Tyan Thunder n6650EX

The expansion slots on the Tyan Thunder n6650EX include two PCI Express x16, three PCI Express x8, and one PCI-X. Both PCI-E x16 slots are able to operate with full PCI Express x16 bandwidth. For those using this system as a server or not connecting it to a display, there are integrated graphics. Tyan is again relying upon XGI for their Volari Z9 graphics controller. The XGI Volari Z9 has a PCI interface and Tyan couples that with a 32MB DDR frame-buffer. This IGP is by no means powerful, though sufficient for server usage, but the XGI Linux driver is not even maintained any longer. With that said, the mode-setting support for this defunct driver is not even complete or reliable.

The ports on the rear I/O panel for the Tyan Thunder n6650EX (S4992) include two PS/2, two USB 2.0, one COM, one VGA output for the XGI Volari Z9 graphics, and three LAN ports.

Beyond the Tyan Thunder n6650EX S4992, there is the Thunder n6650W (S2915) that also utilizes the NVIDIA nForce Professional 3600 + 3050 pair but is a dual-socket solution, plus several other Tyan motherboards for Opteron processors (one of which is the Tyan Thunder n3600M). More information on the Thunder n6650EX can be found on the Tyan web-site.

For pricing information on Tyan products and other server motherboards, visit TestFreaks.com.

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