Three Dual Xeon motherboards by Gigabyte, Intel and MSI

Intel S5000VSaSAS

Intel itself sent us the S5000VSaSAS, a motherboard based on the 5000V chipset. This is the version with "just" two memory channels, meaning the maximum bandwidth for the memory is only half of the 5000P-based boards' figure. Nevertheless Intel fitted four FB-DIMM slots per channel, making for a maximum capacity of 16 GB. Just like the other boards in this test, this motherboard is suitable for Dempsey, Woodcrest and Clovertown Xeon processors, using either 1066 or 1333 MHz buses.

In terms of expansion slots, Intel offers two PCI-Express x8 slots, two 64-bit PCI-X slots and a single PCI slot. This might be less than on other boards, but Intel makes up for this by providing almost all important server functionality onboard. Intel also uses its own GilGal chip to power a pair of Gigabit ports, and for video functionality we once again came across the ATI ES1000 chip.

The motherboard offers SATA as well as SAS for storage purposes. The ESB2 southbridge supports six SATA devices with an option for software RAID and SAS is supported by an onboard LSI 1064E controller, which can handle four SAS drives. The ports for these are shared with SATA 3 through 6, therefore reaching a total of six rather than ten attached hard drives. An optional dongle opens up the possibility to use software RAID 5 for SATA as well as SAS.

Naturally Intel supports the IPMI standard for remote server monitoring, and the relevant IPMB connector is present on this motherboard. Up to eight fans can be managed from the motherboard. For diagnostics, Intel takes things one step further by installing LEDs next to every memory slot and each processors slot, that light up if there is a problem in the respective slot. The backside of the board shows another six LEDs in between the I/O connectors that can indicate eventual problems for the system manager. Intel bundles its own System Management Software to remotely monitor the motherboard.

Our price checker shows the Intel S5000VSaSAS being available from a starting price of € 469. This makes it a little more dear than Gigabyte's offering, even though it uses the cheaper version of the 5000 chipset. An advantage of this particular board is that Intel is the developer of both the chipset as well as the motherboard, which should yield an unmatched measure of stability.