If you want to minimize power costs, look to higher voltage, not
lower. Run your computers off 208-240 volts instead of 100-120. If
your supply is not auto ranging, make sure it's set to the high / 230
setting.
Having a massive 12v power supply to run several computers isn't going
to save any power. Your second picture just demonstrates they have
integrated the electronic power supply into the board, thus when your
power supply fails, you can replace the entire system instead of just
a component. It is doubtable than a 12VDC to ATX converter is any more
efficient than an AC-line to ATX converter. Plus the cabling to
transfer 12V at 10a+ more than a few feet is going to be massively
expensive - look up the I2R losses on google.
In regards to cpu support, the via website mentions the C7 compares
directly with the Pentium IV, which would make it a 686 class cpu.
Additionally, they claim support for these extended instruction sets:
MMX, SSE, SSE2 & SSE3
One thing you might want to consider, is DIY blade computing. With
some clever wiring, you can splice the ATX connector harnesses from
several dead power supplies onto a modern high wattage psu, providing
power for 4 to 6 low-end system boards arranged in a stack. A new "80
PLUS" rated 500-600w psu should have no problems. Pick one from the
stack to be the 'master', and toss a hard drive on it, the rest can
net boot from it.
Gordon
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