Need help choosing Dual lga 1366 socket Motherboard.

[Ryan_286]

First off, I understand that lga 1366 is an older platform, but I want to build a dual cpu computer and a dual lga 2011 socket mobo is out of the budget.

Second, I am looking to run dual x5670 xeons as they seem to be a good balance between performance and price. I also think I will go with a 6x4gb ecc ram kit for that triple channel goodness.

The two motherboards I am looking at are the Intel S5520HC and the GIGABYTE GA-7TESM. I want to know if anyone has an experience with dual socket motherboards and can make a suggestion. The Intel board is much cheaper and has more pcie slots, but the Gigabyte board has more ram slots, a bit more io, and comes with heatsinks. Like I mentioned before, I was planning to use 6x4gb ecc ram kit, but I may upgrade to 48gb if needed, so maybe 18 ram slots are unnecessary on the Gigabyte. The heatsinks that are included would probably be replaced with hyper 212 leds when they go back on sale for $15. these signs all point to the Intel board, but I think I am drawn to all those ram slots.

If you know anything about these motherboards, or have a suggestion for a different board, then I would greatly appreciate your feedback.

 

[william p]

You should study RAM speed and configuration for those chipsets. The memory controller is on the CPU. Speed varies with the CPU chosen. Only the high end Xeons support DDR3 1333. Speed also decreases with the number of modules installed. You may also have the option of RDIMMs. These are generally much less expensive than UDIMMs and come in larger sizes such as 16GB each.
Another option you might look at is the Dell and HP workstations that came this way. The Dell T5500 comes single, and dual CPU, and the T7500 also. HP models I'm not so familiar with. You might save enough going that way to get into the faster Xeons. The 4 core X5687 comes to mind. If 8C/16T works for you.
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/dell-workstation-owners-club.243124/#post-3830958

 

[Ryan_286]

You should study RAM speed and configuration for those chipsets. The memory controller is on the CPU. Speed varies with the CPU chosen. Only the high end Xeons support DDR3 1333. Speed also decreases with the number of modules installed. You may also have the option of RDIMMs. These are generally much less expensive than UDIMMs and come in larger sizes such as 16GB each.
Another option you might look at is the Dell and HP workstations that came this way. The Dell T5500 comes single, and dual CPU, and the T7500 also. HP models I'm not so familiar with. You might save enough going that way to get into the faster Xeons. The 4 core X5687 comes to mind. If 8C/16T works for you.
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/dell-workstation-owners-club.243124/#post-3830958

Thanks! that was a lot of great information and I am very appreciative. Based on the fact that ram speed decreases with each number of ram kit installed per processor, It might be best to go with the 12 ram slot intel board and just get higher capacity sticks if needed. Does this sound like a wise decision?

Also I looked at the intel page on the x5670 and it appears to support the full 1333mhz speed, as long as I only use the three sticks per processor like mentioned in the articles.

Again, thank you for your input and I think I may be leaning towards the intel board. Now that I know that more ram modules decreases ram speed, the whopping 18 slots don't seem nessesary anymore.

 

[william p]

Here are the prices for 8GB DDR3 1333 ECC RDIMM modules. Make sure the MB you're looking at can run these. Most dual CPU should.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007952%20601190337%20601275453%20600564422

 

[Ryan_286]

Here are the prices for 8GB DDR3 1333 ECC RDIMM modules. Make sure the MB you're looking at can run these. Most dual CPU should.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007952%20601190337%20601275453%20600564422

I was looking to get possibly this kit which was listed specifically for the intel mobo
or something like this samsung kit. I don't mind second hand ram as it is pretty durable as far as pc components go. I want to contact the seller to check for compatibility of the samsung, but they are open about being willing to help with this type of stuff. Is there are real advantage to buying new in this situation?

Thanks

 

[william p]

I buy used all the time. But $20/$30 new for 8GB modules does remove some of the incentive. I just wanted to show that RDIMM modules which won't work in normal computers can be very affordable compared to UDIMMs. I can certainly understand saving money where you can if a big GPU purchase or two is on the menu.
The first modules you show are 1066 speed though.

 

[Ryan_286]

I buy used all the time. But $20/$30 new for 8GB modules does remove some of the incentive. I just wanted to show that RDIMM modules which won't work in normal computers can be very affordable compared to UDIMMs. I can certainly understand saving money where you can if a big GPU purchase or two is on the menu.
The first modules you show are 1066 speed though.

oh shoot now I realize the first kit is only 1066. It appears as if the samsung kit is 1333mhz if I am not mistaken, so I may end up with that. Thank you for showing me the new 8gb sticks, but going used might fit my budget a bit more.

You have been a wealth of knowledge and I really do appreciate you taking the time to explain how the ram is affected by the quantity and type of stick used in the system.

Also, do you by chance know of any case under or around $75 that supports eatx? I have looked on newegg and amazon while filtered by eatx motherboard compatibility and I seem to have found the MasterBox 5. Do you know of any other cases or does this one seem decent?
Thanks

 

[william p]

I just buy surplus Dell T3500/T5500 whole systems. Add an aftermarket PSU/ cooer if needed.
Here's an overclocking thread on these. You didn't ask about OC but you can see what's being done there with the Dell cases.
Maybe Supermicro or some other server system builder used those boards.

 

[Ryan_286]

I just buy surplus Dell T3500/T5500 whole systems. Add an aftermarket PSU/ cooer if needed.
Here's an overclocking thread on these. You didn't ask about OC but you can see what's being done there with the Dell cases.
Maybe Supermicro or some other server system builder used those boards.

Yeah I think it maybe best to buy a Dell T3500/T5500/T7500 system and upgrade it. I priced it out and it seems better to just upgrade a prebuilt system to my liking. The markup on cases that support eatx is huge and not really worth the extra spending if the dell prebuilts already come with the whole computer and the case.

Thanks for your help

 

[william p]

Shipping can be a bear on these. A local recycler will usually be glad to get rid of them due to this. The T3500 is single CPU only, and the T5500/7500 require an optional riser card for dual CPU configuration so factor that in. But the aftermarket pretty much begins and ends at ATX single CPU systems.