Ebox 4300

Under development: PCMCIA, wireless, etc.
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nevez
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon 07 May 2007, 12:31

Ebox 4300

#1 Post by nevez »

Hello

I just noticed that ICOP released a new ebox 4300, which has the same ebox2300 form factor, but it's much more powerful: 500Mhz Eden CPU, 512MB ram!!!

http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT4708024578.html

Share your thoughts!

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Lobster
Official Crustacean
Posts: 15522
Joined: Wed 04 May 2005, 06:06
Location: Paradox Realm
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#2 Post by Lobster »

Looks good - ideal for Puppy

However it is about time TFT monitors came with a built in computer running Puppy or an embedded Linux

How much would that cost?
  • add a USB port for storage
    and dash of ethernet and wifi
In fact the most likely place will be HD TV's

We have a really old TV with a built in modem
What is available now I wonder?
Puppy Raspup 8.2Final 8)
Puppy Links Page http://www.smokey01.com/bruceb/puppy.html :D

the_squire
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed 21 Nov 2007, 20:17

eBox 4300

#3 Post by the_squire »

In complete contrast to the eBox 2300SX, the new eBox 4300 was easy to get working and it runs great!

I was able to customize my OS image (Puppy v2.13) and installation script in a matter of minutes. The eBox 4300 seems to want to put the internal drive at /dev/hdc instead of /dev/hda as with the older eBox 2300 but otherwise, everything worked flawlessly the first time I tried it.

The BIOS is a little different, too, but it's easy enough to get the 4300 to boot on a USB memory stick.

All in all, the eBox 4300 gets two thumbs up! Highly recommended!

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dinky
Posts: 699
Joined: Sat 19 Jan 2008, 23:39

#4 Post by dinky »

Hi the_squire, I'm really interested in this. I'm thinking about getting an ebox 4300 from DMP (manufacturers) shortly. Have been in contact with Jonathon from Compact PC (retail arm of DMP), and he's told me that they have a 1GB RAM version coming out in June/July. Unsure of the cost of that, but with the current ebox 4300 it will cost me $250 USD to get it with Wireless, and Australian plug, and shipped here to Melbourne. That's at least $100 cheaper than anywhere else.
I've asked for a price quote on the upcoming ebox with 1Gb, but haven't heard back yet.

I'm not sure whether to get the ebox 4300, or one of the ebox 4800 series models, which can't VESA mount, are bulkier, but still fanless and have 1.2 Ghz processing speed, over the 500Mhz in the ebox 4300. What can you tell me about the model you have? This is my preference, but unsure if it will support everything I need to do. I'm running a customised version of puppy 3.01, and regularly use video and audio playback while I'm working. I use the internet extensiely, stream media, and usually have multiple applications open and running at once. I also extensively use compiz-fusion, which I'm unsure is supported or not.

How fast does puppy move with the 4300, and what version of puppy are you using? Do you notice any speed drops? Do you notice problems under increased loads? How is the page rendering when you're web-browsing etc. I have a 3 Ghz beastie with a LOUD fan, and am looking at using it very seldom, or phasing it out altogether. Thanks!

~Mitchell
p.s. for those interested, here are the contact details of the DMP rep I've been dealing with. Really nice bloke. Jonathan@compactpc.com.tw
http://www.compactpc.com.tw

the_squire
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed 21 Nov 2007, 20:17

eBox 4300

#5 Post by the_squire »

dinky wrote: How fast does puppy move with the 4300, and what version of puppy are you using? Do you notice any speed drops? Do you notice problems under increased loads? How is the page rendering when you're web-browsing etc.
Sorry for the late response but I don't drop by here all that often.

I am using a slightly modified version of Puppy 2.13. Basically I removed a number of the larger, graphical applications like the word processor, spreadsheet, etc., in order to conserve storage space since I'm using a 512 MB flash drive for internal storage. My application does not require any graphical User Interface, so I've configured the startup scripts to avoid starting X11 at all.

That being said, I did experiment with the eBox 4300 in graphical mode and I have also used an eBox 4853 so I do have some experience with both devices. Certainly, the 4853 is much, much faster than the 4300, but for the kinds of light browsing I was trying, the extra CPU didn't really make all that much difference. Of course, I had previously been using the eBox 2300, which is much, much slower.

If you want to rip or burn CDs or encode DVDs, the extra CPU power in the 4853 would be a must. But if you're just interested in a platform for some light browsing and email, the 4300 is a great choice. Streaming video and audio should be well within the capabilities of the 4300, though I suppose that depends on what other tasks you run concurrently.

Personally, I always try to get the fastest machine I can afford, even if that means waiting a couple of months. Given the rate of increase of computing power, the more power you get now, the longer you'll likely to be content with it.

If you can arrange it, I'd suggest you try to get a demo unit of each for a week and make the comparison yourself. (I admit the shipping costs may make this impractical, though.)

Good luck!

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