Supermicro X11SCL-F, intel i3 gen 9 (coffee lake refresh) compatibility

[MrMeh]

I've been planning to upgrade my personal NAS using Supermicro's X11SCL-F motherboard.
This is the first time I've created a build using enterprise hardware.

The CPU I wish to use is Intel's i3-9100F which has similar specs to Intel's i3-8100 with exception to it being 9th gen and lacking integrated graphics.
I intend to utilise the motherboard's own integrated graphics.

I understand Supermicro list's the board as Intel gen 8 compatible and doesn't specify gen 9.
From what I can tell on the desktop side of things 8th and 9th gen Intel CPUs use the same range of chipsets and was hoping this might be the same for server chipsets.

After looking and googling quite a bit I haven't been able to find anything specifically assuring compatibility or incompatibility.
I have read "So, you’ve decided to buy a Supermicro X11 Xeon E (Coffee Lake) board" however it doesn't mention "coffee lake f" explicitly.

The X11SCL-F uses the C242 chipset and doesn't specify 9th gen compatibility.
In comparison the X11SCZ-F is specified to be compatible with gen 9, it using a different chipset this being the C246.

Am I worrying too much?

Core build summary

CPU: i3-9100F
Motherboard: X11SCL-F
Memory: 2 x Crucial CT8G4DFS824A 8GB DDR4 2400

 

[kingc]

Did you try this? Did it work?

 

[MrMeh]

Yeah I decided to just go with it and have had zero issues whatsoever.
It seems while supermicro has failed to state it on the product page, gen 9(coffee lake refresh) cpus are compatible with the X11SCL-F.

 

[kingc]

Excellent, good to know. Out of interest, are you on the 1.0a or 1.0b bios?

 

[MrMeh]

I'm on 1.0b, which was already pre-installed/updated when I received the board.

 

[averyfreeman]

This is awesome. I have the X9SCL-F and it supported v2 XEONs but not without a BIOS update which it didn't come with. Reminds me of the H/Q/Z67 boards that weren't compatible with Ivy Bridge until BIOS update - which, if you're buying a full setup, presumably you don't want to have to buy an extra processor just to update your BIOS. I'm glad to hear newer motherboard lines aren't repeating the same issues (as often).

I'm juiced about the 9th gen F line. I want to build an OPNSense gateway w/ the Z390 and i3-9350KF so I can overclock TF out of it for 40Gbps NICs.

 

[JonnyBoy]

Hi MrMeh,
Looking at the exact same config for a home setup with Windows 10 Pro Hyper v, 2-3 VM's (pfsense, ubuntu)
I am going for a 1U case SuperChassis 505-203B and cooler CL-P032-CA06SL-A.
Was looking for a low TDP i3- 8/9 "T" but cannot find reliably or at a reasonable cost.
Can you under-volt/under-clock the i3-9100F , is it available in the supermicro bios?
How is the performance, any changes or things you would do differently, cpu/ram/board?
Thanks

 

[JonnyBoy]

could someone share any knowledge on the below, [supermicro X11SCL-iF, looked up the manual, did not locate any section on over/under clocking/voltage]:-
"Can you under-volt/under-clock the i3-9100F , is it available in the bios? "

 

[averyfreeman]

Hi MrMeh,
Looking at the exact same config for a home setup with Windows 10 Pro Hyper v, 2-3 VM's (pfsense, ubuntu)
I am going for a 1U case SuperChassis 505-203B and cooler CL-P032-CA06SL-A.
Was looking for a low TDP i3- 8/9 "T" but cannot find reliably or at a reasonable cost.
Can you under-volt/under-clock the i3-9100F , is it available in the supermicro bios?
How is the performance, any changes or things you would do differently, cpu/ram/board?
Thanks

Having owned many supermicro boards, I'm very skeptical that there'd be any options to change processor voltages. They're generally just run at spec for longevity. You're more likely to see different ECC pattern options than anything to do with processor voltages beyond your standard C, P and T states.

If you want features like that grab a Z370 from AsRock, MSI, gigabyte, etc.

 

[JonnyBoy]

Thanks, If I turn off ECC in bios, it is possible run a non-ecc cpu and memory?

 

[averyfreeman]

Not sure. Probably not. If they're anything like the old boards it'll be super picky about only having ECC UDIMMs from certain manufacturers. Go to the motherboard page on Supermicro's site and click "Tested Memory" in the right column and you'll see what'll work.

