Faried Nawaz writes:
> 
> Hello,
> 
> This isn't related to NetBSD in particular, but I'm guessing someone here
> might be able to help me.  I don't expect NetBSD to be ported to what I want
> (but it would be a plus!).
> 
> I'm interested in running a compute farm and was wondering if anyone knew of
> a company that sells PPC or StrongARM boards.  Something with SIMM or DIMM
> slots, an RTC, and an ethernet interface (or some sort of high speed bus
> interface) would be ideal.

Uhmm, this sounds like many $$$ to me.  E.g. somewhat low volume custom
boards.  Each requiring a DIMM, an ethernet card, and power supply/case.
Each board + cpu could be $450 each depending on what you buy.

> Buying a few PCs (old or new) isn't a practical option for me right now
> (plus, I'd be paying for lots of things I don't need, like hard drives and
> video cards).  I'm strictly doing this as a hobby, and can't really pay much
> for what I need.

Seems like a rounding error somewhere. :-)
	Celeron (<= 433) Motherboard	$42.50
	onboard audio
	two DIMM slots
	(and other "normal" pc ports + audio)

	Celeron 433			$75.00
	32MB PC66 SDRAM			$19.00
	Apocalypse 3Dx 4MB SDRAM	$11.95
	  PCI Video Acclerator 

	ATX mini tower w/ 250W PS	$18.00
	Realtek Chip 10/100 Ethernet	$07.00
	Floppy drive			$06.00

			Grand total:   $179.45

Now where are you going to get a PPC or StrongARM board+cpu+power supply
+ethernet for $200?  I would like one myself at that price. :)

You could drop the video card (assuming you can set the BIOS to 'none')
and the floppy. (though you would need a netboot rom)  This would bring
it to $161.50.  I'm ignoring shipping on this whole thing, and tax, assuming
you could buy locally or whatever.

-Andrew
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Gillham                            | NetBSD ist Affengeil.
gillham@whirlpool.com                     | Nachts ist es kaelter
I speak for myself, not for my employer.  | als draussen.