Websites and internet applications run on servers,
and when it comes to choosing the ideal mix of software and hardware to match
the needs set forth by the existing infrastructure or website demand, it's never
a straightforward decision.
While there is a grocery list full of benchmarks and other application specific
metrics to choose from when evaluating desktop computer configurations, there is
stark little for servers. Those server benchmark applications which do exist are
application specific, which in the best of light does not always present the IT
professional with a nice rosy set of numbers to use in broad comparisons. This
may explain why it is so difficult to find good full sever reviews to base
purchasing decisions upon... While we won't claim to have the solution to the
world's sever evaluation dilemma, PCSTATS has been able to narrow things down to a
few common, and industry accepted benchmarks. Evaluation tools and points of
comparison help elevate some of the digital haze.
In this review PCSTATS is evaluating the Tyan Thunder
i7501 Xtreme S2726UGN dual Xeon motherboard, with a pair of socket 604 3.06GHz
Intel Xeon DP processors and an eye towards determining what level of
performance we can expect against a similarly equipped Xeon platform. This is a
pure performance vs. cost with a good slice of realistic performance
expectations. Our comparisons are valid for the applications we mention, and may
not necessarily represent the ideal scenario in every situation. At best we can
aim to guide you in the right direction when making your server purchasing
decisions.
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Tyan does
have a reputation for quality and stability, and the company earns its bread and butter
by producing some of the best server and workstation motherboard in the
market.
The Tyan
Thunder i7501 Xtreme 2726UGN Rev.02 server motherboard is based on Intel's
server E7501 chipset, and enables administrators to load up with one or two
socket 604 Xeon DP 533 MHz processors.
The six DDR DIMM slots can be filled with a maximum
of 12GB of ECC Registered PC1600/2100 memory. The board takes on the SSI
EEBv3.0 footprint that is so common to
1U dual processor server boards (it measures 12" x 13"). It
requires EPS12V 24-pin and 8-pin compatible power supply.
 In terms of peripheral expansion, the
Tyan Thunder i7501 Xtreme has one regular 33 MHz 32-bit 5V PCI slot, one 133/100/66 MHz
64-bit 3.3V PCI slot and one green 100/66 MHz 64-bit 3.3V PCI slot. Should you get the
Thunder i7501 Xtreme that does not come with onboard dual channel SCSI, the green PCI-X
slot can operate at 133 MHz as well.
Onboard video comes care of a 4MB ATi
RageXL chipset. Connectivity is satisfied with four Intel 82546EB Gigabit
network adaptors, and one 10/100 Intel 82551QM NIC. The four NIC's are divided up
into two pairs and each pair share one 133 MHz PCI-X connection which guarantees
that none of the Gigabit NIC's will be bottlenecked.
Economical
IDE drives, or even just a CDROM for loading software can be connected
via an IDE ATA100 bus, and for serious data storage and retrieval, Tyan have
added in an onboard Adaptec AIC 7902W SCSI RAID controller.
This provides us with dual Ultra320 SCSI RAID
channels on the Tyan 2726UGN.
Moving on with the boards
features...
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