PCI-X Connectivity - The Tiger K8WE does not have an onboard AMD PCI-X controller chip, which means it cannot support any 64-bit PCI-X devices, whereas the Thunder K8WE board can support several. This limits the Tiger K8WE’s expansion slots to PCI Express and 32-bit PCI. While no PCI-X connectivity would be considered a major hindrance for the workstation/server markets in the past, since this board has a secondary PCI Express expansion slot, this somewhat makes up for the lack of PCI-X support. While quantities are slim, there are PCIe RAID and GigE cards on the market now which are on par with high-end PCI-X cards.
Dual LAN Support - The “standard” Tiger K8WE only has one Gigabit Ethernet port, whereas the Thunder K8WE comes with dual GigE ports standard. For most users, one GigE port should suffice, but those who need two GigE ports can always purchase the “server” variant of the Tiger K8WE.
“True” 16x16 SLI Support - The Tiger K8WE only has one nVidia nForce4 Professional (2200) chip onboard, which limits the amount of PCI Express lanes this board can utilize to 20. The Thunder K8WE, on the other hand, has two nForce4 Professional chips (2200 + 2050) onboard, which allows it 40 lanes to utilize, which allows the more expensive Thunder K8WE to have “true” PCI Express 16x16 SLI. The Tiger K8WE, on the other hand, must use PCI Express 16x4 for SLI configurations, which can hurt performance.
Passive Chipset Cooling - One of the nicest attributes about the huge Thunder K8WE is that the motherboard has passive cooling on all of its chips, which is important for the workstation markets who demand low noise systems. The Tiger K8WE, on the other hand, is forced to use a small active chipset cooler on its nForce4 Pro chip due to its smaller size. The nForce4 Pro chip sits underneath the PCI Express graphics card slots, so there is no room for large heatsinks in this high-heat area. The chipset cooler isn’t too loud, but was certainly audible throughout our testing. Other standard ATX-sized dual-Opteron boards from MSI and Asus have also had to make the same compromise.
Support For Oversized CPU Coolers - The Extended ATX layout of the Thunder K8WE also provides ample room for large CPU coolers, allowing users to pick up large heatsinks with low-noise fans. Again, the smaller size of the Tiger K8WE makes this impossible. While the majority of AMD Socket-939/940 coolers will work on this motherboard (since it uses AMD’s standard heatsink retention system), coolers which extend past the mounting area, like the Zalman CNPS7700-series, will not fit on this motherboard.
Conclusion -
Like most Tyan platforms when they are first released, the Tiger K8WE is a bit quirky, but for the most part was stable throughout all of our benchmarks. We only encountered issues when we started wandering into the SLI areas of this board, which are uncharted territory at this point. All in all, we’re still very pleased with the product that Tyan has put together. With some BIOS updates, we’re certain that the Tiger K8WE will become the dominant platform for low-end Opteron workstations, just as the Thunder K8WE is for the high-end market.
Looks like a great config, but instead of the 6800 GS 512 go for a 7600 GT for the same price. Much better performance. Guys do u think that a 550W PSU is enough for this rig? And u need a better UPS too id say.
yes yes better ups get atleast 1000va :d or 1500va if u can afford since it has external battery connector.
550 smps is fine i think.
get the viewsonic vp series instead va .. some interesting reasons r behind tht.
hi.. idontn ed high end UPS now.. anything with back up for5 mins is more thanenough no. also there are no power cuts at all.. yeah getting 7600… not going for 7900… i guess i am getting 19’’ wide monior instaead of spending on 7900..
vp seriaes are vern expensive…17’ cost around 25-28k.
vp seriaes are expensive cos of pivot to potrait or landscape ball joint system..
i checked it at viewsonic retailer shop today.
check this on which i am going for 19’’ wide same feaures as vp except he ball joint function or tilt and all..
]there r two kind of panels .. 6 bit panels says they mixes color combo and reproduces 16.2 million colors virtually but true 8 bit panels can render exact 16.2 million colors it makes huge diff in clarity and quality.
ask udit he has the vp930b monitor he got for 28k.
