projectQ motherboard promises to boot any OS in under 10 seconds

Shawn Knight

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A company known as QUO recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund a motherboard designed to run any operating system you choose right out of the box – including Mac OS X. It’s all possible thanks to a custom bit of firmware that can boot any OS in under 10 seconds.

Z77MX-QUO-AOS, otherwise known as projectQ, was created by Gigabyte USA as an exclusive OEM project so it’s not like you’re getting some generic board. It conforms to the MicroATX form factor and includes a number of rear I/O connectors: Firewire 400 and 800, Thunderbolt, DVI, HDMI, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and Intel LAN.

hackintosh apple z77mx quo-aos motherboard projectq

The company said they have perfected the motherboard and have tested the BIOS / UEFI with developers in China, England, Romania and the US. The team plans to continue to support the BIOS / UEFI after release and will ship with a three year warranty.

The board itself is built using Intel’s Z77 chipset for Ivy Bridge processors but if you aren’t interested in building your own system, QUO will take care of that as well. The company is also offering Limited Edition models complete with custom chassis (at least one is based on a SilverStone design) starting at $1,199 and going up to around $2,500 for a fully decked out rig.

hackintosh apple z77mx quo-aos motherboard projectq

A pledge of $219 will guarantee you’ll be one of the first to own a projectQ motherboard. As of writing, 90 backers have pledged more than $26,000 of the $87,000 needed to get the board into production. The campaign runs until April 1, 2013 so there’s still plenty of time to make it happen. The first 100 pledges will receive the first batch of boards within six weeks, we’re told.

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Why do we still invest into OS? We already have Google Chromebooks starting in no time.
Windows 7 and 8 start quite fast, this is not where I spend most time waiting.
OS IMO becomes irrelevant completely to most people.
 
What point does this motherboard have when newer versions of both Windows and Linux already boot under 10 seconds on any other motherboard, and nobody will run MacOS on custom hardware?

Also, the motherboard obviously doesn't actually boot the OS, but restores it from hibernation. Which is also the default action under Windows 8.

Just proves the fact that Kickstarter is only there enable uninformed dummies to give their money to de facto scammers.
 
I have an Asrock motherboard with some type of fast boot scheme and it really only shaves about 10 seconds OFF the boot time, not boots in 10 seconds.
 
People who prefer their computers to not be engulfed in flames boot them. No consumer system is mad to run for several days.

Working in computer repair, I see enough fried/blown out components to tell you that a frequent shutdowns can make all the difference.
 
Who boots a computer?
The only time I boot my computer is when Windows complains after installing an update.

People who prefer their computers to not be engulfed in flames boot them. No consumer system is mad to run for several days.

Working in computer repair, I see enough fried/blown out components to tell you that a frequent shutdowns can make all the difference.

I don't 'reboot' my computer until it starts complaining, I sleep my computer several times a day, and have done for a couple of years, with only rebooting when there is a problem. And this restores my desktop to a usable level in under 10 seconds. In fact, I think it takes my screen longer to initiate after being turned off.
 
People who prefer their computers to not be engulfed in flames boot them. No consumer system is mad to run for several days.

Working in computer repair, I see enough fried/blown out components to tell you that a frequent shutdowns can make all the difference.

And here is my experience:

My primary home computer has run essentially 24/7 for the last 3 years... No flames yet... And our current batch of office PCs (which are pretty much just standard consumer Dells) have all been going for basically 18 months straight with nary a spark...

Working in electronic equipment manufacturing (industrial, commercial, and consumer), I see more blown power supplies and hardware components attributed to repeated startup/shutdown cycles (and the extra loads typically experienced during those processes) than I do units that run constantly...
 
People who prefer their computers to not be engulfed in flames boot them. No consumer system is mad to run for several days.

Working in computer repair, I see enough fried/blown out components to tell you that a frequent shutdowns can make all the difference.

Dude I really feel sorry for the people you work for cuz you know nothing about computers. Computers are made of metal and plastic when metal heats up it expands and when it cools down it contracts. Turning a computer on makes it heat up, turning it off makes it cool down. Leaving a computer on actually extends its life because it stays at the same temperature. Turn a light bulb on and off really fast it will burn it out way faster than normal. I work for the IT department at a major hospital in Minneapolis, MN and we NEVER shut computers off and we don't get rid of them for 6 years and then the only reason we get rid of them is to switch them out with something newer. Never have we had a computer catch on fire and its rare for one even to break down. And we have 1,000s of computers!
 
Dude I really feel sorry for the people you work for cuz you know nothing about computers. Computers are made of metal and plastic when metal heats up it expands and when it cools down it contracts. Turning a computer on makes it heat up, turning it off makes it cool down. Leaving a computer on actually extends its life because it stays at the same temperature. Turn a light bulb on and off really fast it will burn it out way faster than normal. I work for the IT department at a major hospital in Minneapolis, MN and we NEVER shut computers off and we don't get rid of them for 6 years and then the only reason we get rid of them is to switch them out with something newer. Never have we had a computer catch on fire and its rare for one even to break down. And we have 1,000s of computers!

All that energy wastage :eek:
 
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