeing that there's concrete evidence they don't. |
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CptPingu
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:41:00
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Joined: 14-Dec-2003 Posts: 46
From: Leicester,UK. | | |
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| @-Sam-
Not too long really . Trying a few more now... Needs must.
Pingu
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DaFreak
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Re: MAP == A-Eon.com? Part 2 Posted on 3-Jan-2010 21:43:57
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Regular Member  |
Joined: 1-May-2005 Posts: 129
From: Berlin, Germany | | |
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| @Boot_WB #102:
Good summary - thank you! But what's about the top left connector (maybe Expresscard 34)? _________________ Sam440ep & AmigaOS4.1 @ Morex 3677 case --- (DaFreak of Liquid Skies & Moods Plateau) |
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