Supermicro X10SAE - Xeon Haswell, C226, ATX manual:

brutalizer said:
What say you?
Click to expand...

I say that I'll buy the X10SAE as soon as the corresponding Xeon processors become available :) The RAM is already purchased.

It is a very welcome improvement on the X9SAE, what with the various display connectors and the firewire interface.

I didn't find much about the ALC1150 onboard audio, but maybe I can even get away without a dedicated sound card.
 
brutalizer said:
How do you know which RAM is used by this board?
Click to expand...

On page 1-6, it says "Four (4) SDRAM slots support up to 32 GB of DDR3 Unbuffered ECC/Non-ECC 1600/1333/1066 MHz memory." Therefore I'm going to use the 32GB of Kingston ram that I'm using now.
 
News.

I asked Supermicro support some questions about the X10SAE, and got these answers:

1. Which version of DisplayPort is supported?==>(Revision1. 2)
2. Which version of HDMI is supported?==>(Revision 1.4a, but X10SAE does not support 4000x2000 of resolution)
3. Is the DVI port single link or dual link?==>(Single link)
4. Can these three ports be used simultaneously, i.e., can I use three displays concurrently? ==>(It can support three displays under OS synchronously)
Click to expand...

Very good news AFAIC :)
 
Good news. So, I could run virtualized Windows and Solaris with pass through in ESXi, and run both of them fully gpu accelerated at the same time?

I wonder, should I buy a Haswell Xeon with gpu, or non gpu? Are there any disadvantages to buy gpu and shut the gpu off, in BIOS?
 
... with a slight annoyance though: Momentarily, even the MBD-X10SAE-O (retail version) doesn't include the DVD that would contain drivers and manual.

It does come with a printed "Quick Reference Guide" and 6 SATA cables, both of which you'll probably need like a hole in your head. But the driver DVD is missing, and according to the accompanying packing check list, this is not a fluke.

If you have a decent internet connection and FileZilla, you can download the DVD from their ftp server though. It's the directory CDR-X10-UP_1.00_for_Intel_X10_UP_platform
 
I think I prefer the X10SAT, because it does not have any PCI connections. But other than that, it is the same card, I think?
 
TheOne5 said:
Where did you order it from and where did you get your processor from?
Click to expand...

I ordered it from Germany, where I live. I haven't got a CPU yet.

brutalizer said:
I think I prefer the X10SAT, because it does not have any PCI connections. But other than that, it is the same card, I think?
Click to expand...

If the product description is correct, then it'll have a Thunderbolt instead of a DisplayPort interface. I believe it's not exactly the same thing.

addit: If anything, the X10SAT seems to have much more in common with the C7Z87-OCE Core i7 board. In fact, apparently everything except for the chipset and a numerical display for BIOS POST codes that only the C7Z87-OCE seems to have, judging from the pics.
 
Last edited:
I want to build an Esxi box and the X10SAT does look like the board to get. I don't see that one available anywhere though.
 
Just purchased the X10SAE from NewEgg. There is a $50 discount on this board when paired with certain Xeon processors. I believe the deal expires August 18.
 
Polymorphic said:
Just purchased the X10SAE from NewEgg. There is a $50 discount on this board when paired with certain Xeon processors. I believe the deal expires August 18.
Click to expand...

I have that deal sitting in my shopping cart. It's so tempting, but I've held out for two months for a C2 stepping chipset, and I know I'd regret it if I ended up buying now and receiving the C1 version. Does anyone have any news which version is in the current channel stock?

I was wondering if this deal is the clear out the last of the C1 stock, after which they would trumpet the arrival of C2...
 
freshfeesh said:
I was wondering if this deal is the clear out the last of the C1 stock,
Click to expand...

Sounds very plausible to me. Otherwise there's no reason to cut "deals" on items that are barely on the market.

freshfeesh said:
after which they would trumpet the arrival of C2...
Click to expand...

I doubt that anyone will trumpet anything, but other than that, you may be on to something here.

