Intel BOXD5400XS Dual LGA 771 Intel 5400(Skulltrail) Extended ATX Motherboard

Pros: Ability to oc Xeon cup's. Ability to use socket 775 HSFs. I'm using 8GB of Mushkin Memory (p/n: 976598A) as I saw Fugger at the xtremesystems forums use Mushkin for his oc. I'm running @ 4.0 w/Zalman 9700s. It was an extremely simple oc. Built in LEDs (double digit) and speaker for Error Codes. Very easy install of drivers. Express BIOS is a very nice feature and was quick and easy the first time I tried using it (apparently is the “normal” way to update bios... from within Windows). There is bootable USB support... so consider buying a USB key to make bootable for BIOS etc.

Cons: No Floppy drive support (yes I still use... is how “in the past” I load RAID F6 drivers and update the BIOS). I was quite surprised by this. And yes yes, is a very minor issue as it is time move on to larger boot devices. Price is "an ouch" also... but my Tyan S2895 was expensive too... I look at this as an overclock-able Xeon motherboard, which seems essentially what it is.

Overall Review: There were no motherboard standoffs and I can’t remember if those were included “last time” with my Tyan board or Silverstone case (same case again btw, TJ-07) but they were missing fwiw. Intel includes a plastic, clip on mount for a 40x40 fan for the Northbridge Heatsink. I think height for it is limited to 20mm and if I had used it, I bet that would be the limit in my situation, because the Zalman’s would probably block anything higher. I don't think PCIe 1.1 is a negative for this board as it will be at least one or two more generations (maybe ?) of video cards before they can actually take advantage of PCIe 2.0. Also, some forums have talked about the 50+ second post time. This is no longer the case. Rebooting is very quick... about 90 seconds from logoff to back into Windows (the Tyan board seems to take forever now). Also take note, this mb requires "two" 2x8 pin power connectors. Overall, I am very impressed with this board. The icing on the cake would have been DDR3.

Pros: Definitely the mo-bo for the resource-intensive user... This board gives you the Ability to mount dual CPUs. It supports Nvidia and ATI GPUs and is designed specifically with multi GPU systems in mind. You also get the luxury of numerous SATA ports. This board was also built for continual upgrade as it supports CPU's with either a 1333mhz or 1600mhz FSB.

Cons: The first Con is that you have to take a second mortgage on you home to afford all the recommended components. Make sure to thoroughly read the user manual .pdf on Intel's website before you go ordering parts. The biggest frustration I have had was finding a suitable power supply as it requires two - 2 x 4 pin 12v CPU power cables from the PSU. The second issue has been cooling the beast once you have it configured.

Overall Review: Had trouble finding a PSU with appropiate power for the CPU connections since the board uses two - 2 x 4 pin 12v power connectors. MAKE SURE TO READ what is compatible/recommended for the board on Intel's website first! Cooling has continued to be an issue for me and I will soon be migrating my system to liquid. Lastly, this Mo-bo only utilizes "FULLY BUFFERED DDR2 Ram." So if you are a HARD CORE gamer or Graphics designer, (and you have the dough and you like machines that can last up to 4 years), the 'Skull' is right for you. Note: (if your most intensive game is Snood and MS-Paint is your primary graphics tool....need not apply (go get a mac)) Running: Skulltrail, 2 x Intel Core 2 Extreme's QX9775, 2 x Nvidia 9800 GX2, RAID configured HDD, PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower 1200W, CPU fans: 2 x Xigmatek HDT-S1283, Coolermaster Stacker 830 SE, and enough extra fans to shame NASA's JPL.

Pros: Absolutely a dream to work with. plenty of room and nothing too obscure or too tight a fit on this board.

Cons: Not really a con, but it was irritating to find this out after the fact. BUY LGA775 heatsink/fans for your two CPUs. Didn't read too closely on Intel's site before purchasing all my parts. Got it all in the case to find out the default LGA771 HSFs won't fit on this board. Luckily I went to local store the next day and got a couple of Thermaltake "push-pin" LGA775 HSFs so I wouldn't have to take everything back out again.

