It was a little tricky finding the right memory for the Tyan S4980 motherboard. You have to make sure that you use ECC, Registered DDR2 DIMMs 400, 533 or 667 Mhz. If you buy memory that doesn’t say ECC and REGISTERED on the box it won’t work. You can use 1GB, 2GB or 4gB DIMMs, and you MUST install at least 2 DIMMs per CPU. Here’s a few part numbers I know work in the motherboard:
Heatsinks:
You have lots of options here, and a few snags. Since the CPU’s are spaced fairly close to each other, you will need compact ones. The 2U case fan cooled heat sinks fit nicely. The snag: there are 4″ and 3.5″ pitch versions. This is basically how far apart the mounting screws are spaced. The Tyan S4980 motherboard needs the 3.5″ pitch ones. See all figured out for you! Here are some good choices.
1. Dynatron F558 77mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler – Retail – $32.99
This CPU cooler comes with an unnecessary CPU support plate – the S4980 comes with them pre-installed. This is the one I purchased. Its noisy at full speed. This one won’t work in 2U cases.
2. Dynatron F661 60mm 2xBall CPU Cooler $24
This CPU is quieter on paper, doesn’t come with the CPU support plate, and its $9 cheaper. I should have bought this one. This one does work in 2U cases.
