Supermicro X9 build help

[thisisjimmy]

Hello everyone. I've been trying to build a NAS that will be initially used as a desktop until I populate it with enough disks. After that it'll just be a file server with plex and something like ubooquity, but I'd also like to play around with whatever else it can handle.

Here's what I had in mind:

CPU: Xeon E5 2650 v2
RAM: 4x16gb using RDIMMs right away, maybe another 64gb later
GPU: will only be needed for a year or two, but that still means I need a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot
HDD: SSD and 1x8TB initially, SSD and 8x8TB WD whites in RAIDZ2 eventually
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (therefore I need an ATX board)
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The only thing I can't decide on is motherboard. There are 7 options that have PCIe 3.0 x16, IPMI and are ATX:

• X9SRi-F/3F
• X9SRE-F/3F
• X9SRH-7F/7TF
• X9SRL-F

They all seem to show up on ebay for about $200, but I'm not sure which one would be better assuming price difference is negligible. I know that X9SRL-F is popular around here, but the fact that its pcie x16 slot only does x8 doesn't sound great for gpu. I assume that 8 SAS2 slots on 7F and 7TF would save me the trouble of buying an HBA, unless I can't use them with sata HDDs. But beyond that I don't see why one board should be picked over the other. Any insight on which motherboard is better and why would be appreciated.

 

[artlessknave]

this post is kinda old but I noticed it in the unanswered list.

pcie x16 slot only does x8 doesn't sound great for gpu

you would basically have to get a 1500$ video card for that to matter at all, and even then probably not. most barely use the x8.
unless the others are WAY cheaper, get the X9SRL-F, it has the most flexibility. the main reason to use an onboard SAS2 is for a chassis with no PCIE slots, otherwise you can just add whatever cards you need.

 

[jgreco]

For E5-26xx, the ideal CPU's are E5-2637v2 or E5-2643v2 due to the high core speeds. The E5-16xx CPU's are an often-ignored resource as well which offer faster speeds at a lower price (well probably not anymore).

The -7 boards are LSI RAID and are probably not a good idea for FreeNAS. I strongly endorse the X9SRL-F route.