Looking to line out a dual hexie (Istanbul)

[Particle]

Hey guys. I know that Istanbul chips are still a little difficult to find, but no worries. They'll be upon us soon enough. In the mean time, I'm interested in finding an appropriate motherboard and such.

Basically, it must have a minimum of:
- 3x PCIe x8 (or wider) [video, RAID, RAID]
- 1x PCIe x1 (or wider) [sound]

Other than that I'm not too picky. It just needs to support two Istanbuls and 4+ DIMMs.

Anyone know of a board up to the task? The less expensive the better, naturally.

- Edit -
Forgot to mention--it needs to be able to be overclocked. Not looking for unreasonable gains, but I do want the ability to at least try.

[Nedjo]

take pick out of 17 mainboards:

http://www.tyan.com/newsroom_pressro...l.aspx?id=1324

my recommendation:

Thunder n3600B (S2927-E)
http://www.tyan.com/product_board_detail.aspx?pid=595



But if you really need that much PCI Express slots, than this one:

Thunder n6650W (S2915-E)
http://www.tyan.com/product_board_detail.aspx?pid=541

[paulhamm]

For the requirements listed you would be better off with the Super micro

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813182114

It has all the slots you state you need.

[Nedjo]

paul is right!

SuperMicro has 25 Istanbul certified mobos!!

but this is the one Particle needs:

H8DAi-2
http://www.supermicro.com/Aplus/moth...55/H8DAi-2.cfm



1. Two Six-Core / Quad-Core
AMD Opteron™ 2000 Series (Socket F)
Support, 1000 MHz HyperTransport Link
2. nVidia MCP55 Pro
nVidia IO-55 Chipset
3. Up to 64GB DDR2-800/667/533 SDRAM
4. Dual-port Gigabit
LAN/Ethernet Controller
5. 6 SATA2 3.0Gbps Ports
6. 2 (x16) PCI-e slots
1 (x8) PCI-e (using x16 slot)
2 (x4) PCI-e (using x8 slots)
1 32-bit PCI
7. SIMLP IPMI 2.0 Support
8. 8 Fan Support with Speed Control

[Tom128]

What sort of activities require hardware like this, outside of an actual web/SQL/scientific server? I.E. Why are you throwing this beast together?

Since we're on the topic I have a few questions actually haha. I have always been confused by server hardware. I get that server boards support more ram so they cost more, as well as multi-socket, I.O options, etc. I get the price for the server boards.

However why is the ram usually lower speed than desktop counterparts? Why are server CPU's so much more expensive than their desktop counterparts, I've never been able to find any features other than "tested better" and of course multi-socket capabilities (but the single socket parts are also much higher priced).

I love playing with hardware and would probably do something like this if I could find an excuse for it

[Movieman]

What sort of activities require hardware like this, outside of an actual web/SQL/scientific server? I.E. Why are you throwing this beast together?

Since we're on the topic I have a few questions actually haha. I have always been confused by server hardware. I get that server boards support more ram so they cost more, as well as multi-socket, I.O options, etc. I get the price for the server boards.

However why is the ram usually lower speed than desktop counterparts? Why are server CPU's so much more expensive than their desktop counterparts, I've never been able to find any features other than "tested better" and of course multi-socket capabilities (but the single socket parts are also much higher priced).

I love playing with hardware and would probably do something like this if I could find an excuse for it

He likes to read his email FASSSSSST!

[Particle]

Movieman is onto me! Yes, I'd like to shave a few milliseconds off of Thunderbird loading up. heh More importantly, I just want it. Most of the time it won't be doing anything, but it all comes down to:
1) Oooh, shiny toys.
2) When something does come along that needs the power, I want to have it on tap. (Such as video encodes...I just spent 3 days re-encoding something on my quad.)
3) Depending on power requirements, maybe I'll get back into folding or WCG.

I forgot to mention that I'd prefer something I could modestly overclock. Throwing cores at a problem is nice, but having each of those cores be as useful individually as possible is also nice. I'm not picky--just want 3.0 and I'm happy.

[informal]

Will ntune work with those tyan boards?I would expect with a bit of luck you can get 2.6 or even 2.4Ghz part to 3GHz on def. vcore.

[EniGmA1987]

ASUS assured me that this board will get a quick bios update to support the Istanbul CPUs:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131360

Has an x16 slot, two x8 slots in a x16 physical size for RAID cards, and an x4 slot. As well as an old PCI slot for anything legacy you have. You can use nTune to overclock it.

seems the best option so far as it can have a lot more RAM than those other boards suggested above. However it is an EEB form factor, which is harder to find compatibility for. The size is 12 x 13, which is the same as E-ATX I think. Does anyone know if towers compatible for E-ATX will also fit EEB boards?

