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CHUB

CPU in a Hub
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Hey, here's an interesting idea. I wouldn't mind sharing it so long as it's not patented. How about a USB processor? You could make it even smaller than a mini or for that matter, nano style motherboard.

Put the processor into a USB hub. Call it a CPH (Central Processing Hub) or how about CHUB (CPU/Computer in a HUB)?

I've seen USB soundcards, videocards, etc. Just do away with the whole PCI or AGP bus stuff and just have a USB hub with a CPU. You can hotswap whatever parts you need to add on to your computer. You can use a regular HDD or a thumb drive.

yakwoofoo, Jun 23 2006

USB_20OS kind of related... see in particular anno by [bigsleep] [xaviergisz, Jun 24 2006]

Mac Mini http://www.apple.com/macmini/
something like this? [xenzag, Jun 24 2006]

[link]






       //I wouldn't mind sharing it so long as it's not patented// well, that's lucky.
moomintroll, Jun 23 2006
  

       I'm going to fill out the form right now...
BJS, Jun 23 2006
  

       For this to really be effective, we need software that is better at taking advantage of communicatively-latent processing units. That is, which can bundle up some work, toss it to something to work on independantly, and work with the results when (or if) they arrive.
ironfroggy, Jun 24 2006
  

       Your RAM and CPU would have to be on board. I think the problem you'd hit would be bandwidth - external video cards are very limited in terms of how fast they can receive data over USB; if you're also using USB to communicate with your hard drive(s) then you're going to need several USB chipsets.   

       How do you plan to make it smaller than a "nano-style" motherboard? I'm sure you appreciate that there's more to it than just adding a CPU socket onto a normal USB hub's little mainboard. If you've got to have your CPU there then you need a northbridge and so on, similarly you need room for your RAM (don't go for USB RAM, your system will run like a pig), cooling, uprated power circuitry to cope with the best part of 100W for the CPU... you wind up with a conventionally-sized small motherboard pretty fast.
david_scothern, Jun 24 2006
  

       You probably want to put your main storage on their as well.   

       Ok, you have designed the Mac Mini.
Galbinus_Caeli, Jun 24 2006
  
      
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