Intel Skulltrail Part 2: Overclocking & Power

The Processor: Support For 43 Xeon Models

Thanks to the unrestricted support for all socket 771 processors, 43 Xeon models can be used on this board aside from the Core 2 Extreme QX9775.

At the moment, Intel sells 21 quad-core and 21 dual-core models. Equipping the Skulltrail board with dual-core Xeons does not make a lot of sense, since the purpose for which this board was designed was to create an eight-core system. If you're out to build a quad-core system, choosing a conventional desktop board and pairing it with a quad-core processor is the much cheaper path; this configuration will also yield better performance.

Due to the large selection of Xeon processors and the overclocking potential of the D5400XS motherboard, buyers will be able to build a much cheaper eight-core system than Intel may originally have envisioned - or planned. The smallest quad-core Xeon processor, the E5310 (1.6 GHz, 6 MB L2 cache), can be had for roughly €186. Meanwhile, the cheapest 12 MB version is the quad-core E5405 clocked at 2.00 GHz, which retails for around €205 per device.

Thus, you can save up to 84% by choosing two smaller Xeon processors.

Thanks to the good overclocking potential of the D5400XS motherboard, you can build a rather inexpensive high-speed eight-core system using two smaller Xeon models.