Udoo-x86 thoughts
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Any thoughts on the upcoming udoo-x86 running pfsense (with their soon to be release dual Ethernet adapter)?
http://shop.udoo.org/other/preorder-x86.html
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/udoo/udoo-x86-the-most-powerful-maker-board-ever/posts/1550921Top model will have
CPU (quad core)
Intel Pentium N3710 2.56 Ghz & Intel
Quark SE core 32 MHz plus 32-bit ARC core 32 MHzGPU
Intel HD Graphics 405 Up to 700 MHz 16 execution unitsRAM
8 GB DDR3L Dual ChannelArduino 101-Compatible board
32GB eMMC Storage
M.2 Key B SSD Slot
M.2 Key E slot for Wifi/BT modules
SATA Connector
Gigabit Ethernetlooks to be better and cheaper than a APU2?
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It'll be very exciting to talk about, once it exists.
Looks like it'll cost more than an APU2 for a comparable part, and performance remains to be seen. This is not a board designed for networking applications, it's a board designed for IoT prototyping and such.
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if you read the second link they say "This way you'll be able to build routers, servers or firewalls!".
a apu2 is $299.00 USD from netgate
a UDOO X86 ULTRA + POWER SUPPLY is $259 USD (without case or extra network adapter)
CPU AMD Embedded G series GX-412TC 1 GHz vs N3710 2.56 GHZ (thinking the UDOO has a better CPU?)
Memory 4 vs 8 (more ram for UDOO )Not sure on the type of network card UDOO uses.
Well kickstarters are now receiving their UDOOs (wonder if any of the kickstarters were members here), so it shouldn't be too long to see how it performs.
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if you read the second link they say "This way you'll be able to build routers, servers or firewalls!".
"be able to" is not the same as "designed for". With a board like this you're paying for miniaturization, I/O, and microcontroller integration: none of which matter for a network device. The design is constrained by being package-compatible with an arduino. It may be that they ship enough volume that it happens to also be a decent router at a low price point, but we don't know that yet (and have no idea how much the additional network ports will cost.)
a apu2 is $299.00 USD from netgate
a UDOO X86 ULTRA + POWER SUPPLY is $259 USD (without case or extra network adapter)
CPU AMD Embedded G series GX-412TC 1 GHz vs N3710 2.56 GHZ (thinking the UDOO has a better CPU?)
Memory 4 vs 8 (more ram for UDOO )Please, at least compare apples and apples. If you buy the APU2c4 direct (like the UDOO) it's $145 for board, case, and PS, and the 2GB version is about $20 less. You don't need 8GB RAM in a router, 2GB will work fine. The lowest cost UDOO is $125 without a case or PS or necessary network interfaces. You can buy a dual gigabit mini pcie today, they run about $30 and have realtek interfaces which freebsd has trouble with. Maybe the UDOO people will manage to deliver intel interfaces at a lower price point, probably not. Anyway, that suggests that the cost of the UDOO solution will start around $175 vs $125 for the APU2c2. (We also have no idea how much a suitable case will cost instead of that ridiculous acrylic thing which is only appropriate for the IoT-type prototyping the board is designed for.) Unless you really need it to be the size of a credit card and have the ability to control motors and sensors, you'll get more bang for the buck going with a mini-itx board, if the APU2 isn't powerful enough.
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well my apu1d4 is still going strong (with running squid and openvpn) by the time it needs replacing I would probably get a apu3,4,5… whatever is out at the time, though I do like the idea of small form factor routers and pc/servers (raspberry pi).
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if you read the second link they say "This way you'll be able to build routers, servers or firewalls!".
a apu2 is $299.00 USD from netgate
a UDOO X86 ULTRA + POWER SUPPLY is $259 USD (without case or extra network adapter)
CPU AMD Embedded G series GX-412TC 1 GHz vs N3710 2.56 GHZ (thinking the UDOO has a better CPU?)
Memory 4 vs 8 (more ram for UDOO )Not sure on the type of network card UDOO uses.
Well kickstarters are now receiving their UDOOs (wonder if any of the kickstarters were members here), so it shouldn't be too long to see how it performs.
For this price you can easily get a apollo lake based supermicro board that comes with multiple Intel NICs.
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I do like the idea of small form factor routers and pc/servers (raspberry pi).
I agree, though the current crop of "maker" hardware seems much better suited to the general purpose server role than the router role. For example, the raspberry pi has been getting gobs more CPU power with every subsequent iteration, but last I checked, its NIC is still on the USB 2.0 bus. Great, perhaps for a pihole server, or in my case, I use a pi zero to run dump1090 with a RTL2832U (see, Realtek really is good for something!). Hell, I'm still using a Sheevaplug dev kit from 2009 as a NAS server with a Drobo, and it's only suitable for that because it has a real 1Gbps NIC. It's still pretty darn slow, but so is the Drobo, so no point upgrading.
Kidding aside, the best potential example I've seen is the UP Squared board, and as far as I know, it's still not available for purchase. And even if it was, you'd have to accept Realtek NICs. Baby steps I suppose.