Again, if you care about that, and you don't care for PCI, you might as well wait for the X10SAT. I would assume that these are most certainly C2 when they come out.
 
I did read a post somewhere that the X10SAT would only be released with C2 (at least in the US, assuming meatling, above, got his board already). I've been waiting for it to pop up as a proxy for C2 being more widely available. Google Shopping US still doesn't see any. I actually think the SAE would be better for me - I have a couple old cards I may decide to use, and I don't know what I'd ever do with a third x16 slot, which happens to gimp one of the other slots (x8 + x8 --> x8 + x4 +x4). And based on the Euro prices the SAT will be a bit more expensive. And Thunderbolt is cool but I don't know what I'd do with it.
 
Ah thanks guys, I was just about to pull the trigger on the X10SAE.

I will wait for the X10SAT
 
Here's a response I just got today from Supermicro on when the X10SAE would be using the C2 stepping, and how to know what I was getting:

"We will be doing running change and thus there is no way to tell which board will be shipped with C2 stepping."
 
and...

Me:
Thank you for the info. I have a couple follow up questions-
Can you tell me if that change has begun shipping?
Has the X10SAT begun shipping?
Thanks

Response:
"Sorry, but “No” to both of your questions."
 
What is C2 stepping? Is it the corrected USB bug in Haswell?

I am going to buy the X10SAT, and it is has been postponed several times. That sucks. No news on the X10SAT? It feels a bit modern, as it has no PCI slots.
 
brutalizer said:
What is C2 stepping? Is it the corrected USB bug in Haswell?
Click to expand...
Right. "stepping" is a chip industry term for version, relating, I assume, the the version of the masks used in the lithography steppers. I wish they just used "version" or "rev" like everyone else though. C1 is the outgoing chipset stepping with the bug, which spans across all the Haswell chipsets. C2 is the updated chipset. It's a (minor) bug in hardware that is only corrected with new hardware. I've read that there's a Windows update that eliminates the issue, although the underlying bug will always be present in C1 hardware.

I am going to buy the X10SAT, and it is has been postponed several times. That sucks. No news on the X10SAT? It feels a bit modern, as it has no PCI slots.
Click to expand...
Every once in a while I have to bust out my corded PS/2 keyboard to mess with a frazzled BIOS. It annoys me to have it around, but not having it when I need it would be the worse option. I like modern, but, like the keyboard, I also have a PCI Firewire 800 card in the house. I suspect that someday I'll need it to get some precious old videos off a digicam. Or who knows?

If the three PCIe 3.0 slot were all x16, I think I'd be swayed and just forget about those old tapes, but x8 + x4 + x4? That third x4-in-x16-physical slot is one I'm never going to populate (keeping the remaining 2 slots at x8 + x8). Supermicro isn't cheaping out, there are only 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes available on the platform by design/the limits of the current gen. That actually annoys me more than a PCI slot that I may or may not use.
 
Yes, the E3 socket 1150 only has 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes in total, so you can only run 16x or 8x+8x or 8x+4x+4x. The chipset gives you another 8x PCI 2.0 lanes. So the 1150 socket gives you in total 16x PCIe 3.0 from the cpu, and 8x PCIe 2.0 from the chipset. If you need more PCIe lanes, you need to change socket, say, to a LGA2011, so a dual cpu mobo has more PCIe lanes.

I want to use an X10SAT, and put my IBM M1015 in the PCIe 2.0 slot, which reduces bandwidth to 500MB/sec, which I can live with. My concern was that the M1015 really needs a 8x PCIe 2.0 slot. But the X10SAT only has three 1x PCIe 2.0 slots. But I have heard that I can place a M1015 in those 1x PCIe 2.0 slots with reduced bandwidth - which is ok for my purposes. Can anyone confirm it is doable? To put IBM M1015 into a 1x PCIe 2.0 slot and it will work, but slow?

EDIT: I also guess the X10SAT is more expensive because it contains Thunderbolt connection, which costs a lot.
 
Last edited:
brutalizer said:
My concern was that the M1015 really needs a 8x PCIe 2.0 slot.
Click to expand...

