04-29-2020, 08:45 PM
I entered a "Yes" but it comes with caveats. Yes, I would love a desktop/workstation Pine. No, I do not want all the limitations that come from the current lineup of SoCs from Rock Chip. I am very seriously considering a Honeycomb LX2K from Solid Run (link: https://www.solid-run.com/nxp-lx2160a-fa...rkstation/). There are Cavium/ThunderX and Ampere/eMAG offerings from Avantech but the prices are steep for my desires.
I've been saying it, now, for two or three years: If Pine64 puts together a 16 - 32 core system with all the usual things people expect in a desktop or workstation, it will sell. I, for one, would buy it, especially if it came in different core-counts with a slotted SoC I could upgrade at a later date.
But I do not consider the rk3399 -- or anything else from RockChip's current product line -- to be desktop capable. They're barely even mobile-capable by modern mid-tier standards (which is okay because they're priced with low-tier standards where they are performance-competitive.) That said, I'm really drooling for a PineTime and PineTab. The tab is underpowered, as well, but not within its price range, and it's absolutely perfect for service as a handy org-mode note taking device.
I've been saying it, now, for two or three years: If Pine64 puts together a 16 - 32 core system with all the usual things people expect in a desktop or workstation, it will sell. I, for one, would buy it, especially if it came in different core-counts with a slotted SoC I could upgrade at a later date.
But I do not consider the rk3399 -- or anything else from RockChip's current product line -- to be desktop capable. They're barely even mobile-capable by modern mid-tier standards (which is okay because they're priced with low-tier standards where they are performance-competitive.) That said, I'm really drooling for a PineTime and PineTab. The tab is underpowered, as well, but not within its price range, and it's absolutely perfect for service as a handy org-mode note taking device.