Best DUAL CPU motherboard?

[kleach]

I am looking for a dual CPU motherboard for my workstation... (6 monitors) ... I have two older video cards to run my monitors and want to just keep those cards.. PCIE x2 and x4.
Also I want to keep my hard drives (intel raid 1)
Just need 16GB of RAM and a VERY quite case.. I will disable onboard video if Mobo has any.
I am partial to ASUS but it seems they do not have many dual CPU... Suggestions for MB / CPU and case?

 

[gmcizzle]

Intel: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131378
AMD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131670

 

[kleach]

Thank you... seems close but seems low on USB 2.0 ports.. only 2?
I have 6 now and use 4...
Intel is preferred as well.. thanks for both links..


Would it make sense to get one of those all in one USB "drive" bay things that have every USB and card port known.. I assume that would solve my USB issue?

Make sense?

I will have to go to another forum to find a quite case to go with this,,

Thanks for the help..

 

[gmcizzle]

Even the more expensive mobos also only have 2x USB 2.0 ports. You could go with a USB to SATA drive bay or something like that.

 

[kleach]

I am coming from a older DELL P490 which has two 5100 series 3.2GHz intel CPUs.
The recommended board seems to have support for two Intel Six-Core Xeon 5600 Series (BIOS Version 802) ??

I want to be sure I get a substantial boost in performance... and is worth the upgrade..
What are your thoughts?

-Ken

 

[gmcizzle]

Well with the six-core xeon's you get 6 cores and 12 threads per CPU. Do your current CPUs support hyperthreading?

 

[kleach]

Yes they do..
It is hard to understand intel's insane CPU naming progression and to know which CPU is faster than the other... I have to go to benchmarks to get that info.. evening understanding exactly what I have now.. WITH intel's processor identification utility.. it never gives you a full model number....

If I am spending money on a new MB, CPU case and RAM I want to be sure it is worth the effort..
I have so much stuff running on my box on a normal basis.. databases, media sharing, huge spreadsheets, 3DSMax etc..
So CPU is "idle" at 30% rightnow..
with six monitors .. I chew through RAM and CPU quick...

The additional cores will be good..
The CPU and RAM to go with the recommended motherboard are....????

 

[gmcizzle]

Here's the cheapest CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117256

And the most expensive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117228

As for RAM, two of these kits: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139268

Or if you want heat spreaders on them, two of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220423

 

[k1114]

Imo it wouldn't be smart to buy socket 1366 that is being replaced with SBE coming out in the next few weeks.

 

[gmcizzle]

The server SBE CPUs won't come out for a while after the desktop models if I remember correctly, I could be wrong though.

 

[kleach]

Almost there..
I went with a pair of x5650 2.66Ghz 6 core CPUs...seemed to be a better price / performance point.
and Crucial 24GB RAM package..
Question about heat sinks needed.. again I want a quiet case but cool CPUs (don't we all)

I assume whatever heat sink you recommend I will have to be sure the case I choose has the clearance for it.


I really appreciate your help... I have been out of touch for to long...

 

[k1114]

They are slated for the same time. SB xeons came out after SB because SB is mainstream while SBE is for server/workstations so will come out at the same time.

 

[gmcizzle]

If you want the best cooling for the size go with: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181016&Tpk=corsair%20h80

If you go air, you probably don't want anything too heavy since you'll be seated two of them. Something light like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233081

 

[kleach]

Are we saying that it is worth waiting for socket 1366???
I am in a rush.. but would like a new rig my end of month...or so.

Should I wait? What will be the benefits? Since the 286 days there has always been a price / performance curve and to buy the newest model when it just came out has historically been a mistake... you want the CPU that just started to drop in price due to newer models.... in general that has been true for 20 years+
If that is still the case.. .then even waiting for the new chips to come out may drive other prices down?
True?

 

[k1114]

1366 is old, I'm saying to wait for socket 2011. Cpu prices never change, just look at core 2 cpus, (core 2 quads cost the same as i7s). This is because of people who don't want to get a whole new system and just upgrade the cpu and they're different sockets. Amd cpus on the other hand do drop but only a little. There are some minor bugs that may popup with new chipsets but will get bios updates within a week or so. They're never anything ruining workflow especially server/workstation components.

 

[kleach]

Does or will ASUS have a MB to support for 2011? and will the motherboard have what I need... older PCIE 2x & 4x video cards .. and some USB 2 or better...
SATA RAID (Intel)
Lame onboard video that will be turned off to install two cards to support 6 monitors
Trying to be sure that if I wait .. I can get what I need

Thanks

 

[k1114]

Mobo manufacturers including asus show preview boards, I haven't seen a dual socket board but the high end gaming boards are really the only ones ever previewed (you can google x79). I don't know of any modern board without pcie x16 and you can plug a 2x or 4x in them. Same goes with usb, sata, and raid, these are all common features on boards for a number of years now. No workstation/server components have onboard video.

 

[kleach]

I did not think all PCIE x16 slots supported 2x and 4x and that it had to be stated specifically?
Is it safe to assume that all x16 slots can support 2x and 4x in a general sense?

It seems it may be worth waiting for the 2011 stuff (DUAL CPU MB and CPUs) to come out ... but the question is will that all go down this month?

If it does or early next month.. they should have all this stuff in production already ?? is that the case?


-Ken

 

[k1114]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-3960x-x79-sandy-bridge-e,3071.html Benchmarks were just published today, showing an average of 12% improvement over last generations'. Xeons were scheduled for dec but seems it's delayed till early 2012. Cpu production always start months ahead of actual release so they have enough stock when it is released.

Pcie are exactly the same pin layout per lane, it's just a repeating pattern for more lanes. So pcie x16 can run in lower x2, x4, x8, I haven't heard of a situation where it couldn't.

 

[kleach]

OK... I have waited..

Here we are .. a week or so later.. and I need to order a system.
What is your suggestion on CPU and MB combo after the first few weeks ..?

I am fine with ONE CPU IF I can get 8 cores or more...
I would like also to overclock (if you recommend)

I do NOT need any advanced video just basic VGA on MB (that I can disable).. I have two video cards mentioned above..

Should I go for the Intel Xeon X5650 Westmere 2.66GHz 12MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 95W Six-Core Server Processor BX80614X5650?

or??? which MB is floating to the top do they support USB3?

 

[k1114]

If you want dual cpu, nothing has changed. Why spend $880 more for 0.2ghz?