AMD + Motherboard combos at Microcenter

[jdwoods]

I saw this: http://www.microcenter.com/specials/promotions/AMDbundlePROMO.html

Thought it would be good to post here.

Any good combos for unraid, here? Raj?

[Rajahal]

Ug, that's a lot of deals to comb through

 

My first thought is that any of the Phenom CPUs is going to be massively overkill for a normal unRAID server.  Based on that alone, all of these combo deals could be passed up.  However, there are a few reasons one still might want to jump on them:

 

1) Maybe you intend to repurpose the CPU for a desktop computer

2) Maybe you intend to build a server that runs CPU intensive add-ons, such as video encoding

 

With those goals in mind, my recommendations are below. 

DISCLAIMER: I have not personally used any of these boards, I'm only recommending them based on my familiarity with the specs and some quick forum research.

 

Biostar A780L3G AM3 760G mATX Motherboard - Good for a 12 drive or smaller server, currently untested

 

MSI S785GTM-E45 Socket AM3/AM2+ 785G mATX AMD Motherboard - Should be good for a 16 drive or smaller server, but currently untested

 

ASUS M4N68T-M V2 Socket AM3 630a mATX Motherboard - Should be good for a 12 drive or smaller server, but I'm inclined to avoid Asus these days after some recent bad experiences.  It is also currently untested with unRAID.

 

MSI 785GT-E63 Socket AM2+ 785G ATX Motherboard - Should work for a 15 drive or smaller server, but currently untested with unRAID

 

MSI 880G-E45 Socket AM3 880G ATX AMD Motherboard - Looks like a great board, but currently untested with unRAID.  There's a distinct benefit to this one is the expandability offered by all those PCIe ports.  Board maxes out at 19 drives (5 onboard, 8 on the PCIe x16, and 6 total on the three PCIe x1 slots).

 

ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/U Socket AM3 880G ATX AMD Motherboard - Theoretically a great base for a 22 drive server, but again it is largely untested with unRAID.

 

ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 Socket AM3 890 ATX AMD Motherboard - 22 drive support, Level 1 Tested, USB 3.0 support.

 

All of the other boards on the combo page that jdwoods linked above I would NOT RECOMMEND for one reason or another.  If you want to know why, just ask.

 

Raj's Picks:

 

As you can see, most of these boards are quite new and therefore untested with unRAID.  There's an element of risk involved in each.

 

If I wanted a board that will just work out of the box with no hassle, I would choose the Biostar A780L3G.  Biostar boards are compatible with just about any RAM, and I have yet to see a Biostar board that wasn't compatible with unRAID.  This board is currently untested with unRAID, but I would be very surprised if it didn't work.  I believe it would make a great choice for a smaller server.

 

If I was feeling a bit adventurous and wanted to take a risk with potentially great reward, I would choose the MSI 880G-E45.  All the expansion ports on the board really intrigue me.  Granted, the area between 16 and 20 drives is a bit of a no-man's land, not many people build servers in that range.  Still, this board would allow you to start small (5 drives), then slowly expand in 2 drive increments until you got to 11 drives.  If you needed to keep going past that, then you could grab a SASLP card and one or two cables or similar and tack on another 4 - 8 drive support.  I like this method of slowly expanding as your budget allows.

 

If I wanted the most baller board on the list, then the choice is clearly the ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3.  Lots of features, such as USB 3.0 support, huge expansion capabilities, and Level 1 tested.  A winner all around.  The most expensive option as well, of course.

 

For what its worth, I would choose the Biostar combo with the Phenom™ II X4 840 CPU.  I've been meaning to upgrade my desktop's CPU to a quad core for some time, and I know I could use the Biostar board with a Sempron 140 in a nice 12 drive server.  Now if I only had a Microcenter within 3 hour's drive