A couple of years ago I bought an Intel replacement motherboard to fix an annoying problem I was experiencing. I opted for a motherboard that was certified for Windows 2K it has worked flawlessly. As a result I believe hardware certification is important for critical Microsoft PCs. Intel has done a great job with hardware certification so I have been following Intel’s server motherboard offerings as an alternative to Dell, Compaq, and IBM. Recently I noticed that TigerDirect.com was selling build to order servers that used Intel motherboards. They will build to order P4 servers based on the S875WP1-LX motherboard and Xeon servers based on SE7505CW2 motherboard. In the most recent catalog these servers have considerable price drops are now a very attractive alternative to the Big Three. The big change has been in the dual Xeon pricing but the fully configured P4 systems have also got a nice price cut. Hmm…