New Build: Dual lga1366 help needed

[Cowboy]

Hey all, I was setting aside some money to start up a new build that involved dual lga1366 proc's. I looked up some prices on newegg and I decided that I would go for it.

What I need:

suggestions on ddr3 ram (what kind do I need) ECC, non-ECC??
Suggestion on what cpu to get (along with where would be the best place to get all my parts)
Suggest a motherboard (Has to be able to fit in a Raven RV02, which supports 8 expansion slots and 11" wide mobo's)

Some constraints: I am only running a 650w silverstone zeus PSU, and I only have space for an 11" wide mobo. Thats it.

A note on PCI-e Slots: I don't care how many, but at least 1 and any more from there is a bonus.

Looking for best bang/buck here, and there will be no overclocking going on, at all, so the ram doesn't really matter (cheaper the better).

[3.0charlie]

1. ECC, non-ECC: depends which board you choose.
2. CPU: depends what you want to do with the rig. I have E5504s (currently on loan with Chilly) and I use E5520s in my Main.
3. Boards to fit the Raven: SSI-CEB, ATX form factors. Newegg.ca - Computer Hardware,Motherboards,Server Motherboards,Dual LGA 1366,ATX= and Newegg.ca - Computer Hardware,Motherboards,Server Motherboards,Dual LGA 1366,SSI CEB=
Most have a single PCI-e slot, some have dual.
Overclocking is not an option on those boards, SetFsb may work if the clock generator is recognized.

[Cowboy]

1. I want a board that takes cheap ram (I'm guessing non-ECC)
2. I want a cpu that is good bank/buck (and where is the best place to get them? I have no problem buying OEM) I noticed that there was a 2.13ghz for 299 and a 2.26 ghz for 499 so I was obviously inclined towards the 2.13ghz cpu)
3. Thanks! I'm going to pick out a couple of boards that catch my eye.

[3.0charlie]

I have 12Gb worth of Patriot 1333. Works damn fine, was cheap back when I bought it. My Main board supports that ram, but most will require ECC.
I bought the E5504s at the Egg, but since they don't have HT I bought Chilly's E5520s - he's using my old chips for the time being. Performance delta? Not much. Price difference is the HT on the E5520s.

[Cowboy]

I only found 1 board in my price range that had on-board audio:

Newegg.ca - SUPERMICRO MBD-X8DAL-i-O Dual LGA 1366 Intel 5500 ATX Dual Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processor 5500 sequence (Nehalem-EP processor) Server Motherboard - Server Motherboards

And according to reviews, it sucks! WTF >.<

I need some help :(

[3.0charlie]

Newegg.ca - ASUS Z8NA-D6C Dual LGA 1366 Intel 5500 ATX Dual Intel Xeon 5500 Series Server/Workstation Motherboard - Server Motherboards

Just add a PCI audio card. Accepts non-ECC, unregistered DDR3 ram, single PCI-e slot.

edit: I'm sure Chilly, Cmetaphor and DT will chime in with better boards once they see the thread. Because there are always the AMD-based server boards.

[Cowboy]

That seems okay... for the price I suppose. I need a pci slot open for a wireless card, so I guess I'd have to buy the MIO version sound card.

umm, is there anything I can get for 350 or less with some more USB ports and onboard audio? I need at least 4 usb ports for my devices.

Do you think this board will support 2 TRUE's in a fan(push)>true>true>fan(pull) config?

[3.0charlie]

Why not buy a USB Wireless adapter instead? May be cheaper than the MIO sound card.
A TRUE 120 in a E-W config? Not sure, the heat pipes will be damn close to the ram sticks.

Edit: well, the MIO sound card is cheap too: Newegg.ca - ASUS MIO-AUDIO 888 MIO Sound Card - Server Accessories

[Cowboy]

Would I get audio over HDMI if I used an ATi card? Oh and I have a wireless USB adapter, just that the reception sux and it doesnt work in win7x64 or x86. I haven't tested it in linux yet, but I assume the story is the same.

I doubt the spacing will be a problem, I'll just use low-profile ram like the corsair stuff I have now.

Ok now, cpu: HT or no-HT? I.e get a 5504 or a 5520 for $100 bucks more? is it worth it for anything? Any ram limitations from using either?

EDIT: I've also been perusing the AMD-side of this dual/quad venture and I realized that their stuff is wayy more expensive! I thought the opterons were worse than the xeons, yet here are the opterons at 2x the price. And dont even get me started on the price of the board! What gives?

[3.0charlie]

No idea about Audio over HDMI.

I went with the 5520s for HT and Folding, only to find out that the Vms allow a max. of 8 cores. Back to no-HT. The board I believe also has the Turbo option, which is a nice feature.

No ram limitation with either, 12Gb works fine on my board. If you are interested in the E5504s, I could sell you mine for 220 each.