Inside the New Platform

In the previous article, we explored just how fast the i7 is and realized that it will not be a cheap upgrade. Today, we will see what Supermicro has brought to the table with its motherboard line-up for the i7.

To this day, there is only one chipset that supports the Core i7 processor (Intel x58), which Supermicro has introduced on eight new motherboards. In addition to the x58 chipset, the new boards will include an improved SATA Raid controller (Intel ICH10R) with at least six SATA ports. All boards will also share up to 24GB of DDR3 memory support and two Intel Gigabit LAN ports. Below, we discuss many of the other model-specific features that Supermicro brings us with this line.

Supermicro i7 Compatible Motherboard Highlights

Below are some highlighted features of Supermicro’s new line of i7 compatible motherboards.

• C7X58 will be the board for the heavy gamers out there. Using two x16 PCIe 2.0 slots (also single x4 PCIe slot), it supports both SLI and Crossfire configurations. This board will also feature a Realtek 7.1 high def. audio on board for those high end surround sound systems.
• X8SAX is very similar to the previous board, except with an addition of two PCI-X 64-bit slots for many server add-in cards. This model will not support SLI or Crossfire (still has same PCIe ports as C7X58 though) and will target a more server oriented client.
• X8ST3-F is packed with many different features that are designed for a server environment. It will have an onboard LSI 8 port SAS controller, onboard Matrox VGA, and an Integrated IPMI management card with KVM support (allows access of the system through LAN anywhere in the world). As for the PCIe slots, it will have three of them: x16, 2x x8, and a x4
• X8STi-LN4 will be the only board that packs four Intel Gigabit LAN ports, (all other boards have two). It also has Matrox onboard VGA and x16 and x8 PCIe ports.

These are just four out of the eight new boards introduced. The other models (X8STE, X8STi-3F, S8STi-F, X8STi) are just simplified versions of those ones described here.

Our Outlook

There is no doubt that Intel has created a monster processor that not only dominates its predecessor, Core2 Duo, speed wise, but also introduces a new chipset platform. The introduction of triple channel DDR3 and the return of hyper-threading will allow users to break performance records in multi-tasking with servers and graphic workstations. Supermicro has sweetened the deal by integrating new features, such as IPMI and SAS controllers, into its new i7 motherboards.

In short, the i7 is packed with features and very attractive to any type of Supermicro Superserver where performance matters. The real question that we always find ourselves asking whenever a new product arrives,  “is it really worth upgrading?” Unfortunately, the i7 is not compatible with older platforms and is certainly priced higher as well. There’s no doubt, that this will be an expensive upgrade. But, all things considered, we think it’s worth it. Whether you are using the an AMD solution or Intel’s older Core2 Duo, the i7’s performance leaves them both in the dust. For those users who are satisfied with their current system’s performance, there is really no reason to upgrade, however I don’t see the prices on the i7 coming down anytime soon, so if you are looking for some serious performance gains, there is no reason to hesitate.

Are you ready to make the jump to i7 for your Supermicro machines? Have you already done it? Love it? Hate it? Let us know in the comments section.

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In the world of micro processors, we consumers don’t have many options to choose from because two companies have dominated this market since 1969. In the competition between Intel and AMD, the two competing chip giants, Intel has been in the lead since 2006 when it created the Core 2 Duo platform. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Intel’s new platform, the Intel Core i7 on the X58 chipset, and discuss what exactly is different, why it’s the fastest commercial processor to date, and whether it’s worth the upgrade or not.

What’s New in i7

Core i7 (or just “i7” if you’re a true Nerd) has been greeted with excitement by the technology community as Intel’s first major innovation since Core 2 Duo, which was released over two years ago. The new processors will have 1366 pins, making them incompatible with Core 2 Duo and older platforms. Although the i7 is manufactured with the same 45nm technology as the Core 2 Duo, it has undergone many architectural changes.

According to Intel, one of the improvements is the introduction of an integrated memory controller. This will have a significant increase in the processors’ performance, especially in memory access.  Also, this will allow the use of DDR3 memory that will run up to 1066MHz in triple channel. One unexpected change in the i7 is the return of Hyper-threading technology. Hyper-threading died with the Pentium 4, but its back as in the Core i7 line. Hyper-Threading will allow each core to work as two virtual cores on the software level, which will allow for more parallelism and an improvement in multitasking performance. This new platform has already been tested by on various occasions and according to tomshardware.com, the new processors are 16 percent faster than their Core2 Duo counterparts in a same clock speed comparison and 22 percent faster than AMD’s new Phenom II processors. This is a single processor comparison. When Intel releases a two processor i7 platform, we expect the already impressive performance difference to become even more substantial.

i7, to Buy or Not to Buy?

It is evident that Intel has created an incredible product with great selling potential. For all practical purposes, the i7 is far superior to the Core2 Duo, boasting significant performance improvements. However, there is only one chipset that supports it today, Intel’s x58, making i7 compatible motherboards expensive. If you need the horsepower, it makes sense to upgrade for the additional performance, but the extra cost will leave some consumers disinterested.

The next article in this series will discuss Supermicro’s motherboard solutions for the i7. We will talk about the new features available on all the new boards and why you may not want to wait to invest in the i7.

What are your biggest questions and concerns regarding the i7? Let us know in the comments section and we’ll do our best to help you out.

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This is how we pick teams at ICC. Image by Groovyguru @ Flickr

The Official Launch

I know you’ve all been waiting for a long time, asking yourselves, “when will this damn blog be up? I have soooo many server problems!” Well, I have good news for you, fellow Nerds – today is your day.

Today, we celebrate the launch of Sever Problems Solved, your new favorite publication dedicated to finding practical solutions to frustrating server problems!

Who are you guys? What are you doing here?

We’re glad you asked.

This blog is presented on behalf of the good folks at International Computer Concepts (aka. ICC). Since 1993, we’ve been building servers and supporting a wide variety of clients including hosters, government, research/universities, start ups, end ups, and everybody in between.

This blog is our opportunity to hit many birds with 1 stone:

1. Give the IT community a reliable and thorough resource for answers relating to the most frustrating and relevant hardware problems.
2. Engage our readers to uncover and resolve community wide concerns as they crop up.
3. And hopefully, by using this resource, you’ll come to like us, and will consider us for future IT hardware purchases. If not, that’s ok too. We appreciate your eyeballs.

You Mentioned an Internship?

You bet. And its paid!

In order to deliver quality content on a consistent basis, we want to build a team of trusty interns who will help synthesize the collective wisdom of our company into a stream of articles.

Are you always tinkering with computers and technology? Are you the go-to guy/girl for all of your friends’ computer problems? Do you find yourself thinking “Damn, that’s dumb,” when you see technology being misused? If so, we may need to talk.

See the complete job description and instructions on how to apply.

Before you leave!

Thanks for checking out the very first post on this blog. We’re really excited to help you solve your server problems.

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