ASRock H170M-ITX/ac Supports ECC, Operates in Non-ECC Mode

[Renegade117]

Hello,
I am looking to build a FreeNAS server. One of the potential builds I am looking at uses an ASRock H170M-ITX/ac motherboard. Under the specifications for the RAM (http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H170M-ITXac/?cat=Specifications), it claims "Supports ECC UDIMM memory modules (operate in non-ECC mode)". I was wondering if this would be suitable to use in a FreeNAS server, or if it would be no different than running FreeNAS on non-ECC RAM.
Also, I would love to hear any other recommendations for a Mini-ITX motherboard. FreeNAS will be a VM running on a Citrix XenServer hypervisor alongside other networking-centric VMs. ECC support is obviously a need. Preferably, the board should also support M.2 and integrated graphics, though both are optional.
Thank you very much for your time!

 

[anodos]

Hello,
I am looking to build a FreeNAS server. One of the potential builds I am looking at uses an ASRock H170M-ITX/ac motherboard. Under the specifications for the RAM (http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H170M-ITXac/?cat=Specifications), it claims "Supports ECC UDIMM memory modules (operate in non-ECC mode)". I was wondering if this would be suitable to use in a FreeNAS server, or if it would be no different than running FreeNAS on non-ECC RAM.
Also, I would love to hear any other recommendations for a Mini-ITX motherboard. FreeNAS will be a VM running on a Citrix XenServer hypervisor alongside other networking-centric VMs. ECC support is obviously a need. Preferably, the board should also support M.2 and integrated graphics, though both are optional.
Thank you very much for your time!

That mobo receives two thumbs down.

 

[Renegade117]

That mobo receives two thumbs down.

So even though it supports ECC RAM, it would not do the error correcting?

 

[anodos]

So even though it supports ECC RAM, it would not do the error correcting?

Here's an alternative (might be good for going above 32GB RAM). You can also look at the Xeon D stuff (it's kinda expensive) or something based on the C2750. Although I'd personally go with a larger motherboard and a decent size case.

 

[Ericloewe]

Supports ECC UDIMM memory modules (operate in non-ECC mode)

That plainly means that it will not use the ECC function of the memory (as the rest of the platform will not support it).

Preferably, the board should also support M.2 and integrated graphics, though both are optional.

http://asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=E3C236D2I#Specifications

M.2 seems to be SATA-only, though.

 

[Renegade117]

Here's an alternative (might be good for going above 32GB RAM). You can also look at the Xeon D stuff (it's kinda expensive) or something based on the C2750. Although I'd personally go with a larger motherboard and a decent size case.

That motherboard is close to another motherboard I was thinking of. That coupled with a Xeon E5-2603 V3. Would that be a good alternative? Although it is limited to 32GB of RAM, I don't think this build will need more than that. It's mainly just a small box I can take with me to my university, so looking to keep size/cost/power consumption/etc as low as possible while still being able to have a good system until I can afford more professional equipment.

 

[Renegade117]

That plainly means that it will not use the ECC function of the memory (as the rest of the platform will not support it).


http://asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=E3C236D2I#Specifications

M.2 seems to be SATA-only, though.

Thank you for the clarification. That's what I figured it meant, but had to be sure.

 

[jgreco]

The E5-2603 is a contemptible excuse for a CPU.

 

[HoneyBadger]

The E5-1603 is a contemptible excuse for a CPU.

To elaborate on the Grinch here, the E5-2603v3 has only a 1.6GHz core speed, no turbo bins (so you're stuck with that 1.6GHz speed), no HT, and six cores. It's not really bringing anything more to the table than an Avoton for most folks.

 

[jgreco]

Except the larger amount of addressable memory. The E5-16xx's are a better choice.

 

[anodos]

Except the larger amount of addressable memory. The E5-16xx's are a better choice.

As an aside, Tim 'the tool-man' Taylor would approve of an LGA2011 mini itx board. Talk about a serious CPU in a teeny package.

 

[jgreco]

As an aside, Tim 'the tool-man' Taylor would approve of an LGA2011 mini itx board. Talk about a serious CPU in a teeny package.

Yeah, but whaddayadowithallthemlanes? A mini-ITX board like the ASRock is pretty lame, four SODIMM's and a PCIe x16 do a kinda poor job of making good use of a very competent CPU.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the D 1540, this board makes a LOT of sense to me: http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=D1540D4U-2T2O8R#Specifications

There they've done a lot of useful things and put a lot of highly useful stuff onboard.

 

[anodos]

Yeah, but whaddayadowithallthemlanes? A mini-ITX board like the ASRock is pretty lame, four SODIMM's and a PCIe x16 do a kinda poor job of making good use of a very competent CPU.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the D 1540, this board makes a LOT of sense to me: http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=D1540D4U-2T2O8R#Specifications

There they've done a lot of useful things and put a lot of highly useful stuff onboard.

Of course the price is prpbably also nothing to sneeze at.

 

[Ericloewe]

Of course the price is prpbably also nothing to sneeze at.

Still a cheaper solution for 64GB of RAM than Avoton. Not that it's saying much.

 

[jgreco]

Still a cheaper solution for 64GB of RAM than Avoton. Not that it's saying much.

Yeah, the whole specialty-DDR3 thing is kind of unfortunate. The time for that has come and gone. I just picked up 384GB of 32GB registered DIMM's for under $3000.

 

[tbingel]

I am also considering an Asrockrack D1540D4I MOBO.
However, I am concerned about the clock speed of the SOC CPU in regards to SMB/CIFS single core utilization of the FreeNAS.
I am told that the a higher clock rate of the CPU is crucial for CIFS and Windows environment.
Any comments please?

 

[jgreco]

It isn't "crucial", it is just that performance on a per-thread basis is tightly tied to it. It means an individual Windows client will go rather more slowly on a 1540 than on something hot like an E3-1231. Loaded up with a bunch of clients all exchanging traffic, the performance may well end up very similar because on average no single client can monopolize the server.

 

[anodos]

I am also considering an Asrockrack D1540D4I MOBO.
However, I am concerned about the clock speed of the SOC CPU in regards to SMB/CIFS single core utilization of the FreeNAS.
I am told that the a higher clock rate of the CPU is crucial for CIFS and Windows environment.
Any comments please?

Each smbd process [client connection to a share] is single-threaded. The lower clock rate may be an issue if you are trying to serve samba shares on a 10 gigabit network, but you'll probably hit other bottlenecks before the CPU bottlenecks performance. I doubt the CPU would be an issue on a gigabit network. Depending on workload, even saturating a gigabit connection can be more difficult than you'd think (when you're to lots of randomish small reads and writes), but this is rarely a CPU problem.

 

[tbingel]

Hi jgreco,
thank you for your prompt reply.
Our typical usage scenario is based on HD media multi-streaming in connected home environments.
Most of my customers use media players and devices which connect through SMB/CIFS protocol.
So, this was why I am concerned with the maximum SMB/CIFS bandwidth.
When you imagine two clients streaming 1080P 3D stuff with multicahannel HD audio whilst two others listening to DSD audio streams in different rooms, then this becomes my top priority in selecting and tuning NAS hardware
Also, users usually upload and download their media files through PC interface.

 

[Ericloewe]

Even a puny C2750 Atom Silvermont core can do about 4-5Gb/s.

No modern CPU is going to be an issue when it comes to CIFS throughput.