A market commonly overlooked, in the already overlooked motherboard market, is the Dual Processor motherboard market.  The primary cause of this is a general lack of dual processor motherboard manufacturers active in the industry today.  Surprisingly enough, the desktop multiprocessor market is relatively new territory to most individuals, although multiprocessor systems have been around for quite some time, only recently, have multiprocessor desktop system begun to take off in terms of widespread usage.  Increasingly demanding applications that require more processing power than a single processor can provide are pushing professional and high-end users to pursue the multi-processor market.

Outside of the high-end desktop workstation market, servers have always been turning to multi-processor solutions in order to help balance the load on a single server.  Even AnandTech has turned to multiple processor server solutions for its hosting needs, and the difference made by adding a second processor is definitely noticeable on a highly trafficked server.  Unfortunately, when in the market for a new dual processor Slot-1 motherboard, you don't have the same benefits as someone looking for a good motherboard to overclock their Celeron 300A to 450MHz, simply because of the popularity of dual processor motherboards in the desktop market. 

There is one company that has consistently supported the high-end workstation/server market with their high-quality motherboards, ranging from low-end solutions to the most powerful in multiprocessor desktop motherboards.  Tyan originally took the market by surprise with the release of one of the most highly integrated, yet extremely expandable and powerful dual processor Slot-1 motherboards on the market, the Thunder 100.  Boasting on-board Ethernet, sound, and SCSI, the Thunder 100 brought to the table a combination of features that still remains unrivaled by any competing motherboard manufacturer, unfortunately it did have its set of weaknesses.

Showing their commitment to perfection, Tyan is back again, this time with an updated version of the Thunder 100, descriptively named, the S1837UANG, the Tyan Thunderbolt.  How well does this ball of fire strike the ground of the multiprocessor market?  Let's find out as AnandTech takes a look at Tyan's latest and greatest...

New Anand Tech Report Card Rating
89/B+

Do not compare newer ratings to older ones, the newer ratings are much more aggressive

The Good

Running next to the IDE/SCSI controller ports on the motherboard are the 4 DIMM slots capable of accepting up to 2GB of system memory using 512MB DIMMs.  Although AnandTech had no 512MB samples in lab during the testing of the Thunderbolt, one of Tyan's claims was that the motherboard worked fine with larger memory modules.  Using 256MB Corsair modules, that normally fail on most motherboards due to capacitance issues, the Thunderbolt went humming along into Windows NT without a hiccup.  It looks like Tyan's claims were well founded.  The 2GB memory capacity is made possible by the Intel 440GX chipset used on the Thunderbolt, as opposed to the BX used on the original Thunder 100.  The GX performs identically to its BX counterpart, however it raises the memory capacity barrier for the motherboard up to 2GB from the previous 1GB limit of the BX chipset.  The chipset itself is covered by a low profile heatsink that follow the trend of the low profile capacitors around the dual slot-1 CPU interfaces in order to keep out of the way of the Pentium II/III heatsink/fan combos of the installed processor(s). 

Improving on a weakness with the original Thunder 100, the Thunderbolt gets rid of the cluster of jumpers that most Tyan owners will probably be used to, in favor of a hybrid jumperless/dip-switch driven CPU setup.   Since all Intel processors are now multiplier locked, the clock multiplier is no longer an important setting to pay attention to.  Tyan allows for the manipulation of the clock multiplier through the use of an easily accessible dip-switch consisting of four individual switches.  The Front Side Bus (FSB) frequency is controlled from within the BIOS and by default remains on the Auto-Detect setting.  Tyan also took the extra initiative to pursue some basic avenues for overclocking with the Thunderbolt, as the BIOS setup now allows for FSB frequencies up to 133MHz to be selected.  The 112MHz FSB setting was quite stable during AnandTech's tests, it was almost as if the system wasn't even overclocked. 

Another weakness the Thunder 100 boasted was a relatively cheap sound controller, the Creative Labs Vibra 16XV.  Tyan replaced the cheap Vibra 16XV with Creative Lab's newer and obviously superior counterpart in the integrated mainboard industry, the ES1373 sound controller.  Although it isn't a 3D audio controller, the ES1373 gets the job done, making sure that if you're a high-end user, you don't have to give up your sound quality to get a well made motherboard.   If you really feel the need to replace the on-board sound with something a little more snazzy, the controller can be disabled by a single jumper on the motherboard itself, as can all of the other integrated peripherals on the Thunderbolt. 

Making a highly anticipated return to the PCB of the Thunderbolt, is the integrated Intel 82559 10/100 Ethernet adapter.  The on-board Ethernet, interfaced through a RJ-45 connector present next to the second serial port on the back of the motherboard, is top notch in terms of quality and performance, and is supported thoroughly by Tyan's drivers CD that comes bundled with the motherboard.   The drivers CD contains the latest drivers for all of the Thunderbolt's integrated components, and makes the installation/configuration process a breeze since you don't have to go searching through three CDs to install your sound, SCSI, and Ethernet drivers.  

Two final improvements were made to make the Thunderbolt Tyan's newest flagship product, the first being the removal of the DEC PCI-to-PCI bridge, and the second being the inclusion of a second ATX power connector for cases with dual power supplies to help balance the power load in do-or-die server situations.  Speaking of which, if you've ever run a dual processor system, you'll know that cooling can become a hassle, and with a large number of fans spinning away in your case, you may have a tendency to run out of available power connectors for all of the fans.  Tyan's solution?  The Thunderbolt features a total of 5 on-board fan connectors, three of which are positioned around the two slot-1 interface connectors.   Not too shabby for cooling expansion.