[msimax]

He likes to read his email FASSSSSST!

hey whats up man looks like i may have that dual itch coming back

Will ntune work with those tyan boards?I would expect with a bit of luck you can get 2.6 or even 2.4Ghz part to 3GHz on def. vcore.

it should if not i can always use this

[jcool]

I am really interested in how much a 3Ghz Dual Hexacore AMD could pull in WCG. Could it match a Dual Gainstown? Or even a Harper? Even outpace it? If it OCs and gives great efficiency I just might have to build one

If I EVER stop spending money on other hardware, that is -.-

[Particle]

If I EVER stop spending money on other hardware, that is

You won't. None of us ever will. We're all too far gone!

[jcool]

I guess you're right...

Still, I'm gonna watch you closely doing this build, would be great to see some WCG numbers too

[charged3800z24]

He likes to read his email FASSSSSST!

LOL, thats about all I do with my 2 socket Shanghi rig

I think it would be fun to play with, I don't think I can Overclock my HP server, but it will support Istanbul. I just can't see throwing another 2 grand at it.

[perkam]

Movieman is onto me! Yes, I'd like to shave a few milliseconds off of Thunderbird loading up. heh More importantly, I just want it. Most of the time it won't be doing anything, but it all comes down to:
1) Oooh, shiny toys.
2) When something does come along that needs the power, I want to have it on tap. (Such as video encodes...I just spent 3 days re-encoding something on my quad.)
3) Depending on power requirements, maybe I'll get back into folding or WCG.

I wouldn't recommend this build atm.

Right now, this is AMD's "Beta" six-core processor. Clockspeeds are low (start from 2.2Ghz @ $700) and the platform (S1207) is old.

I'd recommend waiting till end of 2009 for San Marino/Maranello platform. If you like shiny toys and intend to keep this for at least 2 years, I'd suggest waiting for the Opteron 4000 and 6000 series:




And remember, waiting serves a dual purpose. You can wait for what's new or you can buy the old Istanbuls and Shanghais for a bargain

Perkam

[EniGmA1987]

Hey Charged, If its only a 2 socket, you can get a pair of 2.2GHz Istanbuls for under $1000

[Particle]

Yeah, starting price is like $4xx for them as I recall. Considering the Shanghai low-end part was similar when it launched and is $175 now, I think there's potential for value there. I may wait for G34, but I hate to get drawn into that eternal waiting game where there's always some big new thing around the corner.

[perkam]

Yeah, starting price is like $4xx for them as I recall. Considering the Shanghai low-end part was similar when it launched and is $175 now, I think there's potential for value there. I may wait for G34, but I hate to get drawn into that eternal waiting game where there's always some big new thing around the corner.

The waiting game for servers is different than for desktop parts.

Desktop parts refresh every 6-8 months. Server parts are guaranteed for at least 2 years because the manufacturer has to have enough parts around for replacements, repair etc.

A G34 rig will last you a while and will be well worth the wait

Perkam

[charged3800z24]

Hey Charged, If its only a 2 socket, you can get a pair of 2.2GHz Istanbuls for under $1000

If I can OC then that would be a nice alternative...

[[XC] gomeler]

Quad-channel memory on the G34 chips also Only problem is Magny-Cours could be very expensive

[Particle]

That's one of my concerns as well. I can't imagine the new platform being cheap.

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Get one with HT3.0 specs and one with an Nvidia chipset (if that's possible).

[perkam]

That's one of my concerns as well. I can't imagine the new platform being cheap.

That shouldn't be concern should it? Considering you're buying Istanbul AT Launch, and it is far from cheap as well

At the very least, you'll spend the same amount of money as you would now and end up with a VERY upgradeable platform.

Perkam

[Mechromancer]

WAIT FOR THIS BOARD: http://www.semiaccurate.com/2009/06/...pset-pictured/

This is the next generation ATI part

In the Tyan booth, there were a bunch of new servers, but tucked away in a corner there were a few boards that had an interesting line on the name tag. It said, "AMD SR5890 + SP5100 chipset", that is the name of the RS890 when you put it on a server board.

The board is called the S8212, and it has two sockets. As you can see, there are 16 DIMM slots, 1 16x PCIe, 3 8x PCIe, and a few older slots as well. It has the usual 6 SATA ports, 2 ethernet, and a VGA out that doesn't stink.

This part will not only bring the server world into rezes higher than 1024*768 (YAY!!!!), but also adds some very nifty features like an IOMMU. If you have been wanting to virtualize your NICs and RAID controllers, this is the one chipset that can do it for you. It will be out later this summer.SA

Have a little patience with this and you'll get these AMD chipset based boards. I think they'll be well worth it for what you want to do with the machine.

[Particle]

Oh, excellent. I'd come to regard the "new AMD server chipset" story as somewhat of a myth after seeing the 700S series never, ever appear. That will definitely be worth waiting for.