Ideas about 8 core workstation

[ring.of.steel]

Ive had enough of upgrading my computer every month, its getting out of hand. My aim is to build a dual 771 workstation with 8 cores 32gb of ram, mainly just so i can convince myself i dont need to upgrade any more!

Are there any boards that have a full pci-e slot with 16 lanes? Overclocking isnt needed here, but i did spot this board, the asus Z7S

Im not sure when this board is coming out but it may be the best option becuase of the crossfire option and standard atx size etc but only 6 ram slots, this would max out at about 12 gig of ram.

Also are there any 771 boards that take standard ddr2, becuase i rerermber there used to be a couple for the old xeons.

CPU's
The cpu's i was thinking of are E5430's seem pretty cheap. As some of you may know im actually across the pond in the uk, so to keep prices down on this build i think i may have to get a family member in the us to order the stuff from newegg for me and actually ship it accross.

Next bit, RMA's
If i buy the stuff in from the US and i have dead ram etc, do you think i would be able to RMA directly to the company in question's local branch in Europe, instead of shipping it all the way back to the US and going thru newegg.

For video cards,
I was thinking of a crossfire setup of two mid range cards, if i was to get the asus pictured above. If not i would just stick with my 8800gt if i can find a board with a full x16 slot.

Opinions anybody?

 

[engiNURD]

Regarding RMA's... you'd probably have to explain to them that you moved to the UK after purchasing the parts in the US. They should still be able to support you, if they're a reputable company.

Some people will wonder what you need 32GB for... so you should state that you load a ton of VMs, IIRC.