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[JHoward77]

Since my current desktop is showing its age along with my unRAID server I think it's time to upgrade.

 

I'm currently leaning toward a Xeon E5v3 based system over E3v3 because of the increased I/O (40 vs 16 pcie lanes) and RAM since I plan on virtualizing my desktop immediately and probably 1-2 HTPCs soon after. I considered waiting for E3v5 Xeons which are supposed to have a few more PCIe lanes and RAM but I need an upgrade sooner rather than later.

 

Here's what I'm considering:

From existing system:

  PSU: Seasonic X-850

  Case: Fractal Define XL

  OS: unRAID 6 Pro + Lexar 8GB Flash

  HBA: LSI9211-8i IT (M1015)

  Drives: 256GB SSD, 2x2TB, 4x3TB, 2x4TB

  GPU: GT 730

Stage 1 (Now):

  Motherboard: Supermicro X10SRH-CLN4F (LSI3008, Quad GigE, 10 Sata, )

  CPU: Xeon E5-1620v3 (considering E5-1650v3 but +50% performance for 2x cost)

  RAM: Crucial 16GB DDR4 ECC

  Cooler: Noctua NH-U9DXi4 (92mm vs 120mm for future 4U case upgrade)

Stage 2 (0-3 months):

  RAM: Crucial 16GB DDR4 ECC

  GPU: GTX 970 (Not necessarily this exact variant, maybe a newer gen by then)

Stage ?:

  RAM: Crucial 16GB DDR4 ECC x2

  Case: Norco 4224

  GPU (for HTPC)

 

I will be running 5-10 Dockers and multiple VMs to start (2x Windows 7(main desktop, HTPC), CentOS 6 (dev), OSX Mavericks (test)) and adding more as needed.

 

No parts are for sure other than what I already have.

Let me know if you recommend any changes.

[garycase]

Looks good.  One comment regarding your thoughts on the CPU ...

 

... considering E5-1650v3 but +50% performance for 2x cost

 

It's difficult to decide just where to stop with the E5 series 

 

I'd be inclined to spend the extra $300 and go for the 1650v3 ... those 2 extra cores are oh-so-nice !! 

 

It's always tempting to go with even more ... 6 cores, 8 cores, 10 cores, ... or even just go for the gusto with 18 !!

BUT the prices rise rather rapidly as you step beyond 6 cores.    The really neat 18-core 2699v3 is $4000 !!!    It does have a very nice PassMark score of 22,892 => but the 1650v3 does quite nicely at 13,433.    Comparing these two, you can get 59% of the performance of a 2699v3 for 15% of the cost !!  (What a bargain !!)

 

FWIW if I was building an E5-based system I'd go with the E5-1650v3 hex core CPU.  Much as I'd love to have 8 cores, the price jump to a 1680v3 is simply too much for the modest gain in performance.

 

 

[uldise]

IMHO, If you wanna room for further expanding, you can start with dual CPU board with single CPU, and then add second CPU later if you need more cores

there are lot of options from Supermicro : http://www.supermicro.nl/products/motherboard/Xeon1333/#2011 or other sockets.

look at my rig, i'm using older dual CPU mobo/cpu combo..

 

 

[JHoward77]

Leaning more towards the E5-1650v3 now.

 

I did consider a dual processor board but they have to divide bandwidth between two processors i.e. CPU0 is connected to onboard/1 PCIe and CPU1 is connected to remaining PCIe slots. This meant I would have to start with two processors in order to have the PCIe slots I need.

[uldise]

Leaning more towards the E5-1650v3 now.

 

I did consider a dual processor board but they have to divide bandwidth between two processors i.e. CPU0 is connected to onboard/1 PCIe and CPU1 is connected to remaining PCIe slots. This meant I would have to start with two processors in order to have the PCIe slots I need.

 

at wich dual CPU board did you look?

i have X8DTH-6F, see my sig, and according to boards diagram, if i use only one CPU, i can use 3 PCIe and onbord SAS 2008. and remaining 4 PCIe are on second CPU.

[JHoward77]

at wich dual CPU board did you look?

i have X8DTH-6F, see my sig, and according to boards diagram, if i use only one CPU, i can use 3 PCIe and onbord SAS 2008. and remaining 4 PCIe are on second CPU.

 

I was looking at a couple Supermicro boards.