In addition to the drivers CD, the Thunderbolt comes with a hefty bundle, including an Ultra2 SCSI cable connector with LVD terminator, and a 50-pin legacy SCSI connector cable just in case you happen to be short one cable for your old SCSI hard drives.  Tyan's manual bundled with the Thunderbolt is top notch, and happens to be the only manual AnandTech has ever seen that is capable of taking the features and setup of a motherboard as complex as the Thunderbolt, and presenting them in an easy to read manner.  Tyan has obviously contributed incredible time and effort into the production of their written documentation, so much time in fact that they have even managed to take the crown away from ABIT as the motherboard manufacturer with the best User's Manual.  ABIT's manuals are still better for novices due to their simple nature, however for thoroughness, Tyan comes away with the gold this time.

The documentation provided descriptive pictures and illustrations of how to install/configure the motherboard, as well as how to properly setup your system, making the initial setup of the Thunderbolt as simple as possible for a motherboard of this nature, however for more information on multiprocessor performance visit AnandTech's comparison of multiprocessor systems and an evaluation of their performance advantages here..  The performance of the Thunderbolt is on par with the rest of the dual processor motherboards AnandTech has tested, which is to be expected considering the performance peak most motherboard manufacturers reached a few months ago.

In terms of stability, the Thunderbolt walked into AnandTech's motherboard torture chamber holding its head high and walked out with a cunning smile on its face.  The board performed flawlessly and completed AnandTech's tests without a scratch, Tyan's Thunderbolt completed two straight days of AnandTech's testing crashless; and in a server situation, you want every day to be just that, crashless.

Is the Thunderbolt the perfect dual processor motherboard?  We would hope so, but unfortunately, for Tyan's sake, it isn't (plus, if it were, my job would be no fun ;)...)

The Bad

The first problem with the Thunderbolt is its tremendous size, if a motherboard requires a full sized ATX case to simply achieve a snug fit, then you know that the motherboard is a tad large.  This is the case with the Tyan Thunderbolt, don't expect to cram this puppy into anything smaller than a roomy ATX case.  The board is about the size of two smaller BX boards put together. 

Because of the slight rearrangement of PCI slots, and the large heatsink on the GX chipset, and in order to prevent defining a new layout specification, Tyan was forced to squeeze the distance between the two slot-1 CPU interfaces.  While this is better for stability (shorter traces between the two slots, less length for the signal to travel within), it is worse for cooling, as the distance between the two slots measures under 2".  This means that you can't use any monster heatsink/fan combos on your processors.  The slots are designed for operation with retail Intel heatsink/fan combos, and nothing else, so make sure that you get an extremely low profile heatsink/fan combo if you plan on pursuing the Thunderbolt, otherwise you're going to be a very unhappy high-end user the minute you pull the board out of its box; and you know what happens when high-end users grow unhappy, they start using their programming skills for evil, and we don't want that happening now do we? ;)

The third and final complaint AnandTech found with Tyan's otherwise excellent flagship is its hefty cost.  All of the features, improvements, stability, and quality come at a cost less than that of a Pentium III 450, ABIT BX6, and 64MB of RAM.  The estimated price on the Tyan S1837UANG, upon its release, is a whopping $849.  So you better start pawning your watches and wedding rings, and you'd better hold off on that Voodoo3 purchase, because the Thunderbolt will set you back quite a bit. 

USB Compatibility

• Number of Front Universal Serial Bus Root Ports: 0

• Number of Rear Universal Serial Bus Root Ports: 2

• USB IRQ Enable/Disable in BIOS: Yes

• USB Keyboard Support in BIOS: Yes

Recommended SDRAM

Recommended SDRAM: Mushkin SEC -GH PC100 SDRAM; Memory Man SEC -GH PC100 SDRAM
SDRAM Tested: 1 x 64MB Mushkin PC100 SDRAM; 1 x 64MB Memory-Man PC100 SDRAM; 1 x 256MB Corsair PC100 SDRAM DIMM (for compatibility testing only)

Manufacturer: The Memory Man
Purchase Web-Site: http://www.memory-man.com

Manufacturer: Mushkin
Purchase Web-Site: http://www.mushkin.com

The Test

In recent times, choosing a motherboard cannot be completely determined by a Winstone score. Now, many boards come within one Winstone point of each other and therefore the need to benchmark boards against each other falls. Therefore you shouldn't base your decision entirely on the benchmarks you see here, but also on the technical features and advantages of this particular board, seeing as that will probably make the greatest difference in your overall experience.

AnandTech Motherboard Testing Methodology

The Final Decision

It has often been said that you get what you pay for, and with the Tyan S1837UANG Thunderbolt, you are getting $850 worth of a motherboard.  When you consider what you get for the price, $850 isn't too bad, however it is still a considerable amount of money, that will keep the motherboard out of the hands of most individuals, since there are those that don't need the power and expansion supported by the Thunderbolt.

Tyan has truly come through to construct one of the most incredible motherboards AnandTech has ever tested.  After almost two years of reviewing motherboards, the Tyan Thunderbolt has taken AnandTech's breath away as a truly excellent creation.  From now on, whenever you hear the words "rock solid" in reference to a motherboard, think Tyan.  It is a shame that the quality that went into the production of the Thunderbolt couldn't be duplicated in a lower cost design for the rest of the population that can't afford an $850 motherboard.   You can always hope...

How it Rates

Click Here to learn about AnandTech's Motherboard Testing Methodology