Motherboard and processor suggestions?

[HungryDad]

Any suggestions regarding low cost motherboard & processor?
Intel or AMD?
At least able to use an LSI SAS 9207-8i board and 32 Mb RAM but any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[HungryDad]

Any suggestions regarding low cost motherboard & processor?
Intel or AMD?
At least able to use an LSI SAS 9207-8i board and 32 Mb RAM but any suggestions are appreciated.

Sorry i meant 32 Gb RAM, my bad!

 

[PhiloEpisteme]

Any suggestions regarding low cost motherboard & processor?
Intel or AMD?

My opinionated opinion is to go with used server-grade parts in the intel line.

My reasons: Used server grade parts are a great way to get good performance and features for less money; and as a HUGE bonus they were designed to be used as a server and have useful server-class features like IPMI and ECC memory.

As for intel vs AMD, I am somewhat less sure of my opinion here. I've only built FreeNAS boxes on intel. I see posts about folks saying there are some potential compatibility issues etc with AMD. But I also see posts where folks use AMD builds.

At least able to use an LSI SAS 9207-8i board and 32 Mb RAM but any suggestions are appreciated.

If what you mean here is that you want a mobo with an integrated 9207-8i; my general advice it to not go this route. My personal preference is to get boards that have the number of CPU sockets and types you want, the amount of ram you want to support, and PCIe 3.0 slots rather than M.2, onboard SAS etc. My reason is personal preference for flexibility. When integrated into your motherboard M.2 slots, onboard SAS HBAs such as a 9207 etc all consume PCIe lanes and thus limit the number of PCIe lanes available for PCIe slots. PCIe lanes allocated to PCIe slots are more flexible because I can put all kinds of add on cards into a PCIe slot, including M.2 adapters, an LSI 9207-8i, even 10G nics or PCIe storage cards. But, when a system has built-in M.2 slots etc the PCIe lanes dedicated to those slots frequently cannot be used for anything else. So, if you change your mind; you're in a tough spot. Some boards are not quite so limiting; for example they might have an M.2 slot and state in the manual that using the M.2 slot with an NVMe card will render PCIe slot X unsuable. This may seem annoying but is actually the manufacturer giving you options; they are saying "we have 4 lanes of PCIe here and we want you to have freedom to use them how you wish. You can use the M.2 slot with an NVMe drive; or you can use some generic PCIe card in a 4x slot."

Anyway, I rambled a bit there. There are definitely folks who have other preferences and so don't be surprised if you or other folks feel differently about the above.

Alright, enough rambling. If you let us know how you intend to use the system folks could give you some more specific advice. And is there a budget you're looking to hit?

 

[HungryDad]

What i meant to say is that i already have an LSI SAS 9207-8i HBA.

Also, i understand about server board however, Motherboard, CPU and RAM are much more costly.

Since i wish to build two, then you can understand about limiting my budget.

 

[PhiloEpisteme]

Also, i understand about server board however, Motherboard, CPU and RAM are much more costly.

Since i wish to build two, then you can understand about limiting my budget.

That is why I buy used.

If you let us know how you intend to use the system folks could give you some more specific advice. And is there a budget you're looking to hit?

^ :)