[K12OSN] Motherboard Manufacturer Recommendations?

Fri Jul 4 06:25:34 UTC 2008

Whatever you get, be sure it's a Socket AM2+, not just AM2.  AM2+ will
support the new tri- and quad-core Phenoms.  Yes, I know AMD says
they're supported on Socket AM2, too, but it requires an updated BIOS. 
A recent Tom's Hardware article showed that mobo makers don't really
want to do that (only ASUS worked).  So start with AM2+ from the get-go,
and you should be fine.

My experience with Tyan is likewise stellar, and I'd recommend one of
their mobos any day.  That's where Penguin Computing sources their
mobos, and for a reason.

My demo LTSP server runs a dual-Athlon Tyan Tiger MPX (S2466).  Still
rockin'.  During the Socket 7 days, their S1590S Trinity motherboard
(with AMD K6-2) was my mobo of choice, and they've never broken on me.

I've also had good luck with MSI's dual Athlon boards, so I'd imagine
their newer AMD64 boards are also good.

--TP
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R. Scott Belford wrote:
> Essential dittos to James.  My "Monorail" Tyan based PII from 1999 is
> still a great firewall.  I have built all boxes with Tyan mobo's and
> AMD cpus, until recently.  I like Supermicro, alot, and they provide
> great hardware.  Just did a dual quad core 16gb ram box with
> SuperMicro. (it uses only 400w)  For fun boxes, as James said, Abit
> and Asus rock.  Some people give props to Gigabyte, too, but I have no
> experience with them.
>
> --scott
>
> On Thu, Jul 3, 2008 at 10:36 AM, James P. Kinney III
> <jkinney at localnetsolutions.com <mailto:jkinney at localnetsolutions.com>>
> wrote:
>
>     The top board maker by far is Tyan. They are not the least
>     expensive nor
>     the most expensive. Their boards are typically designed for heavy
>     server
>     use.
>
>     The second place in most respects is Asus. They have a larger
>     variety of
>     boards than Tyan and that is tailored more toward the desktop. Many of
>     their models are quite solid and some are really server-duty hardware.
>
>     SuperMicro is my third choice maker. I only put it after Tyan
>     because I
>     have had a SuperMicro board fail (once) and non of my Tyans have
>     failed
>     (yet). As I have a strong preference for LTSP servers using AMD
>     cpus, I
>     do not use many SM boards as their line is geared more toward Intel.
>
>     Last and certainly not least of what I will use is Abit. They have a
>     large lineup of quite stable boards that are a good value for the
>     money.
>     I don't expect them to take the constant abuse of a Tyan, and they
>     won't. But when a working Abit board can be bought and replaced twice
>     for the cost of a Tyan board running the same cpu, it boils down to
>     allowable down time. If a failure is OK, I use Abit. If the system
>     MUST
>     WORK and/or parts replacement is impossible because of remoteness,
>     Tyan.
>
>     Right now a solid system using Athlon X2/Phenom is a very good starter
>     point for a new small server. Go look at the Asus Crosshair II Formula
>     AM@/AM2+ board :
>     http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131292
>
>     On Thu, 2008-07-03 at 11:41 -0400, Henry Hartley wrote:
>     > These days we have such a huge variety of options that we really
>     > shouldn't complain.  In the "old days" we had to decide what speed
>     > Pentium we should get.  Before that, there were even fewer
>     choices.  So,
>     > I want to build a small server.  It will be for testing purposes and
>     > will probably go to run a handful of thin clients in my home
>     when I'm
>     > done.  Since I'm paying for it out of my own pocket, price matters.
>     > Still, I'm not completely broke yet.  So, I think I want to use a
>     > dual-core AMD processor but one should be adequate.  I know I
>     want room
>     > for lots of RAM, although again, this won't be running 20 or 30
>     > stations, just three to five.  Since it's for testing, and since the
>     > final product WILL be a larger lab, I want to take a step into the
>     > 64-bit world.  That narrows things down a little but there are
>     still a
>     > lot of options.
>     >
>     > So, a very specific question.  Given the above, any motherboard
>     > manufacturers you would recommend, either to get or to avoid?
>      If you
>     > have a specific model you want to recommend, that would be
>     welcome, of
>     > course.  The reasoning behind any of your thoughts would be most
>     > appreciated, too, of course.
>     >
>     > --
>     > Henry Hartley
>     >
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>     >
>     --
>     James P. Kinney III
>     CEO & Director of Engineering
>     Local Net Solutions,LLC
>     http://www.localnetsolutions.com
>
>     GPG ID: 829C6CA7 James P. Kinney III (M.S. Physics)
>     <jkinney at localnetsolutions.com <mailto:jkinney at localnetsolutions.com>>
>     Fingerprint = 3C9E 6366 54FC A3FE BA4D 0659 6190 ADC3 829C 6CA7
>
>
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