I think reform is bound to this method because they need open-source processor, which means arm, which means compute modules with soldered ram. They would certainly have done it with swappable ram if there was a way I bet.
Compute modules also have some other advantages, like being able to add extra hardware if the user’s workload requires them. It also means upgrading the compute hardware doesn’t mean also having to replace peripherals on the carrier board. Plus, with the demise of Moore’s law, I feel like by the time a processor becomes so outdated that it needs to be upgraded, the RAM would need to be, too.
I had this hypothetical idea of a hybrid system where you had a compute module with some RAM, and then a RAM slot on the carrier board that you can populate, so you get the best of both worlds. Not sure if it’s possible with current hardware, but what would you think of that?
I think reform is bound to this method because they need open-source processor, which means arm, which means compute modules with soldered ram. They would certainly have done it with swappable ram if there was a way I bet.
Compute modules also have some other advantages, like being able to add extra hardware if the user’s workload requires them. It also means upgrading the compute hardware doesn’t mean also having to replace peripherals on the carrier board. Plus, with the demise of Moore’s law, I feel like by the time a processor becomes so outdated that it needs to be upgraded, the RAM would need to be, too.
I had this hypothetical idea of a hybrid system where you had a compute module with some RAM, and then a RAM slot on the carrier board that you can populate, so you get the best of both worlds. Not sure if it’s possible with current hardware, but what would you think of that?
How is ARM open source? It’s proprietary “IP”