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AOpen Debuts The Funniest Motherboard Ever

Posted by chrisd on from the if-this-is-real-i-will-buy-it dept.

Anonymous Coward X-11 writes "Has AOpen gone flipping nuts by putting vacuum tubes on its motherboards? AX4B-533Tube No, it's not replacing logic ICs with discrete components. The tubes are part of the on board audio. Not sure if they are serious about this. April 1 was two months ago." As an owner of a tube headphone amplifier I applaud AOpen's move to accomodate the high-end audio enthusiast, while simultaneous wondering about the ability of a switched psu to properly drive a tube amplification stage cleanly. There's no way this is for real, right? Right? Here's a link that seems to work pretty well. And this looks pretty, well, real. Update: /. reader Jedi1USA noted that HardOCP has more pics of the board.

5 of 473 comments (clear)

  1. Oh that's what I need... by spoco2 · · Score: 4, Funny

    More heat in my PC Box... that's a top idea. In fact, along with a couple of valves, let's throw in a few radiator elements, then you could have a PC case that you can cook mashmallows on.... mmmm, sweet, sticky goodness.

    1. Re:Oh that's what I need... by squarefish · · Score: 4, Funny

      it's only a matter of time before some mod bastard figures out how to water cool the tube!

      --
      Creationists are a lot like zombies. Slow, but powerful and numerous. And they all want to eat our brains.
  2. audiophiles rejoice! by Moosifer · · Score: 5, Funny

    As a once snobbish, now reformed ex-audiophile, I cannot resist but slip back to the affected, bombastic days of my youth and exclaim "It's about freakin' time! Now when are we going to replace these markedly inferior CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs with the gloriously mellifluous LP-ROM?"

  3. New disk drive also in development for this board. by DaedalusLogic · · Score: 5, Funny

    It uses physical forms actually cut into a vinyl disk to reproduce sound. Rather than a traditional 5 1/4 disk bay it will be a USB 2.0 periperal and look something like these devices. Analog audiophiles rejoice! I play guitar and I do have to say I enjoy the sound of a classic tube amp. I wonder how odd and expensive will it be to say... Uh yeah I need a vacuum tube replacement for my computer.

    Still, could be interesting for your HTPC

  4. Well... by cirby · · Score: 5, Funny

    Compared to a high-end Pentium IV, a vacuum tube probably counts as a heat sink...