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What They Changed - Power
As I was just mentioning, the Thunder K7 (TK7) and Thunder K7X (TK7X) both used a proprietary power supply configuration. While the 24pin + 8pin connectors looked like a normal EPS12V, the wiring pinout was completely different so they wouldn't actually work without modification. A few manufacturers of EPS12V units did offer adapters for their power supplies but for the most part, if you wanted one of those two motherboards you were stuck with a new, proprietary power supply.
Not so with the Thunder K7X Pro. Tyan decided that it was time to update the configuration of the power supply on their new board. Maybe they made the decision based on the low number of PSU choices for their TK7/TK7X boards, maybe they did it for cost concerns... I don't know. What I do know is that the Thunder K7X Pro uses a standard EPS12V PSU. The same PSUs that work on the new dual Xeon boards will also work on the TK7X Pro. That has really opened a whole new range of choices for people building machines around these boards (there is even a full range of EPS12V PSUs for small rackmount enclosures).
Tyan has also stated that a "P4 Ready" ATX12V supply will also work with this board. The ATX12V spec (20pin + 4pin) is a much cheaper option, and much easier to find (you probably already have one). While you'll need some good clean power to drive a dual Athlon box, it's nice to know that you can use what you've got now and upgrade later as you need it. Tyan was the first to "support" the EPS12V/ATX12V thing "officially" but from looking at the EPS12V pinout diagram and connectors, it appears that any EPS12V compliant board could run that way (Try it at your own risk!).
Networking
The TK7 and TK7X both featured dual LAN onboard via 3Com 10/100 chips. Dual onboard NICs helped secure a place in the midrange server market for those boards, but all the new Xeon boards hit the market sporting 10/100/1000 NICs onboard (sometimes two). Not to be outdone, the overhauled TK7X Pro hit the shelf sporting a pair of onboard NICs again. This time Tyan included dual Intel NICs, one at 10/100 and one at 10/100/1000. GoC is the wave of the future and the TK7X Pro is equipped to take you there.
SCSI
At the beginning of this article I mentioned that it has been well over a year since the launch of the Thunder K7. A lot can change in a year in this industry and sometimes it's hard to keep up. While Tyan set about updating the TK7X Pro another "out dated" component got the axe in favor of something a bit more fresh. Gone are the days of U160 SCSI. U320 is where it's at, and the TK7X Pro is right there with its Adaptec AIC-7899W/AIC-7902W dual-channel controller. Other than supporting dual channels of U320 lovin', the AIC-7899W is ZCR ready which puts SCSI RAID only a small investment away.
Server Management
One thing that has always set the Thunder line apart has been its obvious marketing towards the high-end crowd. Dual NICs, onboard video and angled DIMM slots mean one thing to me... Server. What better to have on a server than remote management capabilities? Here is what the Thunder K7X Pro offers (via optional daughtercard):
- QLogic™ Zircon Baseboard Management
- BMC based on powerful ARM7 technology
- Tailored for IPMI highest 1.5 Spec.
- Supports KCS and BT styles
- Supports Windows/Linux Management solution
- Supports RMCP and SNMP protocols
- Supports ASF standard and EMP
- I 2C serial multi-master controllers and UARTs
- Built-in IPMB connector
- Supports remote Power on/off and reset (IPMI over LAN)
Video?
Oh. Did I forget to mention that the Thunder K7X Pro has an AGP Pro 50/110 slot? It does. I always forget that this is the beefiest dual Athlon board out there and while it is perfectly suited for server duties, some people do actually use it for a high-end graphics workstation. Just disable the onboard video and throw in the AGP Pro card of your choosing... You'll be rolling with the baddest dual Athlon box money can buy.