That is useful info. I chose this machine purely on size as it is about the
same as the old 'shoebox' industrial ones I used to work with. With a front
of only about 9" square it will fit the boat nicely. It comes with a mini
atx board that has built in video/audio/network etc. The one I saw running
did not seem to be pushing out a lot of heat. It has two pci slots and agp
but will not need the agp. The pci slots will do nicely for firewire card
and professional audio card which I use for video editing on board (when
moored). The machine would be navigation/comms only when at sea. The video
editing means I have to put up with a second hard drive (120 MB Maxtor) and
a compromise processor. Fast for video editing and low power to minimise
battery consumption. Not exactly compatible! It looks as if I might end up
with about 2 GHz or so
As a guide my laptop is PIII at 1GHz and the built in graphics is fine for
all apps (SiS 630 chipset) and speed just about bearable for video editing
so a 2GHz P4 would be a real bonus. I am going to the other machine as it
is more rugged and expandable, has two serial ports etc. The laptop will
remain as backup and in case of power problems. I can network the two when
necessary. Final backup is the sextant, magnetic compass and clockwork
chronometer - I have worked on computers for over 40 years and still don't
trust their reliability!
Richard