I doubt that the M1015 really needs a 8x PCIe 2.0 slot, because I have its (nearly) identical twin LSI 9211-8i running in a 4x PCIe 2.0 slot without problems. I'm not sure about 1x slots though.
 
brutalizer said:
I also guess the X10SAT is more expensive because it contains Thunderbolt connection, which costs a lot.
Click to expand...

Yeah, more $$, a third PCIe slot that halves the second one's bandwidth, and a Thunderbolt connection. My big disk array is in server in another box on my LAN, which is the way I want to keep it. Are there any compelling uses for Thuderbolt that aren't professional audio and video?
 
Here's a comparo spreadsheet that I've been working on for all the C226 ATX workstation boards
-"workstation", as opposed to server, roughly means a good assortment of end user focused IO (audio, video, USB). In practice, these are all the C226 ATX boards that I've come across
-Save for a couple points, this is taken from manufacturer specs. I haven't dug into all acronyms and "features" to see which are written differently but actually the same thing, e.g. "4+2 phase" vs. "6 phase" power
-I'm happy to give a little, but not a lot, of time to make corrections and additions that folks here identify

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkP2HGnqHYabdEIzei1XWmVvRWprYjVGVzczV2dEb2c&usp=sharing
 
freshfeesh said:
Here's a comparo spreadsheet that I've been working on for all the C226 ATX workstation boards
Click to expand...

Looking at the Asus P9D WS specs, it makes me wonder why brutalizer doesn't go for that. Its PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode) slot seems very much like what he would want for his SAS controller.

freshfeesh said:
I'm happy to give a little, but not a lot, of time to make corrections and additions that folks here identify
Click to expand...

There's the DFI DL631-C226 missing, for some values of "missing".
 
Last edited:
Anyone have an update on the Supermicro X10SAT? This board is similar to the X10SAE, but it has 6 PCIe slots and no legacy PCI.
 
freshfeesh said:
Here's a comparo spreadsheet that I've been working on for all the C226 ATX workstation boards
-"workstation", as opposed to server, roughly means a good assortment of end user focused IO (audio, video, USB). In practice, these are all the C226 ATX boards that I've come across
Click to expand...
Wow! Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks a lot!!! :) :) :)


meatling said:
Looking at the Asus P9D WS specs, it makes me wonder why brutalizer doesn't go for that. Its PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode) slot seems very much like what he would want for his SAS controller.

There's the DFI DL631-C226 missing, for some values of "missing".
Click to expand...
I did not know of the ASUS board. Thanks for pointing it out! :) It seems that the ASUS P9D WS and the DFI DL631-C226 are very similar. So now I can choose between three mobos, the SM (SuperMicro), ASUS and the DFI. Hmmm....

The SM X10SAT also supports integrated graphics, just as the ASUS does, I suspect? So the only difference is that the ASUS has a PCIe 2.0 x16 slot, which would be perfect for my IBM M1015. But if I can use the M1015 in a PCIe 2.0 x1 slot as the SM X10SAT has, then it is ok. Less optimal but ok. (Also, I dont like PCI slots, because they are legacy and bloats down the mobo. I like it lean and mean, and not old legacy stuff).

The thing is, I have heard not so positive things of the earlier ASUS P9C(?) board, which was for the Ivy Bridge. But I have heard positive things on SuperMicro. So... I dont know man... What can you guys say about the quality of ASUS vs SuperMicro?
 
I'm in the process of returning a SuperMicro X10SAE. In its place I'm going to try the Asus P9D WS.

The X10SAE seemed like a solid board overall, but a few things about it irked me, and one thing was a deal-breaker. Annoyances included the archaic process for updating the BIOS, and almost non-existent fan control settings in the BIOS (this is supposed to be a workstation board, right?). You can use SuperDoctor III in Windows to adjust the CPU fan speed, but the software is primitive. Forget setting a curve, for example.

