This is what counts as packaging these days?

[Ericloewe]

As I've been hinting lately, I'll be assembling a new server soon.

For those who are curious, here's the hardware:

Supermicro X11SSM-F
Intel Core i3 6300
1x 16GB Samsung DDR4 UDIMM (M391A2K43BB1-CPBQ)
SanDisk SSD Plus 120GB for the OS
6x 3TB WD Reds (late 2015, so probably the new downrated 4TB ones)
Seasonic X-650 (Scroll down for an explanation)
Sharkoon T9 Value with 2 * Icy Dock FatCage MB153SP-B 3-in-2 drive cages

The final parts arrived today - I had to order the motherboard from sona.de, as they were the only really reputable seller that carried it. Since they charged massively for shipping and they actually had RAM from the board's QVL, I got the RAM from them as well.

It was actually an overall pleasant experience and they actually called me when PayPal started acting up, so the problem was solved rather quickly and my stuff was shipped that same day. Delivery was slow (UPS ground) for the massive 50€ price, though.

The real shocker (no pun intended) was how the DIMM was packed:

Yup. It came loose in a crummy pink static dissipative bag (it's not even a static shield!). And that 01.16 sticker looks very un-Samsung-y. The little bag was just thrown in with the motherboard box into a larger box with a bit of padding paper. Really makes me think twice about buying there again...


As for the PSU, some of you are now wondering why I didn't stick to the G-550. Well, I tried, but it wasn't easily available in any of my typical stores. I didn't want to go lower (@Bidule0hm's scope captures scared me a bit and I do want to allow for future expansion) and the X-650 is not that much more than the G-650, so the better fan and full modularity alone are worth it. The slightly better electrical characteristics are a nice bonus. The Seasonic Platinum 660 was selling at the exact same pricing, but they were (naturally) out of stock. Murphy got the last laugh, since the Platinums were back in stock just after both of the X-650s were far enough along the process that Amazon wouldn't cancel the order... :(

 

[Bidule0hm]

Looks like used RAM or chinese counterfeit RAM...

If you search pictures for this model maybe you can see if yours match what you see on the pictures and confirm or not if it's counterfeit or not.

NB: static dissipative should be ok for assembled boards because components are far less likely to be damaged by a static discharge than when they are alone and not soldered (because the board tracks act as little capacitors). But I know, it's not an excuse.

 

[Ericloewe]

Looks like used RAM or chinese counterfeit RAM...

Now that you mention it, I'd better run the serial number by Samsung and see what they say.
It's probably just a single unit from a larger bulk package, but instead of packing it properly, they just threw it in. I'm guessing the date sticker is their way of keeping track of stock...

NB: static dissipative should be ok for assembled boards because components are far less likely to be damaged by a static discharge than when they are alone and not soldered (because the board tracks act as little capacitors). But I know, it's not an excuse.

Yeah, I'm not too worried about ESD. Crucial even ships their DIMMs in simple plastic blisters - which are pretty good from a mechanical perspective, but offer little ESD safety.

 

[jgreco]

View attachment 9889
Yup. It came loose in a crummy pink static dissipative bag (it's not even a static shield!). And that 01.16 sticker looks very un-Samsung-y. The little bag was just thrown in with the motherboard box into a larger box with a bit of padding paper. Really makes me think twice about buying there again...

Stickers on products aren't that unusual; we put stickers on virtually everything we bring into inventory (whether sold to customers or used internally) so that there's a way to identify warrantability. In the event of a failure, your reseller will want to be able to pass on that liability upstream. For some shops, it isn't terribly complicated because they may just need to know the month and day of the batch they received from their distributor.

https://extranet.www.sol.net/files/freenas/misc/1013r-wc0r-pmb.JPG

They're usually placed somewhere inconspicuous but on a DIMM they're hard to "hide". See the two on the far side of the CPU.

Obviously I don't think much of the packaging, though. And the 01.16 sticker appears to be the sort a conventional retail pricing gun would dispense, "how unprofessional is that."

Run the serial numbers through Samsung and see if they're legit (probably are). Strikes me as a bargain basement operation but not necessarily illegit. I know guys who run shops like that!

