The reason for purchasing this motherboard was to upgrade my main server, the
sever had a PIII 999MHZ dual processor/motherboard in it since 2001.
The old motherboard was not failing it was just getting slow, the memory
capacity had been maxed out about ten years ago when I first built the computer.
This motherboard will accept a CPU from the Pentium D all the way through the
Core 2 Quad Extreme. Unlike the Intel DP43BF it will not accept the Xenon processor.
One of the reasons for picking this motherboard over other motherboards in
the same class is the slots.
It has 5 PCI slots and 4 DDR 3 memory slots, most other ATX form factor
motherboards have 2 PCI and 2 to 4 PCIx or PCIe slots instead. Although this
motherboard does have one PCIx or PCIe slot and the USB is version 2 so
adding a USB 3 will be an add on card.
At this time I have the motherboard configured with a Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz
processor and 8 GB of DDR 3 1066 MHz memory I may upgrade the processor to a
Quad.
Using the GIGABYTE P43T-ES3G Motherboard as a server has not caused any
configuration conflicts as the Intel DP43BF motherboard did.
Specifications for the GIGABYTE P43T-ES3G Motherboard:
CPU Socket Type
LGA 775
CPU Type
Core 2 Extreme/Quad/Duo / Pentium / Celeron
FSB Chipsets
1600(O.C.)/1333/1066/800MHz
North Bridge Intel P43
South Bridge Intel ICH10 Memory
Number of Memory Slots
4×240pin
Memory
Standard DDR3 1600/1333/1066
Maximum Memory Supported
16GB
Channel Supported
Dual Channel Expansion Slots
PCI Express x1 1
s 2.0 x16 1
PCI Slots
5 Storage Devices
PATA 1 x ATA133
2 Dev. Max
SATA 3Gb/s 6
Audio Chipset Realtek ALC888
Audio Channels 8 Channels
LAN Chipset Realtek 8111D
Max LAN Speed 10/100/1000Mbps Rear Panel Ports
PS/2
2
COM 1
LPT 1
USB 1.1/2.0 6 x USB 2.0
S/PDIF Out 1 x Coaxial
Audio Ports 3 Ports Onboard USB
Onboard USB
6 x USB 2.0 Physical Spec - 3x USB Power Boost
Form Factor ATX
Dimensions 12" x 8.27"
Power Pin 24 Pin Features
Features On/Off Charge Technology
Problems:
One of the reasons for upgrading the motherboard in the server was to
increase the "bandwidth" of the network from 100 MBPS to 1 GBPS over all connect
speed.
The embedded NIC (Network Interface Card) on the motherboard would have been
fine except it would not connect to the switch which was a 100 MBPS, auto detect
and the setting of 100 MBPS with Full Duplex locked up the network after a few
minutes, disabling the embedded NIC and installing some spare NIC's I have
caused other problems. ( The only thing I can think of is there is a hardware
architecture change on the PCI bus since these NIC's were manufactured, pre 2003
for most of them) because with two new 1 GBPS NIC's the problem has been
resolved.
When I change over from the Intel DP43BF motherboard due to Server OS
incompatibilities all I had to do was run the cd that came with the motherboard
to install some new drivers, the chip set is the same one as on the Intel DP43BF
motherboard.
After that I ran the Windows Update service and the server was ready to use.
Pretty easy considering the troubleshooting and work I had done with the Intel
DP43BF
motherboard.
Rating:
I am rating this 9 out of 10. A 9 because of the real estate on the board is
used to the full capacity, the board has plenty of PCI and one PCIe/x
slots. It lacks embedded video, this may be a concern if you don't have a video
card when doing an upgrade, you will have to add that cost to your upgrade. It
does have a floppy drive controller and an interface connector, how ever be
aware that it is on the left hand edge of the motherboard and if you have a
tower case the floppy may have to be moved for a conventional floppy drive cable
to work. With the PS\2 connectors you can use either the PS\2 mouse and keyboard
ports or a USB mouse/keyboard setup. With a 3 year Manufacture's warranty and
having dealt with GIGABYTE in the past I think I have a motherboard that will
last another ten years or better.
Other Notes:
I am using this motherboard for a server Operating System, I chose this
motherboard after the Intel DP43BF motherboard had conflicts and
incompatibilities with the Server Operating System. With the exception of the 1
GBPS NIC and the lack of backward compatibility with the PIC NIC's I find this
motherboard a very good value, mind you not a great value, a good value.
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