On  9 Sep 98 at 14:00, Mark Rode wrote:

> I need to be brought up to speed on the new video / sound
> integrated motherboards that now come with a lot of the new PCs
> from major manufactures .. Off hand I don't like them.....I
> particularly don't like the fact that they don't have much upgrade
> ability. Many only have one ISA slot and a couple of PCI slots.
> Plug in a scanner, a NIC card and modem and your finished.....and
> some offer only two. Is this because of the future USB devices that
> are coming down the pike?
>
> Maybe I'm wrong...maybe there are advantages I am not aware of.
> All comments are appreciated.

  As far as I can tell, the chief advantage is reduced assembly
labour cost (fewer components to assemble) and reduced service costs
(less variation amongst units after sale).  These more or less
translate to the bottom line, allowing makers to price these systems
competitively, or to pocket a healthier margin on them.
  [The reasoning seems to be that users who don't know how much
computer they need will buy the cheapest one they can find, and will
be willing to replace it to upgrade beyond a few limited options.]

  It might be useful to distinguish between integrated *boards* with
conventional CPUs (such as those using the Intel 440EX chipset and
Celeron CPU), and those using integrated CPUs (such as the
Cyrix/National MediaGX CPU) which include sound/video/whatever.  But
these are both playing into the same market space.

David G

                                  -----
       **Need help with PCBUILD mailing list? Send an Email to:**
        Bob Wright<[log in to unmask]> or Drew Dunn<[log in to unmask]>