Asus And The Workstation

Enter the AsusTek Computer Inc. DSEB-DG server board, which the Test Center found most flexible to support a desktop workstation solution in a pinch. We liked it so much in a workstation solution that we can recommend it to system builders, especially those who need to keep inventory small, simplified and streamlined.

We didn't intend at the start to use the DSEB-DG board to build a workstation; another board we wanted to use arrived in our lab and was built into one workstation, but the system repeatedly failed to boot. A replacement board arrived, and it, too, failed to boot the system. Up against a deadline—as many VARs and system builders can find themselves—we decided to improvise. We pulled the Asus server board off the shelf and got to work.

The board itself is well engineered. It came in especially handy, because it supports the dual Intel Corp. Xeon 5400 processors that we wanted to use in the workstation. It's built with 1,600MHz front side bus, FB-DIMM 800MHz, PCI-Express Gen2 x16 and IOAT2. Keeping in mind that it's billed as a server board, the system supports up to 16 GB of RAM. Asus is also pitching the DSEB-DG as its "green" board, saying it provides new levels of energy efficiency in server systems.

Once we installed the board into the chassis, it supported our two Xeons, two fans and the memory we installed; the design isn't cramped and that allowed us to snap the system together in about 45 minutes. It booted up immediately.

While we used it in a workstation, the DSEB-DG is built with two PCI-E Gen2 x16 slots, which can accommodate Infiniband connections or graphic cards, each with support for as much as 8 GBps of bandwidth. Not bad. The board also supports six SATA drives for storage, with RAID 0, 1 and 10 support as well.

A note about graphics: Deploying this into a workstation build was smooth and allowed it to boot quickly and efficiently. But when we loaded Microsfit Corp.'s Windows Vista 64-bit, we were repeatedly unable to turn on hardware acceleration. That left us unable to deploy 3-D applications—a limitation that would defeat the purpose of building a workstation. We got around this by installing an Nvidia Corp. eGeForce 8400 GS graphics and video card, and then shutting off the onboard video from the integrated Intel graphics.

At that point, we rebooted and the 3-D was incredibly good.

The system metrics were nice. Running a full load, power draw of the system in full was roughly 150 watts —more than a PC but on par for a higher-performing system such as a workstation or server. The board supports two CPU fans and, combined with the fan in the chassis, provided great internal airflow. The temperature inside the system never rose above 80 degrees and that left us very impressed. (Inside the BIOS, fan- speed management is very robust.)

Street pricing on the Asus DSEB-DG motherboard runs between $506 and $540; when used in conjunction with dual Xeon processors, it will take a system's overall price to the higher end of the scale but, for a workstation build or a server, that's not out of the question or out of the ordinary.

The Bottom Line The Test Center can recommend this board as a terrific component that provides system builders and VARs with flexibility to deliver either servers or workstations quickly and painlessly.