[JCT]

Stupid quesiton-
Is a reference board the same thing as a motherboard or is it a circuit board designed for a specific purpose-video or audio?
Thanks

[discobay]

Never heard of that term.
Did you get that by using a translation tool?
What context is it used in?

[JCT]

I'm trying to figure out what this product is in simple terms that an attorney could understand I feel like I'm reading Chinese.

SiI 3132 reference design board (PB 3132)
http://www.siliconimage.com/docs/SI_3132PB_FINAL.pdf

[discobay]

A reference design is usually used when a manufacturer produces something that they anticipate others to build on/from. Audio/Video manufacturers often produce reference design amplifiers.
My understanding of the pdf is that the manufacturer believes their design to be a market-leader and hope that others will follow and improve on by adding and not changing.
I think these cards are quite expensive. You will also saturate the pci bus eventually if you add enough drives. Have you considered the cheaper option of enclosing your ide (PATA) drive in a USB box and connecting that way?

[vmlinuz]

The explicit point of a reference board is that it's a prototype, released for a few reasons:

• Get the chipset reviewed - get it into the press, into the public consciousness and so forth.
• Prove that it's not vapourware - that it exists and works, even if there are currently no shipping products using it
• Provide a design for companies to base their retail products on. It's common, in reviews, to see comments like "compared with the reference board we saw a few months ago, $VENDOR has managed to get 5% more performance" - in other words, rather than vendors having to start with a chipset and nothing else, they are given a working board, which they can then tweak, extend, etc. to produce retail product.
• Provide a working prototype for things like validation, third-party driver authors, compatibility testing with other hardware and so on, so that the chipset is known and supported by the time it hits the retail market.

[JCT]

Thank you Discobay & Vmlinuz!!