 

[jgreco]

By the way, we recently received an MCP-220-82609-0N which is a 2-bay 2.5" module for some Super chassis to add two more drives. For some reason, it was delivered in a poly mailer bag, no bubble wrap or anything, and the packaging for that is just a Ziplock bag with a part number on it. So ... no padding.

The damage wasn't immediately apparent, so we only discovered after setting up a downtime for the machine, migrating everything, etc., and then actually de-racking the machine for the upgrade:

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

 

[Ericloewe]

By the way, we recently received an MCP-220-82609-0N which is a 2-bay 2.5" module for some Super chassis to add two more drives. For some reason, it was delivered in a poly mailer bag, no bubble wrap or anything, and the packaging for that is just a Ziplock bag with a part number on it. So ... no padding.

The damage wasn't immediately apparent, so we only discovered after setting up a downtime for the machine, migrating everything, etc., and then actually de-racking the machine for the upgrade:

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

Ouch. Figures that you'd only find that out after removing the thing from the rack. Murphy strikes again.

Seriously, that thing in a bag with no padding through $_courrier's system? That's a new level of incompetence.

 

[jgreco]

Ouch. Figures that you'd only find that out after removing the thing from the rack. Murphy strikes again.

Seriously, that thing in a bag with no padding through $_courrier's system? That's a new level of incompetence.

Through US Postal Service. Pretty clearly the thing got floor-dropped. Didn't seem like intentional mishandling (a la Ace Ventura) by USPS but I was annoyed when they wanted to have USPS "start an investigation" before they replaced it.

I usually don't get that pissed off about almost anything a vendor does, but in this case I lit into them - no idea what an investigation would reveal other than it was packaged inappropriately. Not like they were going to discover some great conspiracy where postal clerks were deliberately chunking well packed packages into the concrete.

 

[Ericloewe]

Through US Postal Service. Pretty clearly the thing got floor-dropped. Didn't seem like intentional mishandling (a la Ace Ventura) by USPS but I was annoyed when they wanted to have USPS "start an investigation" before they replaced it.

I usually don't get that pissed off about almost anything a vendor does, but in this case I lit into them - no idea what an investigation would reveal other than it was packaged inappropriately. Not like they were going to discover some great conspiracy where postal clerks were deliberately chunking well packed packages into the concrete.

Unless it was marked "fragile". Those get treated the worst.

 

[mrd]

Thanks for the post. I'm also looking into building a new machine from scratch and ordering from Germany (mostly Jacobs Computer, sona and Amazon). Do you have any experience with DOA or faulty hardware (I presume your sticks are working, despite the nasty packaging)? How is sona's customer care? Does the seller pay for return shipping?

 

[Ericloewe]

Do you have any experience with DOA or faulty hardware (I presume your sticks are working, despite the nasty packaging)?

The only DoA hardware I ever had was a graphics card... And it might have been a PEBKAC kind of situation, since the replacement wouldn't work... until I spotted a conspicuous missing ATX12V connector... Which I may have forgotten about the first time around... Not a pleasant first build...

I presume your sticks are working, despite the nasty packaging

I haven't assembled the server yet, but the DIMM seems fine. No missing components or anything visible. ESD shouldn't be a problem either.

How is sona's customer care?

My only real experience was a phone call I got because PayPal wouldn't cooperate. Stuff was shipped more or less on time. They do have a good reputation, though.

Does the seller pay for return shipping?

I don't know, they don't make it clear.

 

[DrKK]

I would very much like to know what the results are when you run the SN by Samsung.

 

[Ericloewe]

I would very much like to know what the results are when you run the SN by Samsung.

I checked their site, but they seem to not have much of a DRAM support section. I'll dig around in the morning to find a contact that might get me somewhere.

 

[ponas]

I checked their site, but they seem to not have much of a DRAM support section. I'll dig around in the morning to find a contact that might get me somewhere.

Did you find anything ? I also have the same memory stick as you do and was wondering also wondering how I could check its authenticity.
By the way, do you know what the CPBQ means ? in the supermicro recommendation they recommend use of M391A2K43BB1-CPB. What does the extra Q mean ?

