Hi folks. Looking for some guidance for my first build.

 

I have ordered a Supermicro X9SCM-F-O (got a deal from Amazon), Power will be supplied by Corsair HX650, drives are everything I have lying around at the moment and will replace as I go. I will populate the memory with 2X2gig chips as this should be enough??

 

My issue comes with which CPU I should purchase for the board. I have read lots on this and other forums about a variety of CPUs but its still a bit foggy in my mind (quite thick you see).

 

I have read that unless you have a ver2 Bios then Ivybridge won't work, however re-flashing has it's own issues.

 

What i3 chip will work with the board- there seem to be various Sandy bridge, Ivybridge, different model numbers and then even different speeds Ghz?

 

I'm quite an "old school" kind of guy and the last time I build a computer we were raving about pentium 3 chips.......yep that old. 

 

Can one of you clever folks set me in the right direction?

 

I would rather not re-flash the board in case I brick the damn thing. The plan is to run up to 15 drives when eventually required, PLEX , (if I can work the damn thing out),XBMC and general server for the house.

 

I currently have a Buffalo NAS 2Tb on the network but its getting full and a lot of eggs in one basket, hence the server build.

 

Thanks in advance folks. 

...is this a new board? Honestly I believe it will come with the v2 BIOS for IvyBridge unless it is fairly old stock (> 6month old), which I find most unlikely for amazon retailer.

 

Any i3 should be fine...double check with intel ARK site that it really supports ECC RAM. If you're on a budget, go for the cheapest...if not, go for a IvyBridge with max. GHz.

BTW: what memory do you get with/for the board...it can be picky and you *need* unbuffered, unregistered ECC memory modules (UDIMM ECC).

 

Regarding XBMC...this is *not* intended to be the frontend, like for your TV, right?  Because IMHO this would not work.

The board comes with a small GPU already (being the "-F version" and the IGP of the i3 is of no use and will be disabled hence.

Hi Ford Prefect, thanks for the reply.

 

Yes it's a brand new board, it's coming from a company called Bora Computing. Hmm. I take it there is no way of knowing your BIOS version without installing a CPU into the board first is there?

 

According to Supermicro site, Memory wise the board supports

1333/1600MHz*** ECC DDR3 SDRAM 72-bit, 240-pin gold-plated DIMMs.

4x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets

Supports up to 32 GB DDR3 ECC Un-Buffered memory (UDIMM)

 

Sorry about the XBMC confusion. No the boxes at the consumer/TV end will be dealing with that. Only Plex server will be running on the server itself. The rest is basic streaming around the house.

 

Thanks once again for your input, It makes a bit more sense now. 

 

 

Hmm...that seller rings a bell...you are bying though amazon.de, aren't you?

It's not the cheapest offer but with amazon you'll be safe.

 

The board requires ECC memory.

You'll not notice a real-life performance difference between 1333-CL9 and 1600-CL11 modules.

Also only the fastest i3 will make use of the 1600 memory speed anyway. Check the CPU specs.

Buy a kit of 2, if you can...most likely you'll not find a 4GB kit in 1600 modules.

 

Go and check with kingston memory configurator what modules are listed/supported.

4GB is enough for what you want to do, I think.

As long as it is listed or proven to work with that board, go for the cheapest.

 

 

 

...and do not forget to go with the boxed version (not tray) of the CPU as this comes with a cooler/fan...it will do fine, no need for a fancy cooling solution at an extra cost there.

 

Edit: the i3-3250 and i3-3240 are the sweet spots here, I'd say: http://geizhals.at/de/?cat=cpu1155&xf=596_Ivy+Bridge~1133_Core+i3~590_boxed#xf_top

No it's through Amazon.co.uk. I have ordered this CPU box set:

 

Intel Core i3 3220 Dual Core CPU ( 3.30GHz, Socket 1155, 3MB Cache, Ivy Bridge, 55W, Intel HD Graphics 2500, Advanced Vector Extensions)

 

and a Crucial SERVER 4GB kit (2GBx2) DDR3 1066 MT/s (PC3-8500) CL7 Unbuffered ECC UDIMM 240pin

 

I checked via ARK as you suggested and all should be well. On top of this I also ordered a 3TB WD Red drive to use as my parity drive. I wanted to start with the bigger drive so that upgrade will be easy.

 

Just have to wait on the postman bringing all the goodies and then I can get building. 

 

Cancelled the memory as it's the wrong speed. According to kingston the memory for this board is

 

KVR1333D3S8E9SK2/4G

 

4GB Kit* (2x2GB) - DDR3 1333MHz

Part Number: KVR1333D3S8E9SK2/4G

Specs: DDR3, 1333MHz, ECC, CL9, 1.5V, Unbuffered, DIMM, 240-pin

 

However nowhere in the spec sheet does it mention UDIMM. Am I being an ass and it actually means Unbuffered-DIMM??

Funny feeling I just answered my own question but confirmation would be great. 

Yes, you answered your own question. UDIMM = Unbuffered DIMM.

Thanks for that DirtySanchez. I was having a numpty moment.