Wanted: Good mobo for Intel 850E chipset and 1066 RDRAM

[Josip Loncaric]

Camm Maguire wrote:
> 
> In any case, Intel states that its boards don't support the 1066.
> Asus requires certain RDRAM manufacturers.  Gigabyte just says 1066 is
> supported.  Any recommendations for solid motherboard/RAM manufacturer
> combinations using the Intel 850E chipset and 1066 RDRAM?

We're looking at the same problem.  Intel says PC1066 is "non-validated" so
their motherboards "may" work, but they explicitly disavow all responsibility
for correct operation.  Asus says their P4T533-C works with PC1066 and
actually recommends certain Samsung and Kingston PC1066 modules (you'd
probably be interested in Samsung's 256MB ECC model MD18R1628AF1-CN9 only),
but Gigabyte offers no recommendations.  Asus also has P4T533 which looks very
nice, but uses RIMM4200 modules which are very hard to get at this point.

For cluster use, a basic board without too many extras is probably the safest
choice, but Gigabyte GA-8IHXP has tons of extra features.  Personally, I also
prefer Intel and Asus because their web sites are more informative, so support
may be better.  Asus at least advertises PC1066 operation, so their P4T533-C
may be a better choice than Intel's D850EMV2.

Back to memory: PC1066 users have reported a number of problems, generally
related to bad memory modules.  It is absolutely critical to use 32ns memory
at these speeds, and to stick with reliable brands.  Also, be sure to get CPUs
with 533 MHz FSB, or else you'll be limited to PC800 operation.  Finally, if
you are limited to downgraded PC800 memory, for 533 MHz FSB you must have 40ns
PC800 modules (45ns is too slow).

Samsung's expectation is that over the next few years PC1066 will remain
dominant in the performance segment, while DDR takes over the mass market. 
RDRAM is unlikely to be the price/performance champ, but if you need memory
bandwidth, it delivers NOW.

Sincerely,
Josip

-- 
Dr. Josip Loncaric, Research Fellow               mailto:josip at icase.edu
ICASE, Mail Stop 132C           PGP key at http://www.icase.edu./~josip/
NASA Langley Research Center             mailto:j.loncaric at larc.nasa.gov
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