The deal-breaker for me was that after waking from S3 in Windows 8 64-bit, the motherboard would report that the CPU temperature was implausibly high, and it would never change until I rebooted the system. This meant that whenever I woke up the system, I was greeted with excessive fan speeds (and therefore noise). SuperMicro hasn't been able to duplicate the issue yet (though another forum member has), so with my return window closing, I decided to RMA the board.

Like you, I don't need PCI slots, but I don't need many PCIe slots, either, so the P9D appears to meet my requirements (I'm building a new digital audio workstation). I'll report back once I've got it up and running.
 
Last edited:
Sorry to be the noob in the room but can you give me just a brief tip on what a workstation class MB like the X10SAE offers you that you can't get from a Z87 board? I always assumed you went workstation class for dual proc but these are single proc boards.
 
jwcalla said:
ECC RAM would be one of the key features.
Click to expand...

That's 80% of it for me. My wife and I are accomplished photographers, and we have a lot of images that we want to pass on error free to posterity. 10% is certainly my personal needs, which is that I'm at that point in my life where if I spend more than an hour F~ing with a problem, I have to put it aside and leave it for a week, which kills me. I think WS boards are designed specifically for stability, both electrically and in the BIOS, and that suits me real nice.

The other 10%, for me, is more robust vitrualization support, i.e. VT-D. I'm just getting into it, but I know I'm going to lean on it heavily with this next machine. Others here can talk about it more knowledgeably, but basically VT-D gives your VM's more direct access to physical hardware, so they're faster an more capable. Unfortunately it's still one of those immature technologies, like a draft version of the next wifi standard, where you're at the mercy of the vendor for proper and stable implementation, and tech support rarely has a clue. Vendors are generally on it for server/WS boards, not so much for the "gaming" boards.

-------

I have the DFI specs populated now. I don't think it's the one. Heavy on the legacy I/O, at the expense of the modern. I actually think the Asrock looks best on paper, and the price is nice. I'll be researching and focusing on that one for a bit for myself. Unless I come across a compelling use of Thunderbolt. Someone should make an external RAM enclosure. That's the only think I can think of that would pique my interest. Don't know how feasible that is though.
 
freshfeesh said:
I have the DFI specs populated now. I don't think it's the one. Heavy on the legacy I/O, at the expense of the modern.
Click to expand...

It has one saving grace though: It's specified to work at 60°C for prolonged periods of time. This might be interesting for people who are allergic to noise, and thus want a board that needs little cooling.
 
Last edited:
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
freshfeesh said:
That's 80% of it for me. My wife and I are accomplished photographers, and we have a lot of images that we want to pass on error free to posterity. 10% is certainly my personal needs, which is that I'm at that point in my life where if I spend more than an hour F~ing with a problem, I have to put it aside and leave it for a week, which kills me. I think WS boards are designed specifically for stability, both electrically and in the BIOS, and that suits me real nice.

The other 10%, for me, is more robust vitrualization support, i.e. VT-D. I'm just getting into it, but I know I'm going to lean on it heavily with this next machine. Others here can talk about it more knowledgeably, but basically VT-D gives your VM's more direct access to physical hardware, so they're faster an more capable. Unfortunately it's still one of those immature technologies, like a draft version of the next wifi standard, where you're at the mercy of the vendor for proper and stable implementation, and tech support rarely has a clue. Vendors are generally on it for server/WS boards, not so much for the "gaming" boards.

-------

I have the DFI specs populated now. I don't think it's the one. Heavy on the legacy I/O, at the expense of the modern. I actually think the Asrock looks best on paper, and the price is nice. I'll be researching and focusing on that one for a bit for myself. Unless I come across a compelling use of Thunderbolt. Someone should make an external RAM enclosure. That's the only think I can think of that would pique my interest. Don't know how feasible that is though.
Click to expand...

no offense, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about... Just quoting this so people won't get mislead by what you said...
 
coo said:
no offense, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about... Just quoting this so people won't get mislead by what you said...
Click to expand...

If you're going to come out with a comment like that then at least explain your reasons and back it up with some evidence. What exactly did he say that was incorrect?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top