After looking through them again I do see they vary individually with some having 2-3 PCIe on the first CPU.

 

I do agree that it would be great for expansion but I think I'm going to go with a single CPU because 1) motherboard is cheaper, 2) CPUs are cheaper, 3) I'd have to get a new case now

New build is already pushing the budget a little since I originally started looking at just an E3v3.

[garycase]

I'm also planning on using a single CPU board when I build my next setup, which will also use an E5 (almost certainly the 1650v3 unless there's something newer when I do the build in a few months).

 

The 16xx CPU's are less expensive than the 26xx units; and quite candidly a 6-core E5 has "enough" horsepower for anything I'm likely going to want to do      To me there are two big advantages of going with an E5 vs. an E3 based system:  (1)  the higher PCIe bandwidth available for add-in cards; and (2) buffered RAM, which lets me put as much RAM as I want in the system without any bus loading issues.

 

Of course you also get those advantages with a dual CPU board ... but for the added cost I'd rather just spend the $$ on more RAM 

 

[JHoward77]

I'm also planning on using a single CPU board when I build my next setup, which will also use an E5 (almost certainly the 1650v3 unless there's something newer when I do the build in a few months).

 

The 16xx CPU's are less expensive than the 26xx units; and quite candidly a 6-core E5 has "enough" horsepower for anything I'm likely going to want to do      To me there are two big advantages of going with an E5 vs. an E3 based system:  (1)  the higher PCIe bandwidth available for add-in cards; and (2) buffered RAM, which lets me put as much RAM as I want in the system without any bus loading issues.

 

Of course you also get those advantages with a dual CPU board ... but for the added cost I'd rather just spend the $$ on more RAM 

 

I think a single E5-16xx should be more that enough power for me too. It also appears the E5-1650v3 and E5-1660v3 are still unlocked so a minor OC is still possible to get a little more performance if you don't mind the stability risk.

[uldise]

I think a single E5-16xx should be more that enough power for me too. It also appears the E5-1650v3 and E5-1660v3 are still unlocked so a minor OC is still possible to get a little more performance if you don't mind the stability risk.

 

Don't OC for stability of the system..

you never mentioned your budget before.. if budget is a case, you can always go with previous generation or used ones - RAM/Mobo will be cheaper

[JHoward77]

Thanks for everyones input.

 

I would like to have gone with a dual cpu motherboard and 2x E5-26xx but I can't justify the expense for what I'll be using the system for (maybe the next build...  ).

 

Ordered:

  Motherboard: Supermicro X10SRH-CLN4F (LSI3008, Quad GigE, 10 Sata, )

  CPU: Xeon E5-1620v3 (considering E5-1650v3 but +50% performance for 2x cost) Xeon E5-1650v3

  RAM: Crucial 16GB DDR4 ECC

  Cooler: Noctua NH-U9DXi4 Noctua NH-U12DXi4 (Still have room for 3x3.5" and a 5in3 so I won't need a new case soon and I figured more cooling can't hurt)

[garycase]

VERY nice build -- I'm sure you'll be very pleased with its performance.    I understand the 1620 vs. 1650 tradeoff ... I'll be in the same boat in a few months, and while I'm fairly sure I'll go with the 1650, when it's time to pull the trigger it'll be a tough choice.    Simple fact is the 1620 is "enough" ... so it's just a matter of how much I'm willing to pay for the extra "headroom" a 1650 would provide.  [Those extra cores are oh-so-nice  ]

 

[bigsing]

Just wanted to say, thanks for posting this build.  I am looking to build something similar within the next year with the exact same use cases as you.  I'll be watching this thread to see how your build progresses.

 

I've been trying to find more info on the PCI-E configurations, but i've had no luck. I'm assuming you'd want to run the video card in the x16 slot and 1-2 SATA controlelrs in the x8 slots? However i couldn't find any definitive info that stated whether the x16 slot would only run at x8 if the other 2 x8 slots are populated.

 

1x PCI-E 3.0 x4 (in x8) slot

1x PCI-E 3.0 x8 (in x16) slot

2x PCI-E 3.0 x8 slots

1x PCI-E 2.0 x2 (in x4) slot

1x PCI-E 2.0 x4 (in x8) slot

[Squid]

Just wanted to say, thanks for posting this build.  I am looking to build something similar within the next year with the exact same use cases as you.  I'll be watching this thread to see how your build progresses.

