Tyan Tomcat K8E-SLI S2866

Conclusion:

Based upon feedback received from the K8E S2865, the Tyan K8E-SLI S2866 is simply one hell of a motherboard. Utilizing the NVIDIA nForce Professional 2200, the motherboard is capable of running Scalable Link Interface at PCI Express x8 speeds while continuing to pack the integrated features of the nForce4 Ultra but appending viable workstation options. In addition to what is provided by the Chipset, Tyan packages a Marvell and Broadcom Gigabit LAN controller and VIA VT6307 IEEE-1394a Firewire controller along with many other enhancements. With the Tyan S2866 being designed for entry-level server or workstation usage, we would have enjoyed seeing an additional SATA or IDE controller than what is provided by the Chipset with four Serial ATA ports and a single IDE channel. On the contrary, making the K8E-SLI a terrific choice for usage is the SMDC header, dual LAN controllers, dual PCI Express x16 slots, and Realtek ALC655 audio. In addition to the apparent ASIC changes, Tyan has made many alterations when it comes to the physical layout of the K8E-SLI as well as other engineering enhancements. In fact, the motherboard had no troubles running with a 250MHz FSB where previous Tyan products had troubles stumbling past the 220MHz mark. With that said, the SLI variant also had a noticeable performance improvement over the K8E vanilla. All in all, when everything is finalized, the Tyan K8E-SLI is the finest AMD Socket 939 motherboard we have yet come cross for users since the conception of the nForce4 Chipset. The S2866A2NRF is based off the nForce Professional 2200 Chipset while using Socket 939, which is quite rare and an oddity of itself. Keep in mind, the motherboard is designed for the niche of users demanding a highly integrated entry-level server or high-end desktop. However, the Tyan K8E-SLI S2866A2NRF will set you back approximately $240-340 USD according to current prices we have seen from reputable Australian and Canadian stores. Look forward for our exciting SLI results, as well as other tests, to come upon the official public launch of NVIDIA's 1.0-8XXX display drivers.