BTW you know that server is listed as only supporting up to 35w processor, right? I'd be worried about running any processor inside a space that tight. The only 1U cases that can allow decent processors are loud AF w/ jet engine fans.

Plus, all the other components will suffer from residual heat. Unless you have strict space constraints, save yourself some headaches and get at least a 3U case.

It sounds like you're big on saving space, but I have to tell you, unless you really know what you're doing re: virtualization AND networking, I don't recommend virtualizing a gateway/firewall, either. I saw some decent stuff on eBay if you want low power, it was an E3-1220l v3 for $27 and an X10SLL-F for $90, it'll beat a Xeon-D1508. I wouldn't recommend spending much on something so incapable.

Most people here will recommend getting at least an E3-1230 v2 and they'd be right. It's the difference between having 2-3 crawling VMs and 8-12 running decent. And if you're going to try and have it double as a desktop your performance will be pretty bad with anything less than a 1230 v2.

I mean, I guess you could always try it and see how it goes. But you'll probably end up wanting to separate out your firewall eventually, and if you start with a low powered system you'll be stuck with it, as opposed to having something decent that will work for more roles

I have a Lenovo J1800 MB I got on eBay for literally $15 and it runs OPNsense line speed on my gigabit residential. I've A/B tested w/ speedtest-cli against an X9SCL-F w/ E3-1230 v2 - no difference unless you're going to host a VPN.

Here's the one I use: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-H500s-Motherboard-Pentium-4gb-ram-wi-fi-CPU-tested/173983846416
Offer them $20 for it, then put it in a 2U rackmount case ;)

If you want to do GPU passthrough w/ ESXi or VFIO eventually (because HyperV sucks) make sure you get at least an X10+E3 v3 or an E5, anything older than that will be hard AF to configure (if even possible). HyperV really doesn't do passthrough, it's extremely limited and cumbersome, but if you're virtualizing a firewall, you want to be able to passthrough your WAN NIC (safety first!).

Good luck! :D

Edit: I came across this person's experience putting together a low-power VPS and I thought you might find it useful: https://www.daniel-boehmer.de/vserver/

 

[JonnyBoy]

Thank you for taking the time, in the last couple of days I have actually been looking at each suggestion in great detail. Great heads up on the 1U case max TDP, virtualization, and Hyper V network pass-thru. The link to the build was helpful.
Have to think about this a bit, will post my config I go with and feedback on performance. Cheers.

 

[averyfreeman]

Thank you for taking the time, in the last couple of days I have actually been looking at each suggestion in great detail. Great heads up on the 1U case max TDP, virtualization, and Hyper V network pass-thru. The link to the build was helpful.
Have to think about this a bit, will post my config I go with and feedback on performance. Cheers.

Cool, really glad I could help :)

I'm actually speccing an Asrock system based on a Ryzen 3 or 5 - extremely cost effective, supports unbuffered ECC ram, and modern BIOS PCIe mapping could be useful for passthrough situations. There are lots of guides on how to do Ryzen passthrough using VFIO in Linux (fairly advanced but very configurable) or in free version of ESXi (it works really well and is probably easist to use).

I use an E5-2650 v4 + X10SRL-F for my GPU passthrough machine right now and just run Windows LTSC as a desktop from the server. It's been working great for over a year now.

But that was a $450 processor and a $330 motherboard. I'm sure you could do the same thing with an Asrock B450M Pro4 and a Ryzen r7 2700, and right now that motherboard is going for $70 on NewEgg.

Also runs ECC memory (unbuffered only).

 

[moosport2]

Memory: 2 x Crucial CT8G4DFS824A 8GB DDR4 2400

Did you actually use non-ECC unbuffered memory with X11SCL-F board?

 

[MrMeh]

Apologies for not responding to people, I never noticed more people replied.
Posting this for posterity.

How is the performance, any changes or things you would do differently, cpu/ram/board?
Thanks

I'm happy with my build even now, only thing I'd change is to actually install some ECC memory given I bought a mobo and CPU that support such.

Did you actually use non-ECC unbuffered memory with X11SCL-F board?

Yes I think I couldn't source any ECC memory at the time and I never got around to replacing the two Crucial sticks with such.
Or I just made a mistake thinking those were ECC, wouldn't put it past me.
The build has run fine however, no incompatability, performance issues and whatnot.

 

[liteswap]

I'm looking for one of these boards too, but they're like hen's teeth here in the UK. Or can anyone suggest an alternative with similar specs that's actually available?