On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 14:28:03 -0000 (UTC) De Zeurkous wrote:

>> I have no clue as to why a BIOS or a northbridge is designed with
>> limitations like these. The cost-savings may be there, but they are
>> certainly too small to really bother with. But these limitations go all
>> through computer history.
>
> Forced market segmentation. Surely, they wouldn't sell as much of their
> 'PREMIUM QUALITY(C)${vendor}' stuff if lower-priced products are at the
> very least adequate?

Not sure that's really the case. It makes sense (in a logical way) but
Dell's marketing doesn't always - at least not to people outside of 
Dell. :-)

The past has shown, that server systems or professional workstations are
often based on the same hardware as the "amateur crap" with a few tweaks.
You usually have less choice in what you can buy, two or three graphics
cards at the most one or two sound cards and so on. This way the vendors
can be sure that the system will work with the suppled stuff. Often they
have better cooling solutions as well. One of my PIII Intelistations cools
both CPUs through pipe that gets its air from a single large fan on the
back. Worked a bit like the cooling of the CPUs in my Sun U60, even ist
not as elegant.

Furthermore, the vendors of professional systems supply replacements for a
much longer time than the usual shops where a broken mainboard usually
means you have to buy a new CPU and new memory as well as a new board.

Regards
Chris