Windows 7 Desktop Using Server Parts

[N4g4rok]

I've been playing around with an idea for a desktop an wanted to get some feedback on it.

Newegg has some reasonably priced server motherboards from SuperMicro, and i was debating the possibility of using and AMD Opteron server processor/motherboard combo to build a Windows 7 desktop with.

Anybody have experience with using server parts in a desktop operating system? I'm still researching any compatibility issues, and I am not actually sure the OS will support it.

 

[Zap]

What would be the purpose of doing so? Even if the motherboard is cheap, the CPUs usually cost more than desktop equivalents.

 

[greenhawk]

Compatability is not a issue.

The only thing to be aware off is that if you get the higher setup with dual cpus, then windows will require a higher version as MicroSoft limits the home range of products to a single physical cpu.

 

[mvbighead]

Back a before dual core CPUs existed, I had a co-worker that bought Dual opterons and a server board and built a system. Worked just fine. Just make sure your OS supports two physical CPUs. Back when he did it, XP home was single CPU only, and XP pro was the only feasible option.

May be different now, but it should work. Heck, you can install Server OS's on desktop hardware. Generally, the reverse is just as possible.

 

[N4g4rok]

What would be the purpose of doing so?

I was thinking, since a few of the eight core Opterons where under the price of an i7-2600K, that it might be a better option for some of the highly-threaded tasks i would be using it for. Although i'm not sure how single-threaded performances would compare, it didn't seem like such a bad idea for a machine that would be doing a lot of rendering and do the occasional game or general purpose computer tasks.

 

[SolMiester]

I dont see any issues except where it comes to graphic cards...not many servers have PCIe x16 slot for a decent card!

 

[N4g4rok]

I dont see any issues except where it comes to graphic cards...not many servers have PCIe x16 slot for a decent card!

The one i had found had a PCI Express x16 @ x8 speed, which i don't think will be horrendous for casual gaming, but that probably depends on what i put in it. if i shelled out the cash for a 6900 series card, how well would that work out with it?

 

[mfenn]

The one i had found had a PCI Express x16 @ x8 speed, which i don't think will be horrendous for casual gaming, but that probably depends on what i put in it. if i shelled out the cash for a 6900 series card, how well would that work out with it?

Yes, it would be fine.

I don't think that buying a ~$200 Opteron is going to give you a very good desktop experience though. Those chips are designed for people who want to maximize cores per dollar, and are quite slow at single-threaded tasks, which make up the majority of day-to-day desktop tasks.