Tyan S1837UANG Thunderbolt GX Dual Slot-1

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 ;)...)