Depends on what you use it for ...
Pros:
Eight processors and 16 GB of ram pounding away ... If you use Linux.
Cons:
Only 4 memory slots.
The Bottom Line:
This motherboard, if used as a work-station running Linux/Unix, is unbelievably fantastic. This is NOT a gamer motherboard. Using it as such is a waste of money.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
This is a server motherboard turned desktop. The idea is fantastic for the right application. This is not a gamer motherboard, this is a motherboard that's well suited for serious number crunching using multi-threaded software to take advantage of the multiple processors. I have used this motherboard with Windows XP pro (32-bit) and Linux RHEL 5.2 (64-bit). My application is running intense simulations with software that uses up to all 8 processors, which is something I cannot get using a typical motherboard with one dual or quad core processor.
Hardware:
Dual quad-core Xeon 5450, 3 GHz, 1333 MHz front-side-bus, 12M cache.
Visiontek Radeon HD 3870 X2, Overclocked, 1GB video card.
Kingston ECC, Full-buffered, SPD, 4 x 4 GB RAM modules.
Thermaltake Amour+ case.
Hard-drives, SATA, 7200, 1TB x4, in RAID 1 configuration.
Using Windows XP pro (32-bit) with this motheboard is not a good idea. The system will only see a total 4 gb of total addressable space, WHICH INCLUDES YOUR VIDEO CARD. I had 4 GB of ram and a 1 GB video card installed. The system saw 500 MB of video memory and 3.5 GB or ram. I'm not sure how it made that decision, but it did. The nice feature about using Microsoft is the built-in hardware RAID controller works. However, you need to have a floppy to install the driver during the Windows installation. I went through a couple of USB floppy drives before finding a Sony that worked. Other than the reduced addressable space, this setup worked ok.
Using Linux RHEL 5.2 with this motherboard is stupendous! Using Linux, the same computer sees a full 16 GB RAM and a full 1GB video memory. The simulation software I use, runs on both Linux and Microsoft, but I think this motherboard is more suited to run Linux. Probably because of it's server legacy. The only drawback that I came across, using Linux, is that the hardware RAID controller doesn't work. However this is not a big deal because Linux has a built-in software RAID mechanism. Use Linux to unleash the real power of this motherboard. It is awesome.
Again, if your a gamer, there are better and cheaper alternatives. If you need a serious work-station, running Linux/Unix, this motherboard is FANTASTIC!!!!
