Motherboard - i7 for MS Server 2008 64-bit (No Xeon)

I have a machine I want to build for a customer where there will be only about 5 users. Don't want to spend the cash for a true server motherboard vs one supporting an i7 processor. I have a new copy of MS 2008 64-bit Small Business Server that I am going to use. My challenge has been NIC drivers that would work. Someone know from experience a Gigabyte/Asus/MSI board (preferably I guess) that would fit the bill?

Thx in advance!
 
A zeon motherboard/processor combo? No I haven't. Never dealt with refurbs before. Skeptical although nothing to base the attitude on. Just a concern about it's age and stability. But with a multi-year warranty it would change an attitude quickly.

Good place to look?
 
Umm, google? Try your preferred flavor (Dell, HP, etc). I did Dell and there were ads from 1/2 dozen vendors - including Dell itself.
http://www.dell.com/us/dfb/p/?ST=de...ven1=sk3fpVMUP&ven2=e&ven3=271003266767953652

If you had a good spare CPU, you might consider a multi-port RJ45 NIC from Intel (or any of 30 others - but driver support is important).
https://www-ssl.intel.com/content/w...etwork-adapters/ethernet-server-adapters.html

5 users should not be too much of a burden if this is just general business use. It depends on what the server is expected to deliver with what kind of responsiveness.

Hopefully, some others will concur with my opinion (I am not a network IT expert).
 
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