AMD Opteron 846
The layout of the mainboard is very interesting with the large CPU heatsink shrouds covering two processors each, with a fan attached to each end. Directly behind each processor is four memory module sockets. The server we had on test was fitted with a total of 4GB Hynix RAM (Two 512MB modules per CPU). The AGP slot and several of the other legacy peripherals required are mounted on a daughter board that attaches to the front side of the motherboard.
Two of the five PCI-X slots support hot swapping of the cards, and there is
The rear of the chassis has a redundant hot swap power supply (two modules) that are mounted beneath the mainboard. There is also what appears to be a space for another third power supply module as well, however this was not fitted to the test server. To the right of the chassis are three RJ45 network ports, two are 10/100/1000 and one is just 10/100.
The system we received came installed with four AMD 846 chips running at 2GHz, providing more than enough power to run Solitaire. In fact when running the WebBench test, the CPU load monitor barely registered any activity at all until the very high end of the testing, which is to be expected when you have this much grunt behind you.
The operating system AMD supplied on this system was the standard Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. The Opteron processors are apparently able to interoperate between 32-bit and 64-bit applications, therefore when the 64-bit version of Microsoft's server operating system is released, the AMD should be able to accommodate it with no problems.
In the corporate world, these Opteron processors--particularly the four- and eight-way units--have been hotly followed. As with all things new and different, it can only be assumed that time will tell how they will fare, however it seems that AMD Opteron-based machines are certainly worthy of consideration for your next server rollout. And may be particularly useful if you are planning to move to 64-bit in the future but need your platforms to stay with your 32-bit apps in the meantime.
| Product | AMD Opteron (test system) |
| Price | From $13,000-$45,000; less than $45,000 as tested |
| Vendor | AMD |
| Phone | 02 8877 7222 |
| Web | www.amd.com |
| Interoperability |  ½ |
| Excellent interoperability with the ability to support both 32-bit and 64-bit apps. | |
| Futureproofing |  ½ |
| Performance is excellent, upgrade path is relatively straightforward, redundancy is included. | |
| ROI |  ½ |
| A fair few bucks for the bang! | |
| Service |  ½ |
| A range of service is provided by systems integrators and value-added resellers; individual service contracts would differ from system to system. | |
| Rating |  |
I saw a better Quad Opteron server platform from a manufacturer in Taiwan, looks like a great server, you can visit http://www.genesysrack.com.tw for a look, I hope somebody can supply this chaassis in Sydney.