SUPERMICRO MBD-X8STE-O LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Xeon Server Motherboard

Pros: specs are good... on paper

Cons: Worst support & documentation ever. SM website says this motherboard supports Xeons. No where is it mentioned that you need revision 2.0 motherboard (not BIOS!) to have this compatibility. If anything other/older, only desktop variety s1366 CPUs will work. And don't expect SM to replace the motherboard if it is not rev.2.0 - essentially false advertising!

Other Thoughts: Oh it only gets worse - SM have 1 year warranty on parts - other manufacturers have 3, ie Asus - even on their desktop boards. Overall, I'm unsure why the big fuss about SM - overrated & under-performing if I ever saw a company.

Pros: ?

Cons: Defective product and unreasonable manufacturer

Other Thoughts: I purchased the motherboard as part of a new server build. It took several days for everything to arrive (even though I paid for expedited shipping) and another several days to assemble the new server. The system wasn't registering the RAM so I bought replacement (another few days) and finally got it to work temporarily. After continued RAM issues even after replacing the RAM a second time, I discovered with the manufacturer's tech support that the memory slot on the motherboard was defective. Even though I'd bought the motherboard on NewEgg less than 45 days prior, this manufacturer wouldn't stand behind their product and replace it cost-free. I was forced to ship it back at my expense and have it replaced with a refurbished motherboard due to the 30 day return policy (totally unreasonable in these circumstances). NewEgg couldn't (or wouldn't) intercede on my behalf. My advice: buy another board or, if you buy this one, be sure to return it ASAP at the first hint of any problem.

Pros: Decent board. Plan on using it for a ESXi server.

Cons: Have to buy an extra part for the CPU cooler which isn't mentioned anywhere. It's a $4 part, but I'm stuck wiaitng on that before i can finish the build. Very poor documentation that doesn't note that this part BKT-0023L is needed.

Other Thoughts: I'm sure it's a great board once it's up and running.

Pros: Lots of expansion slots (if they work).

Cons: I got this board with the sole purpose of driving my Adaptec 5805 controller. It doesn't. The system freezes under any OS/driver combination I tried with PCI errors logged in the BIOS. I tried multiple Adaptec cards to no avail. At this time, it seems like the PCIe implementation of this board isn't up to snuff. Oh, and it hates most of the DRAM DIMMs you'll truy to plug into it. It took me three tries to find a compatible type.

Other Thoughts: I wish I could get this working, as I like the specs of this board. And I wish I could get the days of my life that I wasted trying to make that happen.

Pros: Newegg, who are truly encouraging as a vendor, needs to be a teensy bit more careful wrt compatibility. Yes, this board can run Intel 5500/5600 CPUs, but why pay so much? It is a uniprocessor board (UP), and the 35xx/36xx are more reasonably priced, as well as leading to better sales if you do not tempt a desire on the part of the unknowing. Intel recommends 35xx/36xx for UP systems, so please look after your customers and guide them appropriately.

Cons: Needs a bit more detail.

Other Thoughts: Overall, your company rocks and is a breath of fresh air.

Pros: Lots of opportunity to add raid and sata drives and plenty of space for memory

Cons: To add any CPU heat sink you need to purchase from a 3rd party vendor a BKT-0023L bracket attach the screws from the heatsink.

Other Thoughts: I would not re-purchase this item.

Pros: This board is perfect for VMWare ESXi. Running with 24 gigs of RAM, Adaptec RAID controller, and a Xeon 3520. I'm currently running 6 virtual servers with this configuration and I know I can still add more.

Cons: None.

Other Thoughts: Choosing the compatible parts (mainly the combination of RAM and CPU) can be a little confusing but I've only done that mistake once. Research, research, research. I've built 4 servers with this board so far and have always done the research what will work with what and haven't had a problem.

Pros: Nothing over the top for a motherboard

Cons: Very specific RAM requirements. Missing critical parts! I have never heard of a motherboard that requires you to BUY the heatsink clip separately!! Granted its only a $3 part (part# BKT-0023L), but come on, they can't include that?

Other Thoughts: Just know that if you buy a retail Intel CPU (for me a Xeon E5505) with a genuine Intel heatsink (for me a BXSTS100A), it won't mount to your board unless you buy the heatsink clip separately!! How cheap is that??

Pros: Solid board, very clean. Stable. details in "other thoughts"

Cons: most expansion cards (firewire, soundcard) are currently at pci-e 1x. this board has 4x/8x slots. will need to buy the pci 32bit cards until the vendors make the latest cards in 4x.
Does not include a firewire ports. The bracket you need BKT-0023L for passive/low profile cpu heatsinks. Most cpu heat sinks have the plastic clips for mounting so you do not need the bracket.
4 star due to firewire and problem finding the right cpu cooler and matching memory. Alot of homework for this board.

Other Thoughts: Installed the memory in slots DIMM1A, DIMM1B, and DIMM2A.
Must have matching memory for cpu.
I7-920 @ 4.8GT/S.
Crucial 2GB x 3.. CT3KIT25664BA1067, 1066mhz
SilenX IXN-40C for the bridge cooler (the included fan has 3 pins, so i didn't install the fan need a 3 pin converter for standard molex power)
WD1001FALS, 1TB WD black drive.
Used the "N82E16835186134" Arctic cooler. This is a tight fit with a graphics card in PCI-e x16 slot.
XFX GT240XZNFC Video.
Currently running arch linux/win 7 home premium dual boot setup. My other super boards have lasted for 10+ years.

Pros: Great system to test virtualization(Vmware ESX). Lots of memory slots, 6 SATA slots on board nics are usable by ESX, using quad core cpu really makes installing guest OS fast!

Cons: None