Of industry, pricing, loss, and media interference

[Gizmo]

From the Front Page:
http://www.aoaforums.com/frontpage/content/view/869/2/

This is something you really ought to read, IMHO.

[Favu]

Just read it - an awesome article!

[wild_andy_c]

Hi guys ! I felt the urge to express myself a little - more to come from the C man soon I think!

[danrok]

Very good article!

I think we, the consumer, are to blame to some extent. We always want these types of goods to be cheaper. China meets that demand with shoddy goods. Then we moan when the item packs up 1 day after the guarantee expires!

[cadaveca]

can't access it.

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[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by cadaveca

can't access it.

Sorry, there was a snafu on the part of the editor (me). We've had to pull the article until we get it straightened out.

[Gizmo]

'k. Article is back up. Thanks!

[Daniel ~]

You see that's just one of the reasons I need a Gizmo! Who else is going to step up and take the heat when I screw up an article?

Gizmo Did fix it however! ":O}

[Daniel ~]

This piece, it was a long time in coming! We really don't get a lot of information on how Manufactures and sites interrelate.

A thoughtful reader can gain a few good lessons on marketing from this piece! Well done Andy!!

[bonesaw]

wow i am glad i read that

[dsio]

What surprised me most is that this is the first time I've ever seen someone thats worked in the industry at the level Andy did actually explain it all without ass-covering.

I'm really impressed that you can write that. Looking through the history of the Epox forum, its clear to see the evidence behind it as well.

What I would like to know is what can people do to rectify this problem. Everyone on this site knows exactly what a Celeron is, and exactly what Celeron hardware is, and avoids it wherever possible. But aside from not buying white box junk, what is there to do that improves this situation in the long term?

[danrok]

The enthusiasts are a minority. I doubt we could influence change. We'd be up against the massive marketing machine. Like Andy says it's all about prices and numbers.

I think we've all seen it. Your non-techie mate buys a Dell or whatever, sees all the right numbers and names in the short spec. Believes he has an excellent deal, until a new game doesn't install because the hardware doesn't support T&L, or whatever. The penny starts to drop, but they've already got his money!

[Daniel ~]

Overclocking has always seemed a fringe activity. We are the gleaners who come after the first harvest to get the use of what the Land owners leave behind.

With more efficient processes, there may be less for us to exploit. But engineering is such that there will no doubt always be a safety margin we can slip into, cool and take advantage of.

I'm pleased to be a part of this second harvest, it stretches our resources and test our ingenuity.

But we will always follow behind the first harvest "to get our fair share of abuse". ":O}

[Gizmo]

Call me silly, call me stupid, call me crazy. Or all of the above.

Because of the general decline in mobo quality, I've actually been wondering if it would be reasonable to do an enthusiast board (one targeted at enthusiasts and overclockers specifically, with all of the bells and whistles that the hard-core crowd expects). Obviously, it wouldn't see a lot of production, but I'm thinking that if it could sell a thousand units, it might be worth-while to do. Unfortunately, it would probably have to sell for something in the $200 range.

I know that the mainstream board makers wouldn't want to touch a 1,000 unit run, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be doable.

[Daniel ~]

The kind of project that always gets my blood pumping! ":O}

[danrok]

It must be possible to design your own board and order a PCB factory to make X thousand units for you.

"The AOA Overclocker's Grail" - We're taking preorders now!

[Daniel ~]

I see you hanging here Andy! What do you think, how hard would this be to do?