ok. i love my SAM but i want more performance. i don't want to purchase used hardware, so that means my only option is the SAM460EX, which is fine. except i want working audio, the use of my SATA DVD drive and hard drive, and quick graphics.
so this means i cannot use the on-board video, the on-board SATA support, or the on-board audio (due to drive issues). but given the slots available, i'm having a spot of trouble:
1. there are no PCIe SATA cards with chipsets currently supported by OS4.1, so i'll have to use up the PCI slot for that purpose.
2. the PCIe 16x slot will be taken up by a radeonHD card -- except there is no 3D support -- and choosing the one that offers the most performance now is a little tricky
3. the only slot left for the audio card is the PCIe 1x slot
so, here are the questions to answer:
1. does anyone know of an audio card fully supported by OS4.1 and AHI that can fit the PCIe 1x mechanical slot?
2. which PCIe radeonHD video card is the most performant with the current drivers?
3. does any of this matter? should i just hold out for OS4.2? should i just hold out for the X1000 (although i'm not convinced i'll be able to purchase one before they sell out yet again)?
my biggest issue is that everything i have in my SAM440EP-flex is fully supported: the audio card, the radeon 9250, etc. there are no compromises. it's just not very fast. i've waited so long to get my hands on a X1000 that i've nearly given up on ever having one. if the first batch sold out so quickly, and we still don't have official confirmation from A-EON that any more are coming any time soon, i'm tired of waiting. so the next best thing is the SAM460EX.
come on, guys, help me with my enthusiasm level here and convince me the SAM460EX is not only possible, but a good choice!
eliyahu wrote: so, here are the questions to answer:
1. does anyone know of an audio card fully supported by OS4.1 and AHI that can fit the PCIe 1x mechanical slot?
I can't help you there, sorry. I'm making do with the built-in sound card.
Quote:
2. which PCIe radeonHD video card is the most performant with the current drivers?
According to GfxBench2D results, the top performer is the Radeon X1950 pro. That said, Radeon HD cards will likely have 3D support sooner, because the RadeonHD_RM.resource is already up and running for those cards. I personally use a Radeon HD 4650 in my Sam460ex most of the time, with the Radeon X1950 pro only being plugged in for testing.
NOTE: Please bear in mind that - as detailed in my card recommendations page - many high-performance cards take up two slots, thus blocking the PCIe slot. That's something to look out for.
Quote:
3. does any of this matter? should i just hold out for OS4.2? should i just hold out for the X1000 (although i'm not convinced i'll be able to purchase one before they sell out yet again)?
That is entirely your call. I personally think that amiga users should spend less time waiting for "the next best thing," and more time enjoying and using what we already have. Definitely don't wait for AmigaOS 4.2. You can always upgrade when it comes, anyway. Whether you choose to wait for a chance to get an A1-X1000 or not is up to you. As you said, you don't know when/if you'll get that chance.
I happen to have both a Sam460ex, and an A1-X1000. While the A1-X1000 is definitely the powerhouse, the Sam460ex is a good little machine. Yes, some drivers aren't finished yet, but progress is being made.
How often do you use the dvd drive? There are one slot gfx cards avaiable i think. Check acube or similar site. If you only have one hd you can use that on the onboard sata controller. And the gfx card in the 16x slot. And a sound card in the pci slot. And have a sata controller card in a safe place to use when you need to upgrade the os. If you use the dvd only for ripping/playing music you can plug in a usb dvd drive.
If you only have one hd you can use that on the onboard sata controller. And the gfx card in the 16x slot. And a sound card in the pci slot. And have a sata controller card in a safe place to use when you need to upgrade the os. If you use the dvd only for ripping/playing music you can plug in a usb dvd drive.
Exactly. That's also the way mine is set up. Works fine for me.
