Building a Graphics Workstation: Which Motherboard ?
June 17, 2008
When choosing the motherboard one has to consider the following issues:
- Type of CPU chosen
- Brand, amount and voltage of RAM
- Number of required SATA and IDE connections
- Need for RAID capabilities on the motherboard
- Need for number of USB connections, Ethernet, Firewire, eSATA etc.
- Stability and reliability
- Cost
Given the fact that I have chosen Intel® Core™2 Duo Desktop Processor E8400, I was looking for LGA775 motherboard. Support for quadruple core CPU would be preferred in the case I would decide to upgrade CPU in future. I was planning to install 2x2 GB of DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) CS4 RAM with plan to upgrade to 8GB in near future. Memory I had was CRUCIAL Ballistix 4GB KIT BL2KIT25664AA804. This memory requires 2.2V to run at 4-4-4-12 settings. I needed 5 SATA connectors for 5 hard drives, 1 IDE connector for optical drive, 1 eSATA port, 1 Ethernet port and many USB ports. I was planning to run 2 drives in RAID 0.
In the past I have been using Gigabyte motherboards. Other people are quite happy with Asus motherboards. Both are large manufacturers, with good support among on-line community.
I have chosen Gigabyte EP35-DS3R motherboard based on reviews suggesting good stability, easy assembly and my needs. The board has 6 SATA ports via Intel® ICH9R chipset and 2 SATA ports via Gigabyte SATA2 chip. Both chips support RAID 0. One thing that is not so obvious on the manufacturer web page is the availability of 2 eSATA ports via PCI slot mounting bracket in the package, internally connected to 2 of these 8 SATA ports. The board came with good manual, CD with drivers and utilities, and assembly was quite straightforward.