[Arm-netbook] SATA and IDE memory-addressable ICs

[Baybal Ni]

Yes, on this stage none ever megabig enterprises are ready for
consumer level non X86 PSIX phys except for SoC solutions. So, if a
SoC originally doesn't feature PSIX, adding it for except a very
specialised solution is profit risky.

Consumers usually want a feature just to present, without any other
price intensive bonuses. So even fitting an non speed adequate
USB2SATA phy seems fine for me as we have already done it for so many
junk products.

What I know about Genesys chips is that they are cheap as hell and
still feature good speed and no quirks. Probably working with them
will be difficult as with other no name Taiwanese chipmakers, for them
being used to work with TSMC, Samsung size companies.

But if you know any modern all in one solution for PSIX + SATA, it
will make sense in a broad price range.

I think that S5C* series SoCs totally doesn't suite a notebook. First,
how many USB ports does they feature and what is their throughput?
What would be the price for adding additional HCs or onboard hubs?
Does they feature integrated laptop size display driver? S5C* series
feels more like a cellphone solution, than something that is ok for
notebook. I suggest your team to look forward to alternative, more
price efficient SoC like Marvell's 88AP510. It has 2 onboard PSIX,
onboard pmu, nand controller, sdio, usb 2.0 phy, onboard sata. But it
have its own disadvantages too like not being a more complete SoC,
requiring external power driver and no built in wireless and audio.
Still, it can lead to a much more simple and cheaper solution: SoC +
BT+WIFI 2in1 on SDIO + 4200 rpm harddrive + cheapest audio codec +
power driver.

On 7 April 2010 08:16, Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton
<luke.leighton at googlemail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 2:58 PM, Baybal Ni <nikulinpi at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hello guys. What your are doing here is interesting, if not totally
>> amazing for a small team of hobbysts.
>
>  :)
>
>> I want to aware people here that
>> SATA as like as PCI phys are quite expensive chips, with no price drop
>> seen in coming year.
>
>  i got as far as PCI-e PHY ($7) and PCI-e to 6xPCI bridge ($9) and
> that's _without_ the SATA controller (SiL3132 or SiL3114)...
>
>> I think the better way here for you is to drop
>> SATA over PCIX idea and to think about buying SATA phy or controllers
>> that will work over other, less expensive buses already present on
>> soc. I think http://www.genesyslogic.com/_en/product_01_1.php?id=18 is
>> what you need
>
>  eexcellent - good call.  thank you.  any ideas how much that is
> (samples, 1k, 10k)?
>
>  one of the reasons why people were asking about SATA on the gpx forum
> was because it was stated as being faster than USB2.  the purpose of
> the survey will be to highlight these kinds of issues and costs, so
> that people can go "ohhh.... riiight, that's why it's expensive.  sod
> it, then!" or "i don't care - gimme!"
>
> _without_ it having to be repeated dozens or thousands of times....
>
>  so - yeah.  thank you.
>
>  l.
>
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