Introduction
ECS invited us out to the Bay area to witness their reinvented product lines…
ECS hosted a press event in the third week of August to unveil its new product lineup and corporate direction. The press event, named "Live, Liva, Lead, L337", lays out the important aspects of the "new ECS" and its intended market direction. They introduced the LIVA mini computer with integrated 32GB and 64GB integrated SSDs, their Z97-based product line-up, and the North America LIVA design contest.
Their naming of the event was apropos to their renewed corporate vision with the first two terms, Live and LIVA, referencing their LIVA mini-PC platform. ECS developed the name LIVA by combining the words Live and Viva (Life in Spanish), signifying the LIVA line's aim at integrating itself into your daily routine and providing the ability to live a better life. Lead signifies ECS' desire to become a market leader in the Mini-PC space with their LIVA platform as well as become a more dominant player in the PC space. The last term, L337, is a reference to their L337 Gaming line of motherboards, a clear reminder of their Z97 offerings to be unveiled.
ECS seeks to consolidate its product lines, re-focusing its energy on what it excels at – offering quality products at reasonable prices. ECS seeks to leverage its corporate partnerships and design experience to build products equivalent to competitor lines at a much reduced cost to the end user. This renewed focus on quality and the end user led to a much revised Z97 board lineup in comparison to its Z87-based offerings. Additionally, their newly introduced mini-PC line, branded LIVA, seeks to offer a cheaper all-in-one alternative to the Intel NUC and GIGABYTE BRIX systems.
Just wish it would be on the
Just wish it would be on the latest AMD chipset. I can’t really see the Baytrail performance to be enough. The latest A10 Micro-6700T would have been a better fit in my opinion or the AMD A6-6310 if the temperatures were really good.
A roadmap has leaked showing
A roadmap has leaked showing one AMD model in 2015
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8484/ecs-reveals-liva-product-roadmap
That is if Intel does not $$$ convince $$$ them by then to stay Intel only.
Per comments from staff at
Per comments from staff at the event, that AMD model is only a possibility right now, nothing concrete regardless of any Intel influence…
I am pretty sure every Intel
I am pretty sure every Intel on that roadmap is concrete and not a possibility. Regardless AMD influence.
(I am just talking to myself here shaking my head seeing the same picture for the last 12 years, NO irony/sarcasm pointing at you)
Intel is up to its old tricks
Intel is up to its old tricks again, too bad the Antitrust authorities in the US are so ineffectual! AMD is getting pushed out of the x86 competition by the Contra Revenue, and the other Intel monopoly tactics that are anything but fair in the marketplace. Hopefully AMD will get some ISA relief with its custom ARMv8 based APUs, but the lack of many OEM systems built around AMD’s x86, in the low power x86 market needs to be looked into.
AMD should consider building reference design Nano sized socketed motherboards that can be used in these systems with their own designed cases, with the ability to upgrade the APU, as well as the memory, with options for an internal power supply, as well as external. A nice system of products, and cases, so the home builder can make their own with AMD. Maybe AMD can introduce a Project SkyBridge, type of nano motherboard that can utilize both AMDs ARM, and x86 based APUs, for the hobbyist/experimenter, and others, with just the swapping of the APU, no worries, it’s all pin compatible, the BIOS will just sense and auto-configure. I’ll bet the AMD graphics will be better than Intel’s on both ARM, and AMD’s x86 SKUs, let’s see Intel Match a system that can run both ARM, and x86, with just the swapping of the SOC/APU. AMD needs to get its
“K12″/whatever custom ARM core in the game to compete with Nvidia’s K1, and graphics will be one of Intel’s weaknesses, especially in the low cost SKUs with acceptable graphics category.
Too bad AMD can’t make better
Too bad AMD can’t make better CPUs and get Intel running scared again. You need to understand customers- which includes companies- need to be confident in the company as well as the product. Even with the video boards, AMD’s fundamentals are pretty shaky- they are heavily in debt with a pretty big PE. If they have to keep divesting to stay afloat, they may soon just be a sales office for third party chip makers.
Why AMD’s SeaMicro server
Why AMD’s SeaMicro server division, is making money selling servers based on Xeon processors(IF the customer requests it), as well a AMD’s Opterons(Arm, and x86) based. There are those SMBs that do not have Google style wallets, and will do fine with Opterons, at a much more affordable cost! This need to be #1 in speed for server SKUs, is not so important in the enterprise IT market, and Intel’s number #1, also includes #1 in overpricing! The SMBs out there have a use for AMD products, that do not break the bank! The bean counters will decide what the budget can afford, for the SMBs. AMD has a good thing going with that ambidextrous strategy, of giving servers, and the consumer, ARM and x86 SKUs, that can be utilized on the same infrastructure, with just a swap of a CPU/APU in the same motherboard socket. Having servers that can be switched out from x86, to ARM, at the drop of a Die into a socket, will give the users great flexibility, and save millions, with dual purpose motherboards, that can be configured as low power using ARM based, or x86 based, for better workload granularity(low power webpage serving, or Higher power data analytics).
AMD is working on its custom ARM K12, and a new x86 microarchitecture, so they are not totally out of the game, and expect ARM based products to grab a slice of the server market, in workloads where x86 is not necessary, and do expect that SeaMicro’s server products will also be using Power8 based products, once the Non made for IBM, Power8 come to market in 2015, if SeaMicro will sell Xeon based Kit, they will sell Power8 based Kit, and make AMD money, Rory Read spent 23 years at IBM, he will let AMD’s SeaMicro division make money with any server SKU, whatever the customer requests, and IBM will back anyone up that chooses Power8, look at the money IBM is throwing into Linux on Power8’s, I’m sure the Rory is having meetings with his old employer, and is seriously looking at a Power8 license.
AMD is not just in the x86 market, anymore, expect the investment in ARM based systems to pay off for AMD, Apple is doing great with the Phone/Tablets system based on custom ARM ISA based SOCs, and dwarfing Intel in profits doing so. Expect Apple to be looking at Power8 also, Apple is not afraid of a little ISA/microarchitecture switch, if it means money for Apple, AMD provides the GPUs for the Mac Pro!