Need some advice on new build

S

S-F

Gawd
Joined
Aug 5, 2010
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Well I have been hemming and hawing over a new build and I think it's time to just bite the bullet and go for it. Of course it's all going into a Norco 4224. The OS will be housed on a RAID 1 or 10 array. I have an ARC 1210 to handle all that. So I need recommendations on:

1. A motherboard. I would like IPKVM and ECC as well as an on board LSI controller to eventually run an HP SAS expander. Actually I might just scrap the ARC if I can make a RAID 10 array on the controller to boot from.

2. RAM? Registered, ECC. That's about it. I won't be needing too much at first. Virtualization will happen in the future though so I would like the ability to have at least 8 GB in the future.

3. CPU. Not sure here. This is tied in greatly to motherboard choice.

4. Anything else you can think of.

Also I probably will never have 20-22 drives for storage. By the time I get to those levels huge drives will be cheaper and I'll be moving in that direction. Should maybe I get a 4220 instead of the 4224, use the ARC for the OS, the 8 LSI ports on the board and then get a AOC-SASLP-MV8 for the remaining 8 ports?

I know these "what hardware should I get" threads are always fun, so let the games begin.
 
You should list your OS of choice and filesystem before we can make any recommendations, but your build doesn't look to be a ZFS build but rather Linux, correct? Could you explain a bit more about the software setup you had in mind?

The SASLP-MV8 uses Marvell controller; if you ever want to use ZFS on FreeBSD this controller will be almost useless, it doesn't work properly. Also under Linux and openSolaris people complain about this card, but also people who have it working properly. Still, why not stick with LSI controller?

Also consider using multiple HBA's instead of expander; it may not differ that much in price anyway.
 
Right. Windows. Server 2008 R2, WHS and XP. No Nix things this time around.
 
Alright, as for motherboard have a look at the SuperMicro motherboards; there are quite interesting choices with onboard 6Gbps LSI controller (8 total 6Gbps ports via 2x MiniSAS) and other nice fileserver-suitable boards. They also have dual intel NICs, but i'm not sure if the drivers allow you to team those into a virtual 2Gbps NIC. That may be reserved for more expensive server-class adapters.
 
Well after doing a little more reading here I'm thinking about getting a Supermicro X8SI6-F. I'll be damned if I can find one though. Are they discontinuing these in anticipation of Sandy Bridge?
 
yeah I did. Many of the places are out of stock, as you say, and the others seem to be unreachable to determine if they do indeed have the board.
 
I actually got a Supermicro X8SI6-F that I'll post the review on in the next week or so. It is a pretty cool board. I'm simultaneously playing with a LSI 9211-8i also installed in the machine. Thus far... the big difference is built-in (therefore cheaper but harder to replace if failed) versus add-in. Performance is the same within a margin of error.
 
Thinking I'm going to go with this board here unless someone can come up with a cheaper option for a 2x socket 1336 supermicro board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182174

LSI SAS and integrated IPMI are important. I can get a E5620 (little more than I want to spend really) and then get another one during the winter. This is also going to be my video encoding machine so it will help if it has some balls. Can anyone give some heatsink advice for the E5620? I'm out of the heatsink loop since I've only been water cooling for the past X years. Also I need RAM advice. I have no clue what to get.... at all.
 
I'm planning to do a build with the Supermicro X8DTE-UF

http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/QPI/5500/X8DTE-UF.cfm

which has a UEFI BIOS. But it is new and I have not found it in stock anywhere yet. It does not have an onboard HBA, but I am planning on using 3 LSI 9211-8i cards.

I like the Noctua heatsinks. Note that the dual-socket 1366 boards have built-in threads for the heatsinks, so you have to get the kind of heatsink made for that board:

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=produkte&lng=en#cpu_server

There are the NH-U9DX 1366 and NH-U12DX 1366. The 120mm one might be too tall to fit into some cases.

For RAM, take a look at the Kingston 4GB registered ECC module KVR1333D3D4R9S/4G , which is on Supermicro's compatibility list:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134977
 
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@ john 4200,
Thanks for the input.

UEFI is nice for future proofing but I'm not sure it matters in my case. Also The integrated LSI sas is missing. Aside from EFI are there any benefits to that board?

Thanks for recommending a heat sink, but... that thing is nuts! It probably also costs about as much as a water block (which I'd rather get but am not interested in paying for ATM). Are there any that work which aren't so big? Remember I'm trying to fit this in a Norco 4224.

On the RAM, I'm never going to need 48 GB. What sells you on that 4 GB stick as opposed to something like this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134944
 
S-F said:
On the RAM, I'm never going to need 48 GB. What sells you on that 4 GB stick as opposed to something like this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134944
Click to expand...
For me, the Kingston 4GB RAM set that john4200 posted has a better price per GB ratio: That Kingston 4GB set is basically $55 per 2GB of RAM. Once you factor in shipping for the Kingston 6GB RAM set that you chose, it comes out to $60 per 2GB of RAM. Not to menition that the Kingston 4GB RAM is clocked a little higher. So from a price to performance standpoint, that Kingston 4GB RAM stick is the better buy. In addition, it's also gonna be compatible with many Supermicro mobos.
 
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