Overall Review: Minus the HSF debacle, I have been EXTREMELY pleased with this board.

Pros: Great board, lots of connectors

Cons: - SLOOOOOOOOW BIOS init at boot time - ECC RAM = slow, expensive, power-hungry, hot - takes Xeon procs, but the heatsinks are for NON-xeon procs. Go figure. Major headache. - Two SATA ports don't work.

Overall Review: Having 8 cores is pretty sweet. And 16gb RAM is even sweeter.

Pros: Up to 2 QX9775 cpu's Up to 16gb ram Great 'general use/use it for everything at once' board, you can use it for rendering, gaming and have 500 tabs open in firefox all at the same time(not that you should lol)

Cons: Wish it had a couple more SATA ports, and maybe one more PCI. Other than that, None. (I would have said price, but I got mine used for $140)

Overall Review: Used this as my 'build a high-end machine one piece at a time' budget build. Started with just 1 qx9775, an old nvidia card I had laying around, and some fbdimms I found really cheap on auction.(yes, it will run fine with only one processor) Currently still only run the 1 cpu(waiting to find another $200 Buy it now on auction), got 8gb ram, and a nvidia gtx in it now, to date it has taken everything I've thrown at it, really have no reason to upgrade anything yet.

Pros: This board rocks! I have dual Harpertown 5450's clocked at 3.6Ghz and they are running awesome! Both support for Crossfire and Nvidia SLI (I'm an Nvidia guy) so this adds some flexibility when choosing video cards. I'm not a gamer, but I do render DVD's and BlueRay movies so I do have an extreme need for power. Also do some 3D CAD design in Solidworks 2008 and this system can handle anything!

Cons: Wasn't able to install my Thermalright HR-01X heatsinks without moding the MOSFET heatsinks by each CPU. Was just a touch concerned about cutting and destroying my warranty to install these. However they do work great once installed. This board would be better if it was a CEB layout-then I wouldn't have had to mess with the heatsinks. Of course the cost is a factor-but it's is one of the best boards on the market as far as I'm concerned. Only 4 DIMM slots and no digital RCA output. Not PCI-E 2.0, but that doesn't matter that much yet.

Overall Review: Originally I purchased an Asus Z7S WS and had nothing but problems with the system-It was incredibly slow. Asus tech support was less than helpful and told me I had to wait for a BIOS upgrade. Sorry I don't have time to beta test a board and have to sit and wait for my work to get done. I really was debating between these two board and I'm glad that this board performs as it should. I have an Intel rep that I have been in touch with and they have had nothing but rave reviews of this board. The Asus on the other hand - well you can fill in the blanks.

Pros: Please see other thoughts...

Cons: Please see other thoughts...

Overall Review: I just wanted to clear up everything about this board: -It is a server mainboard built with gaming in mind -Any 771 socket CPU will work and they can run as low as $300 each -The PCI-E x16 1.1 slots recognize PCI-E x16 2.0 video cards -Quad GPU support -The memory standard isn't any higher because it can't go any higher. DDR2 800 with FB DIMMs is the fastest server memory available. Basically, DDR3 memory isn't as good. -Just to let you know, 771 heatsinks are LOUD (because noise doesn't matter too much in a server). So you got to choose between noise or liquid cooling. -This mainboard is great for multi-threaded apps. e.g. video switching, rendering, NOT gaming (although you can get some great benchmarks on Crysis for when you get bored). To sum everything up, this mainboard is amazing even for today and was way ahead of it's time when it came out.

Pros: Highest Available Performance Has everything.

Cons: Ridiculous Price.

Overall Review: I don't understand how so many of you can rate this product lower because of its specs. It is what it is. Don't rate it low because it is not something that it wasn't meant to be. DDR3 provides little to none in the way of real life noticeable gains.