My sound card is an ESI Juli@ (bought from thomann.de). I tried some cheaper cards which were not working well, such as the SB Live! 5.1. But the Juli@ works perfectly, well worth the extra money.
i don't want to purchase used hardware... Nice post there -- eliyahu ! The SAM460EX has been #1 on my shopping list for the last six months. I can't resolve my A1 boot-hangup and can't decide if a SAM is any better of a move! OMG, it kind of sounds like I talking like a troll...I'm not! It's just that the SAM product is not all that convincing to me ... thanks for bringing-up the questions to the Amigans: ...my biggest issue is that everything i have in my SAM440EP-flex is fully supported... Is it? That's why I'm NOT buying one at this time. I don't 'see/hear' this issue addressed anywhere! Really...
How often do you use the dvd drive? There are one slot gfx cards avaiable i think. Check acube or similar site. If you only have one hd you can use that on the onboard sata controller. And the gfx card in the 16x slot. And a sound card in the pci slot. And have a sata controller card in a safe place to use when you need to upgrade the os. If you use the dvd only for ripping/playing music you can plug in a usb dvd drive.
Or how about his for a mad option you could use the onboard sound and single sata port then plug a supported PCI graphics card in and us it until to get hardware 3D until OS4.2 is released then upgrade to using a PCIe graphics card then.
That way you get a fully functional faster Amiga now without going backwards from your existing sam440ep-flex
Sam440ep 667mhz 512megs OS4.1 + Minimig, 4MB RAM, ARM add-on board WinUae 2.3.2, OS 3.9, BB2, Catweasel MkIV Amiga 1200, BlizzardPPC 060/200 with SCSI, mediatorSX, Voodoo3, pci lan
Well If I didn't already have all 3 models before the 460 and didn't have 2 X1000s I'd of course already have a 460... THERE! That should encourage you...
~Yes I am a Kiwi, No, I did not appear as an extra in 'Lord of the Rings'~ 1x AmigaOne X5000 2.0GHz 2gM RadeonR9280X AOS4.x 3x AmigaOne X1000 1.8GHz 2gM RadeonHD7970 AOS4.x
I only wanted 2 because I don't believe in having 1 of anything, it's just a matter of time before you have to do without it for any number of reasons, I just don't believe in those odds so I compensate
It's not showing off as much as future proofing!
Although admittedly in the X1000 case there was a genuine level of added coolness to consider
~Yes I am a Kiwi, No, I did not appear as an extra in 'Lord of the Rings'~ 1x AmigaOne X5000 2.0GHz 2gM RadeonR9280X AOS4.x 3x AmigaOne X1000 1.8GHz 2gM RadeonHD7970 AOS4.x
RadeonHD 4650 1GB 128bit PCI-E video card and Sil3512 2 Port SATA card which works perfectly. Using on board audio waiting for updated driver :)
I am not using PCI-E 1x slot and on-board SATA at the moment. I wish there was some PCI-E 1x sound card that has ESI Juli or SBLive soundchip. Or there were drivers for newer soundcards that fit in PCI-E 1x slot ?
I wonder if a bounty would make sense for PCI-1x slot soundcard drivers ?
so now i hope that uboot will see the card. is this one for test with acube??
there must also be a PCIe-to-PCI bridge on the card as well. i thought sil3114 controllers only have PCI interfaces? it would certainly allow more flexibility if it works since the PCI slot would be freed up -- although it's a bit pricey.
can anyone confirm whether DMA works with the on-board SATA support? if not, then regardless of using an internal DVD drive or not, i'd want a SATA card that the current drivers support fully.
eliyahu wrote: guys, ok. i love my SAM but i want more performance. i don't want to purchase used hardware....
ok so your two options are the AmigaOne500 or AmigaOne X1000 and only you know how much 'extra performance' you need or rather WANT. I was in the same boat when I wanted to upgrade from my Samflex@800 and chose the X1000 with absolutely no regrets but if you can't justify the extra cost then the 460ex (aka A1-500) sounds like alot of fun too and ACube has been great to the Amiga community SOOOO...win/win in my books
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...give me one of your X1000, are they exactly the same?
