[mattliston]

Hey folks, hopefully I put this in the correct section of the forum. If not, mods, please adjust accordingly.

This thread is for those who are familiar with enterprise hardware who may help!


I am trying to get information on what I should be looking for to purchase for a server build.

I already have an e5 2660 v3 10 core that supports 2 QPI links

Im going to be upgrading my main rig soon, so the xeon will be collecting dust if I dont use it.

Im trying to find a small footprint dual socket 2011-3 motherboard that will support a second 2660 and at least 2 PCIE slots for a graphics card and a USB card.

No need for more than 1gig ethernet, as i do not wish to upgrade my router/switch at this time. I do not intend to consistently be transferring files, just initial and possibly watching large media off of it.


ANy specific brands or boards I can find on ebay for cheap? single socket boards are super easy to find and sort out, heck, I can do full system with just a HP Z440 purchase.

Is there any options like the Z440 that have dual sockets and quad channel support for each cpu?

Thanks in advance. Hopefully I made that clear and concise. Been working long hours.


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The short end of it is, I am looking for a motherboard/psu/expansion package that suites the need of dual socket 2011-3, 2 or more PCIE devices, and isnt impossible to find parts for (such as expansion or riser accessories for system usage).

 

[mattliston]

I have been considering some of the cheap China style boards, but mostly warry of them even working on arrival.

 

[speed_demon]

I have lots of experience with dual CPU rackmount servers using that socket, but trouble is none of that really translates directly to what you are looking for.

@oreonutz is one of our resident server experts and might be able to help.

 

[oreonutz]

Appreciate the kind words @speed_demon ! Unfortunately I am not sure what would be available without digging into the used market a bit. What you want definitely exists, but I am more familiar with picking up parts that either a client is throwing out in an upgrade cycle, or grabbing full Rackmount Servers at auctions. Undoubtedly you can find either a Rackmount Server (Although that does not sound like the form factor you are going for) or a Tower Server at an auction or for sale on ebay, as there will be a number of clients throwing out almost exactly what you are looking for this year (Most businesses are on a 5 to 10 Year upgrade cycle usually dependent upon their warranty period, so for those that are coming up to the end of their warranty this year, they will be looking to sell off their parts for cheap on ebay (Or more likely they call the recycle guys in their town to pick them up, and those recycle guys put them up for sale on ebay). Towers will be a bit harder to come across compared to Rack Mount servers, but it definitely will still be there (they just usually sell right away for obvious reasons), so I would put a look out at ebay and see what the trend is so far this year as far as server hardware sold, and see if they are for reasonable prices. Even if you don't need the case, its often best to just grab it with the case anyway, as finding just the Mobo and PSU will be a bit harder then finding the full platform, usually just short of drives and Ram.

If you need help looking, let me know I will look around, but I am certain with a little effort you can definitely find what you are looking for. Dual Socket Servers are still incredibly common on in the Enterprise space, so It shouldn't be much harder to find then single socket server boards. The issue becomes if you are looking for OC Support, and if you want it to fit in a smaller case. A Lot of these server boards, even for the Tower Form Factor are not going to fit into a normal ATX case without a bit of modding, but like I said, if you are willing to just pick up the Mobo with the Case and PSU included, there will certainly be no shortage of options. You are looking for Circa 2014-2015 Server Platforms, so there literally is no better time to be looking for that, as that is precisely what would have started to go on sale on ebay and other used markets last year, and there will certainly be a lot more where that came from for the next several years as more and more warranties expire. I know thats not a huge help, but again, if you want me to go on a bit of a hunt for you, let me know and I will set some time aside when I have some time to kill waiting for crap to install this week, and see what I can find. Good Luck!

 

[mattliston]

Thank you!!

I guess I mis-spoke when I said small form factor.

I was in my head, referring to the typical server monstrosities that are HDD farms. I should have said "more inline with a typical computer size"

Rack mount is actually a preference, I do not know why I did not specify that in my initial post. I'll chock it up to being tired, but that is still lame on my end.

Id love to have a small shallow rack case with a couple 2u or 3u units doing what I want.

To sum it up, now that I am properly awake.

-2x 2011-3 socket
-supports e5-2660 v3 fully doubled.
-power supply, at least 500 watts, redundant if possible
-no OC necessary.
-room for graphics card to provide several monitor displays (media consumption, setting up, etc..)
-room for 1-2 USB expansion cards. external drive hookup, mouse and keyboard, wireless accessories, charging stuff, etc..

Is there anything I should keep an eye out for?

I mentioned HP Z440, because it seemed to be a fantastic way to dip your toes into 2011-3 for the single socket crowd. And since Im focusing on dual socket, Id like a similar "go to" so to speak.



Thank you!!

-Matt

 

[Prophet4NO1]

You would be more likely wanting a workstation dual-socket board. Asus has made some good ones over the years. The big problem is that even used these go for a decent chunk of change now. Enough that it starts making more sense to look at other solutions. With the new AMD Ryzen and Epyc chips are kinda making the dual-socket setup semi pointless of most non-enterprise solutions. Mainly because software no longer needs to be numa aware. So, that begs the question, what are you needing the cores for? If you are doing things like 3D work, video editing, photo editing and so on you may be better rethinking the plan and selling the old hardware. At a minimum, you should see if the software you will be using is numa aware and can address both chips. If not, you will really only be using one. If you just plan to run a bunch of VM's, this is less important since most VM software is built for multi-socket machines.

No trying to rain on the parade or anything. Just the world is changing a lot in this area. If you just want to do it to do it, ignore what I have said.

If still planning to go dual socket, this is one of the boards I referred to above. Accepets both V3 and V4 cpu's.

Z10PA-D8C | Servers & Workstations | ASUS Global

The ASUS Z10PA-D8C serverboard integrates versatile features into a 12”x10” size allowing this board to fit into many ATX cases. Through innovative and top-notch engineering design, this board features server performance with compact design, enhanced storage expandability, premium components for...

www.asus.com