BUILD AMD ASUS socket AM3 w/ ECC RAM

[moosekaka]

I couldn't find anyone here with a build using an AM3 (not AM3+) mobo that ran ECC ram, so I like to share for general info in future.

My build:
FreeNAS 9.2.1.9
IBM M1015 flashed to LSI 9211 v16 IT mode

16GB ECC RAM (Hynix) - DDR3-1333 MHz (unbuffered)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221126784071?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Mobo: Asus M4A785TD-M EVO Socket AM3/AMD 785G
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LITY5G/?tag=ozlp-20

CPU : Athlon II X4 630 2.8Ghz

Case: NZXT Source 210
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005869A16/?tag=ozlp-20

PSU: Corsair 550vx (550w)

Running a 5TB (usable) stripped mirror + replication to a stripped pool (no redundancy) , total 15TB and 8 Hdds, mostly 2Tbs w/some 1Tb and a single 3Tb.

As you can tell this was an NAS built from recycled parts, but its been running strong with no problems for 3 years now. The ECC RAM is new, I was running the pool without ECC for more than two years. The ECC RAM is a steal (came from used HP and Compaq servers) at only $80 shipped and it passed overnight Memtest with no errors. The only thing about socket AM3 is that I read it can only go UP TO 16Gb, as the DIMM slots only accept 4GB RAM max. This is different for AM3+ and higher with no such limiation. I also set the ECC mode to 'Basic' under the Asus BIOS config.

Future upgrades would be replacing the 1Tb's with 4Tb's and using up all the slots on the M1015 (there's 4 empty slots) left on the card. I was even tinkering about playing with getting a separate enclosure (Rackable 3U SE3016) and going with adding tons of recycled hdds that I have lying around....;)

 

[moosekaka]

The little homemade board above the PSU controls four 120mm fans using a LM317 adjustable linear voltage regulator IC.

 

[moosekaka]

Close up of the ECC ram I got (shipped in an anti static bag no less!)

 

[JDCynical]

I also set the ECC mode to 'Basic' under the Asus BIOS config.

From the manual:

Enables or disables the DRAM ECC that allows the hardware to report and correct memory errors automatically. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Basic] [Good] [Super] [Max] [User]

That's... odd. I've never heard of various levels of ECC support like this. Any idea on what the various settings do? I'd be worried that it's not actually doing what one would think ECC support should do...

 

[moosekaka]

https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/asus-amd-motherboard-ecc-bios-options.15610/

 

[ipc]

Thank you for creating this thread. I have one question, are you using the onboard NIC (RealTek I think). If so what kind of performance are you getting with it?

 

[moosekaka]

Yes, running stock Gigabit Realtek Nic that came with the board. I've never had any problems with it in all the time I've run Freenas from v9.2.1.7 and up.
I set a static IP on the server and never had a problem.
I've set jumbo frames on (https://heshsum.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/quick-tip-enable-jumbo-frames-on-freenas/) and also on my client (Win 10) and connected via a cheap $20 gigabit switch (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001QUA6R0/?tag=ozlp-20). I get 100-110 MB/s transfer speeds.

 

[ipc]

Interestingly, I have been reading about another board on various fora as a low cost ECC build. The Gigabyte GA-X150M-PRO ECC and a Pentium processor such as the G4400T, seems to be a good alternative. I have yet to read about their experiences with them though as it is a fairly new board.

 

[moosekaka]

Interestingly, I have been reading about another board on various fora as a low cost ECC build. The Gigabyte GA-X150M-PRO ECC and a Pentium processor such as the G4400T, seems to be a good alternative. I have yet to read about their experiences with them though as it is a fairly new board.

FYI, newegg currently has the M5a78L mobo for $60 and the FX 4100 CPU for $70. This is similar to a build here (his has a slightly higher spec cpu).
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/new-system-hardware-setup-works.14263/

With 16gb of ECC from ebay for $80 you could get a known, working freenas setup on the AMD platform for just over $200 right now. Even on my one generation older Athlon 630 2.8Ghz, performance has never been an issue. I get resilvering rates of over 200MB/s.
FYI, I recommend spending more on the chassis as that really makes a difference in how easy it is for you to expand your system. Get a large tower /full size ATX.

 

[joeschmuck]

Look at my signature for my ASUS/AMD build. It's been running for years without issue. I'm on vacation right now so I am not online often to answer any questions right now. The ECC setting has to do with how fast the ECC RAM is scrubbed so once you have completed your RAM testing (Memtest), you can place the BIOS setting to whatever setting you like. I honesty forget what I set mine for but I have several threads in these forums discussing it.

As for the NIC, the Realtek NIC will slow your performance slightly and for me it was fine, well up until 9.3 was introduced and then I started having some glitching. Again, I don't remember the details but they are in the forums as I reluctantly installed an Intel NIC which works perfectly and I was able to get a little better throughput but the stability was the important factor. I have not checked to see if the stability issue has been fixed since then by going back to the motherboard NIC because why mess with something that is working.

In all fairness, I am changing my platform over to a Supermicro Intel system but that has nothing at all to do with my current system operations which is it works perfectly fine. I just wanted IPMI and to run everything on ESXi with 64GB RAM, something my ASUS/AMD board couldn't support.

 

[kerneld]

@joeschmuck

can you post the exact part code of your kingston ram modules of your Asus/AMD build? eg Kingston 8gb 1333mhz ECC module something like : (KTD-PE313E/8g) or (KTM-SX313E/8G) or whatever?
I'm heading the Asus/Amd way for my freenas build with the exact same Asus mobo, and since you've got a working example with no compatibility problems, i would like to replicate that.

 

[gpsguy]

I use the same mobo for my Windows desktop. I bought ECC RAM for it using crucial.com's configuration.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[joeschmuck]

The RAM modules in my ASUS server are: Kingston KVR1333D3E9SK2/8G and I have a total of 4 modules. They were not on the recommended list at the time of purchase but that is only because they were not specifically tested.