Microsoft ARM Project Volterra

[Andrew]

Could this be bought by private individuals and used as a home PC ?

Andrew

[Jeff Gaines]

There's a link to buy it on the web page. Whether or not you would want to use it as a home PC would depend on how reliable it is currently and what software will run on it.

[Theo]

I think it probably could be - I don't see any restrictions on who can buy it. It appears to ship with the normal Arm build of Windows 11 Pro so would run Windows apps, though of course x86 apps would run in emulation (until such time as they're compiled for Arm - being the point of this device to encourage devs to do so).

Not sure how performance would compare with an x86 equivalent: better than a Raspberry Pi 4 at least. It has a decent amount of RAM and storage for the price point, so could be good value from that perspective.

Theo

[Martin Brown]

I suspect you might have to sign up as a Microsoft developer to get hold of one. You will also need the sourcecode of any x86 software to compile and run on the ARM CPU based Volterra kit. If it will run any x86 binary code at all then it will be in an emulation mode and s-l--o----w.

Short answer is yes it could be used as a home PC provided that you only ever want to do the things that its environment supports (which looks to me like edit, compile, link and test cycles for software development).

You can probably buy various cheap ARM kit for much less on Linux. eg

Expect a steep learning curve and you won't be disappointed.

If you are cash strapped then a secondhand Dell PC box from the likes of Morgan computers is the way to go for typical consumer usage. Picking one at random (might not be Win11 compatible)

[Rob Morley]

I have a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 8GB ARM board that works fine for basic browsing, media and office etc. Would cost £85 if it was available (they've been out of stock for ages and people are asking silly prices on eBay). Of course it runs Linux not Windows, but I think the Windows dev board doesn't run much of Windows yet anyway.

[Jeff Gaines]

I'm using a Dell Precision M6800 laptop I bough there a few weeks back, very pleased with it :-)

[Brian Gaff]

There is a lot more than there was, and some are saying that behind the scenes Apple are actively involved as well. Their M1 chip is Arm I think. Brian

[Theo]

It runs full Windows 11 Pro. A number of apps (especially Microsoft ones) have been recompiled for Arm, and for those that don't there's an x86 (32 and 64 bit) emulator. The main question really is whether the apps you want have Arm builds, and if not whether they run with acceptable performance under emulation.

As a general home box (Office, email, browser, no gaming) it should do fine, especially if you're using up-to-date apps.

Theo

[Paul]

It's got a Pluton in it!

We know what happened to Intel's security processor. It got pinned off because it got exploited by things that "could not be removed once they got inside it". Or words to that effect.

Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX) Yes with Intel ME <=== inside PCH???

If you use arc.intel.com to check 13900K, the SGX will be gone in there. One usage for SGX, is as a root of trust for Bluray 4K Hollywood movie playback.

There doesn't appear to be an article for it, but my guess is that Pluton will be inside Intel and AMD, soon enough. What I like about the TPM on my six month old computer, is it can be unplugged (and potentially replaced) if it is exploited. The same cannot be said of security processors hiding inside expensive desktop processor (or inside the PCH attached to the processor).

We're doomed :-) This has the same warning about "something getting inside". That something might include dual booting your favorite Linux distro.

I don't mind technology like this, as long as it has a jumper to disable it. But that's just not how these (um, people) think. It's all or nothing with them. Take our shit sandwich and eat the whole thing.

The feedback they got on TPM, is why TPM is a module that unplugs today. The SGX proves they don't know how to design one. When Pluton is widespread, then the BlackHats will have at it. And the side effect, is the potential for limited usage (lockout) of the PC for anything you might wish (Linux, for when they ruin Windows for the last time).

Paul

[Andy Burns]

sounds like it's the innards of a microsoft surface in a small box