elindon:
I am about to start manufacturing and I am looking for a board to handle the computation. I have never programmed with these boards before and I want to know why should I spend a dollar or two more on the UNO R3 instead of the UNO R3 SMD? Basically the same question as before, but an answer that tells me a little more would be helpful. I appreciate your reply James, I guess I'm a little more curious than the OP.
It's normally recommended to beginners to use the normal (DIP chip) Uno over the SMD version in that it allows a user to easily replace the AVR chip if he/she damages it. Replacing a SMD chip is not a simple task and requires special tools, knowledge, and experience. As James said there would probably not even be a SMD Uno board if it wasn't for a world wide shortage of 328P DIPs when they first released the board.
Lefty