>>Last time I checked a few month ago they all were ISO images. Don't know about R2.
>
>The only reason to go to R2 right now is to verify that With Compression backup thing. If that works as is, then, it would save me 4 times the download time.

http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/R2-editions.aspx

SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard

SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard delivers a complete data management and business intelligence platform for departments and small organizations to run their applications—helping enable effective database management with minimal IT resources.

The following capabilities are new to Standard:

Backup Compression to reduce data backups by up to 60% and help reduce time spent on backups *
Can be managed instance for Application and Multi-Server Management capabilities
High-scale complex event processing with SQL Server StreamInsight™
* Source: Technet