Socket 1366 CPU choices?

[Roger]

I was thinking about upgrading to an i7 970, and then I got to wondering,

if I were to pick up a dual socket 1366 board, would I be able to use

2 of those on a server board or would I have to get Xeons?

For my purposes a single 970 is probably enough but 2 would be

cheaper than a single 8 or 12 core Xeon for sure.

[robcat2075]

Not sure about the CPU question but I think you have to get an expensive version of Windows to use more than one physical CPU, so consider that added cost.

[Roger]

I think you only need an enterprise server version if you have more than

2 sockets, but that may have changed. Given I'd be looking at

at least 1000 for 2 970s and a dual socket motherboard, a single

970 might be the better upgrade.

[robcat2075]

According to this chart Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise will accommodate 2 physical CPUs

[Roger]

You are correct. Fortunately Win 7 Pro OEM is not much worse than Win 7 Premium. I think if you want a 4 socket system, though, you have to really shell out a lot of cash.