New ARM SoCs & Board Support In The Linux 4.11 Kernel

[darkblu]

Now if we could only buy ARM based PC Systems. The few single board computers out there are nice but they aren't systems and frankly most people buy systems not boards.

MACCHIATObin, listed in this article, is a mini-ITX small desktop with off-the-charts network support.

[pipe13]

MACCHIATObin, listed in this article, is a mini-ITX small desktop with off-the-charts network support.

...to go with its off-the-charts price: $350.

Seriously, economies of scale count. If all you want is a low-cost home NAS, NewEgg can fix you up for $150 complete: 2-core Kabylake CPU, MB, memory, PS, case. Disks extra.

[darkblu]

...to go with its off-the-charts price: $350.

Seriously, economies of scale count. If all you want is a low-cost home NAS, NewEgg can fix you up for $150 complete: 2-core Kabylake CPU, MB, memory, PS, case. Disks extra.

Sorry, you lost me. Economies of scale for 2x 10GbE boards?..

[wizard69]

This is possible very soon. What kind of ARM system would you want? We can probably make it.

The biggest problem I have with most ARM boards is the lack of RAM. I don't want a trimmed down Linux install, I want to be able to install mainstream Linux without a lot of compromises. RAM is the biggest compromise to making Linux viable on ARM, as such I would like to see 4GB boards and frankly 8 GB boards shouldn't be out of the question. Do this on a board that is only slightly larger that a Raspberry PI. Beyond that hardware Ethernet, and support for a fast secondary store that can be had in sizes greater than 32 GB. Since I'm very interested in embedded uses some GPIO would be nice.

[wizard69]

MACCHIATObin, listed in this article, is a mini-ITX small desktop with off-the-charts network support.

Interesting board, unfortunately a little networking top heavy for me. But the general idea about want I'm looking for is there, a reasonably small board with more RAM then the average. I actually kinda wish that the RAM was soldered in but I understand where they are going with this board market wise. The real killers for me here is the lack of Video, the idea is to embed full computing functionality onto one board for embedded use.

[wizard69]

...to go with its off-the-charts price: $350.

Seriously, economies of scale count. If all you want is a low-cost home NAS, NewEgg can fix you up for $150 complete: 2-core Kabylake CPU, MB, memory, PS, case. Disks extra.

The price isn't that bad. Obviously you need to consider how well the board can drive those high speed links but if it actually does well then I'd have to say the board is a bargain. Besides I can remember paying a lot more for AMD motherboards, with processors, that offered a lot less.

I actually think the board is a good value it just isn't what I'm looking for. I'de rather see some of that high speed networking replaced with On chip video support. However the board has a lot of other nice goodies so I'm certain it will be successful.

[t.s.]

This is possible very soon. What kind of ARM system would you want? We can probably make it.

--------------------------------------
| Hardware   | Basic   | Recommended |
--------------------------------------
| Processor  | A72 x2  | A73 x4      |
| RAM        | 3GB     | >= 4GB      |
| ROM/eMMC   | 16GB    | >= 32GB     |
| GBE        | x1      | x1          |
| WLAN       | n       | ac          |
| USB 2.0    | x2      | x2          |
| USB 3.0    | x1      | x3          |
| MicroSD    | x1      | x1          |
| SATA       | -       | x1          |
| HDMI       | x1      | x2          |
| POWER      | miniUSB | miniUSB     |
--------------------------------------

IMHO, it will serve majority for desktop replacement and for web development (Recommended version). As for GPIO, it's optional (at least for desktop replacement). Do remember to package it with reasonable price.

[t.s.]

This is possible very soon. What kind of ARM system would you want? We can probably make it.

--------------------------------------
| Hardware   | Basic   | Recommended |
--------------------------------------
| Processor  | A72 x2  | A73 x4      |
| RAM        | 3GB     | >= 4GB      |
| ROM/eMMC   | 16GB    | >= 32GB     |
| GBE        | x1      | x1          |
| WLAN       | n       | ac          |
| USB 2.0    | x2      | x2          |
| USB 3.0    | x1      | x3          |
| MicroSD    | x1      | x1          |
| SATA       | -       | x1          |
| HDMI       | x1      | x2          |
| POWER      | miniUSB | miniUSB     |
--------------------------------------

IMHO, it will serve majority for desktop replacement and for web development (Recommended version). As for GPIO, it's optional (at least for desktop replacement).

[andreano]

We can probably make it.

That would be fantastic ;-)

For a top notch system, I would de-emphasize soldered-down functionality: To those big and little cores, just add a SO-DIMM ram slot, M.2 storage and enough USB3 ports—that will let people put as much money into storage, RAM and peripherals as they like, which is also a lesser commitment when those parts are reusable.

Since I'm personally interested in a laptop replacement; bonus points for selling (1) a compatible laptop grade screen with the right kind of flat cable that plugs right into the board, and (2) a 6S LiPo battery module.

[caligula]

The Kirin 620 has great support due to Linaro and Huawei's collaboration. Samsung Exynos is in good shape because of Tizen. The Kirin 960 will have great support but it's not there yet. Qualcomm is and probably always will be off the proprietary land. Mediatek is MIA as well. Hopefully they improve on this front and have more foresight.

Exynos Boards like ODROIDX don't have good support. You probably even need a custom non-mainline uboot to boot it.