Question about Dual Processor Motherboards

[valkyrr]

Ok gurus I need some help. Basically I've done alot of searching and can't quite find the answers I'm looking for so maybe someone here can help.

I'm looking for options so any/all suggestions welcome:

My Needs/Wants:

1.) Motherboard supporting 2 HT (Intel or AMD) CPUs (so Linux would see 4 CPUs)
2.) Going to go for 2G RAM (might start off with 1G depending on Price) since it seems I might have to get Registered ECC RAM?

Notes:
-I have always been an Intel enthusiast but I can't seem to find any Intel MBs supporting Dual CPU & DUAL Core except for XEONs which gets pricey
-I have no experience with AMD technology so I'm a newb in that area so I might need some extra detail if recommending AMD architecture

Thanks for any help!
Valk

 

[EatSpam]

Head over to forums @ 2cpu.com. You'll find people who are very experienced with these kinds of things.

You want to build a dual dual core system? At the moment, you'll have to go AMD unless you want to shell out massive $$$$ for a Dell or HP server. The dual core Xeons aren't available from places like NewEgg just yet. Also, those chips are rumored to use as much power as a small city.

Most vendors are stocking Opteron 265s (dual core 1.8ghz) @ $310 OEM or $350 Retail. Prices go up from there.

You have quite a few motherboard choices... most are based on a version of the nForce4 chipset. What kind of computer are you looking to build? Server or workstation?

Here's some boards to get you started:

Asus K8N-DL
Tyan S2877G2NR
MSI K8N Master2-FAR

Memory is PC3200 registered/ECC on all dual Opteron boards. Corsair was $115 per 1gb module, last time I checked.

 

[valkyrr]

Ok that helps. Mainly I'm looking at a workstation setup...I use it only for proof of concept - Oracle RAC that sort of thing. So I'm using an ATX case. Might have to go up to a tower case and an EATX board...

More thoughts/suggestions?

Oh and I actually have been to www.2cpu.com but I didn't check the forums :disgust:

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: valkyrr
Ok that helps. Mainly I'm looking at a workstation setup...I use it only for proof of concept - Oracle RAC that sort of thing. So I'm using an ATX case. Might have to go up to a tower case and an EATX board...

More thoughts/suggestions?

Oh and I actually have been to www.2cpu.com but I didn't check the forums :disgust:

Those boards I linked should fit in an ATX case, no problem. You'll just need to make sure you have an ample power supply and it must be EPS12V.