 

I've been trying to find more info on the PCI-E configurations, but i've had no luck. I'm assuming you'd want to run the video card in the x16 slot and 1-2 SATA controlelrs in the x8 slots? However i couldn't find any definitive info that stated whether the x16 slot would only run at x8 if the other 2 x8 slots are populated.

 

1x PCI-E 3.0 x4 (in x8) slot

1x PCI-E 3.0 x8 (in x16) slot

2x PCI-E 3.0 x8 slots

1x PCI-E 2.0 x2 (in x4) slot

1x PCI-E 2.0 x4 (in x8) slot

According to that spec, the x16 slot will always run at x8 [PCIe 3.0].  (Additionally, two x8 slots [ 1 PCIe 3.0, 1 PCIe2.0] will always run at x4, 2 x8 slot [PCIe 3.0]  at x8, and the x4 slot [PCIe 2.0] always runs at x2

[JHoward77]

VERY nice build -- I'm sure you'll be very pleased with its performance.    I understand the 1620 vs. 1650 tradeoff ... I'll be in the same boat in a few months, and while I'm fairly sure I'll go with the 1650, when it's time to pull the trigger it'll be a tough choice.    Simple fact is the 1620 is "enough" ... so it's just a matter of how much I'm willing to pay for the extra "headroom" a 1650 would provide.  [Those extra cores are oh-so-nice  ]

 

Oops, copy/paste error. I did decide to spring for the E5-1650v3.

 

Just wanted to say, thanks for posting this build.  I am looking to build something similar within the next year with the exact same use cases as you.  I'll be watching this thread to see how your build progresses.

 

I've been trying to find more info on the PCI-E configurations, but i've had no luck. I'm assuming you'd want to run the video card in the x16 slot and 1-2 SATA controlelrs in the x8 slots? However i couldn't find any definitive info that stated whether the x16 slot would only run at x8 if the other 2 x8 slots are populated.

 

1x PCI-E 3.0 x4 (in x8) slot

1x PCI-E 3.0 x8 (in x16) slot

2x PCI-E 3.0 x8 slots

1x PCI-E 2.0 x2 (in x4) slot

1x PCI-E 2.0 x4 (in x8) slot

According to that spec, the x16 slot will always run at x8 [PCIe 3.0].  (Additionally, two x8 slots [ 1 PCIe 3.0, 1 PCIe2.0] will always run at x4, 2 x8 slot [PCIe 3.0]  at x8, and the x4 slot [PCIe 2.0] always runs at x2

 

Yes, no PCIe switches on this board. All slots are fixed, diagram in pg 23 in the manual shows this.

 

I plan on using the x16(x8 elec.) slot for my desktop VM GPU and when I need another I will have to get creative and use a riser/adapter or modify a slot to accept another x16 card. I'm not concerned with the x8 bandwidth affecting the performance with what I'll be using it for. Without modifying anything I think you might need to look at boards based on the X99 chipset if you need more x16 slots.

[garycase]

... Oops, copy/paste error. I did decide to spring for the E5-1650v3.

 

:)

 

As I said, those extra cores are oh-so-nice 

... and the simple fact is $300 is not much when you consider the overall cost of the server - but gives you a very nice extra bit of "headroom".    Trust me, my thought process quickly leads me to the 1650v3 ... and Intel's pricing quickly convinces me to go no further => the jump to 8 cores is more than double the cost of a 1650v3; and the jump to that really neat 18-core 2699v3 is astronomical !!  [As I noted earlier, the 2699v3 also makes the 1650v3 look like a real bargain ... 59% of the performance of a 2699v3 for 15% of the cost  ]

 

 

[JHoward77]

Mobo, CPU, and RAM arrived today but the cooler Amazon sent me had been mounted(used thermal paste) and mishandled(bent fins) so I'm waiting for a replacement until Monday.

Going to see if I have a different cooler to make work for the weekend to test everything.

Also picked up a GT 730 refurb to try out in the HTPC VM. I think it should be enough for 1080p@24/30/60fps and as a bonus it's an x8 physical card.

[garycase]

I hate it when they send out used parts.  I'm surprised Amazon did that, however ... at least not without noting that you were buying a used component.