 

[jgreco]

http://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/global/file/product/DDR4_Product_guide_May15.pdf

Positionally it indicates the memory buffer. I'm not seeing where that's defined but I'm coffee-- this AM.

 

[joeschmuck]

So what does Memory Buffer mean? That wasn't defined in that data sheet or I missed it. I looked at some other data sheets but it appeared to just list what looked like a specific chip used maybe to control or buffer the RAM. I too ordered some RAM and used the Supermicro number which did not have a Q on the tail of the part number but who knows what I'll actually recieve.

@Ericloewe How did the RAM test out for you? Also, when I saw how your stick was packaged, I thought you were sold bulk RAM and I suspect that is what I will get as well since I did order cheap. Your packaging wasn't bad, at least the put it in the motherboard box, imagine if it were loose. And over the decades, I've had many shipments similar to your experience.

The only thing I received DOA (twice) was an UPS from NewEgg. The APC UPS had a plastic frame and all the weight does not like to be rough handled. UPS shattered the first two in the delivery but the third one made it fine. I did not pay a return fee to either broken units, NewEgg took care of it. This is one of the benefits using a seller like NewEgg.

So, I'm curious how your system is running since I have the same MB headed my way. Hopefully the firmware on the MB is all up to date, I went ahead and downloaded what was on the website the other day just in case.

 

[Ericloewe]

Did you find anything ? I also have the same memory stick as you do and was wondering also wondering how I could check its authenticity.
By the way, do you know what the CPBQ means ? in the supermicro recommendation they recommend use of M391A2K43BB1-CPB. What does the extra Q mean ?

They don't have any tools for that on their website, so I was going to try to contact them. If only they had an end-user-oriented contact published...

tl;dr, haven't gotten around to it

@Ericloewe How did the RAM test out for you?

The whole server is still sitting behind me, unassembled. I'll have some data in a few days, hopefully.

Your packaging wasn't bad, at least the put it in the motherboard box, imagine if it were loose.

It could have been worse, but it was loose inside the big box, along with the motherboard box. I've since placed it inside Supermicro's box, since the last thing I need is a misplaced/damaged 16GB DDR4 DIMM...

 

[joeschmuck]

So I just found out what the "Q" actually means. Not an easy find, that's for sure. So "Q" stands for the memory buffer as previously identified but it's more so how the memory buffer work that is key. There are sever letters E, F, R, and Q. E of course being the first letter in the group, followed by F, then our Q, and finally R. It's actually funny because Q was also the short name for the character in the James Bond. Anyone know what that stood for? Good for you, yes Quartermaster. Do you know what a quartermaster does? Well Samsung did something quite interesting with these letter, or should I say how they were created. Apparently someone had too much time on their hands, just like me when I'm at a Toyota Service Center waiting on my oil to be changed, like right now. So normally I'd change my own oil but the cost was too good to pass up, "FREE". Nope, this has absolutely nothing to do with the letter Q, I think someone is messing with me because only those other 4 letters make any sense to me, E, F, and R, just like the cost of my oil change. So now that I'm done rambling on, the truck is done and it's time to leave the dealership and go spend some money on my day off work. Remember, Valentines Day is right around the corner for those of you how are expected to participate in it. And never get a woman a funny card where it looks like you are sitting on a couch and she's slaving away. You will find yourself in the Dog House or if you've been there before Dog House.

 

[gpsguy]

Dunno what kind of oil you use in your Toyota truck. In my 4x4 Tacoma, I run Mobil One with a TRD filter. I buy the oil from SamsClub and buy the filters online. And, give them both to the dealer to install. Costs me about $30 for labor.

Apparently someone had too much time on their hands, just like me when I'm at a Toyota Service Center waiting on my oil to be changed, like right now. So normally I'd change my own oil but the cost was too good to pass up, "FREE".

 

[Yatti420]

My favorite is when the intel shop (before they closed) sent me a giant box for 4 small CPU heat-sink pushpins..

 

[Ericloewe]

My favorite is when the intel shop (before they closed) sent me a giant box for 4 small CPU heat-sink pushpins..

Sounds better than the alternative, as long as it fits in your car. If it doesn't, somebody decided to piss away packaging materials out of spite and everyone suffers but the company.