Dual i7 (8-core) RT system motherboard suggestions?

[The_Seeker]

Greetings LV Community,

I need to duplicate a Dual Xeon (8 core) RT-PC system that we built a few years back. The motherboard we used has become obsolete, so I'm looking for a replacement motherboard that can handle two i7 quad-core processors.

I'm aware of the app notes on the NI website that list compatible chipsets and individual system components that can be used for a custom RT PC system (--this is how we built the last system). However, I also remember a few "gotchas" along the way before we got everything working as intended.

I was wondering if anyone has recently built an 8 (or more) core RT PC, and if they have any recommendations (or cautions!) with regard to the current options for motherboards and/or component selection?

Thanks,

-- Dave

[altenbach]

AFAIK, i7s don't support multiple CPU configurations. You need xeons. Do a web search.

You could get a single 8-core Xeon (E5 series). Not sure about RT support.

[The_Seeker]

Thanks for the info about the i7s. Perhaps this is why all my web searches for dual i7 motherboard options kept coming back with pages and pages of single socket motherboards...

(As you probably can tell, custom RT builds aren't my first integration choice. However, it doesn't appear that NI offers an 8-core PXI controller... yet.) 

The previous system was originally a single quad-core Xeon system -- later upgraded to a dual processor configuration to enhance throughput. The Tyan motherboard sported a complete set of NI-friendly chipsets, but it is now obsolete.

I was hoping to get some feedback from folks who have recently built an 8-core system -- Xeon would be fine too.

Thanks again,

-- Dave