Intel DQ35JO mobo ("Bearlake" Q35 Express) ??

[Syzygies 0]

I'm staring at an "Intel Desktop Board Executive Series DQ35JO" I

picked up at Fry's for $130. It's a beauty of new components aimed

squarely at the Core 2 Quad, but supporting many chips e.g. the "Core

2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz" that Fry's carries for $80.

 

This would make a great bang-for-the-buck file and compute server if I

can get it to work. The board is so new that Intel doesn't have a

support site, though the manual included on DVD is very complete.

This family is code-named "Bearlake", announced this June but still

no search results on this or other Linux compatibility sites.

 

Here is a product description found at various sites selling the

board:

 

Intel Desktop Board DQ35JO - motherboard - micro ATX - iQ35

Product Type Motherboard

Form Factor Micro ATX

Chipset Type Intel Q35 Express / Intel ICH9DO

Multi-Core Support Dual-Core / Quad-core

Max Bus Speed 1333 MHz

Processor 0 ( 1 ) - LGA775 Socket

Compatibility Intel vPro

Compatible Processors Celeron D, Pentium D, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad

64-bit Processors Compatibility Yes

RAM 0 MB (installed) / 8 GB (max)

Supported RAM Technology DDR II SDRAM

Storage Controller ATA-100, Serial ATA-300 (RAID)

USB Ports Configuration 12 x USB

Storage Ports Configuration 1 x ATA , 6 x SATA

FireWire Ports Configuration 2 x FireWire

Graphics Controller Intel GMA 3100

Audio Output Sound card - 5 . 1 channel surround

Networking Network adapter - Ethernet , Fast Ethernet , Gigabit Ethernet

Manufacturer Warranty 3 years warranty

 

Fry's will take the board back within 30 days, so at worst I waste a

bunch of my time. The few hints of Linux trouble online suggest that

the Network controller 82566DM may be a problem, but I'm willing to

install an adapter card for the first few months; I'd guess that this

motherboard will eventually be completely supported by Linux. It's

Intel's future mainstream board.

 

I don't need everything to work, as long as I can get things like SATA

and on-board graphics up. Searching suggests at worst I'll have some

back-porting to do, e.g. to get decent graphics in Ubuntu 7.04.

 

What's your judgment call? Should I go for it, or return the board now

and spare myself a massive headache? Thanks!