Hej Declan, it seems that these poor things need an advocate on their side. The processor core stems from the Cyrix versions of the Pentium processors. It is both MMX and 3D-now! compatible. I have a test system with the fan-less 500MHz version running here for 2 months now and I must say that I am impressed. No the graphics card is not bad at all. Perhaps - or better probably - the system will not keep up with a modern game, demanding a 3GHz processor and the latest accelerated graphics card. The system is more than just OK for everything I tested so far, including playing MPEG and DIVX movies, doing intensive calculations, image processing and more. Plus the whole system runs without a single fan. The only thing to hear is the harddisk! I use a standard 250W power supply with the fan disconnected. The system is running 24/7 with Windows 2000 pro and not a single crash.
Useful links you want, well perhaps these will help: http://www.mini-itx.com/ where I got my board, this site has a lot of links, and reviews on the mini-ITX motherboards. http://www.viapsd.com where you will find datasheets, application notes, drivers, manuals etc. My 500MHz board is the least powerful in the series right now, but as I mentioned: it is fanless! I don't think the fanny higher frequency versions have much more to offer compared to the mainstream families right now, than the small board size and low price, but living without the constant noise of a fan really is promising and worth while... Uwe. DM> Can someone give me the lowdown on the Via Eden & C3 in a sentence? DM> Or a _meaningful_ link? DM> I've dont the google work and come across very verbose technobabble that DM> is short on statistics. Life's too short for this. DM> They use less current (hurray). I know that. DM> Where do they fit between the 8088 & the Athlon/p4 DM> Is the graphics chip as bad as they say on their motherboards? DM> What's the 'most powerful' cpu in the range now anyhow? DM> -- DM> With best Regards, DM> Declan Moriarty. -- Author: Uwe Zimmermann INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fat City Network Services -- 858-538-5051 http://www.fatcity.com San Diego, California -- Mailing list and web hosting services --------------------------------------------------------------------- To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB CHIPDIR-L (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).
