Upgrading FreeNAS Mobo + CPU

[Spencer Skinner]

Hi guys,

At the moment my system is -
- Gigabyte GA-X150M-PRO ECC
- Intel G4400
- 32GB of Crucial ECC Memory
- 12x 2TB Seagate HDD (2 Pools 6 x 2TB RAIDZ2)
- RM650 PSU
- IBM M1015

Basically what I want to do is change out the Mobo and CPU for an Intel 2011-3 setup, the boards and CPU's im looking at right now are -
Mobo -
ASUS Z10PA-U8
Gigabyte MW50-SV0
Gigabyte MU70-SU0

CPU -
Xeon E5 1620 v4
Xeon E5 2603 v4
Xeon E5 2609 v4

Im not sure what would FreeNAS would benefit from more, more cores at a lower clock or less cores at a higher clock. The majority of the load on the server is from Plex Transcoding etc. Ive selected Mobo's which im fairly sure support my memory.

In terms of actually changing the Mobo and CPU, is there a specific process I should follow when it comes down to preping FreeNAS for the upgrade or can I go right ahead power down, swap in the new hardware and power up again as if it were just a normal restart for FreeNAS.

The old hardware will be used in making a pfSense Router, for those who were interested.

Thanks
Spencer

 

[loch_nas]

Asus und Gigabyte are not recommended for FreeNAS. Take a look at Supermicro Mainboards or maybe at ASRock Rack.

If you need higher clock speeds, more cores or both depends on your requirements. So first read through the hardware guides and then post your requirements and applications you want to use in FreeNAS.

 

[danb35]

Asus und Gigabyte are not recommended for FreeNAS.

That statement is probably a bit too strong. We recommend server-grade hardware, and most of what Asus and Gigabyte make is consumer-grade. And there's plenty of experience with Supermicro here as a good choice. However, the specs on that Asus board look good.

In terms of actually changing the Mobo and CPU, is there a specific process I should follow when it comes down to preping FreeNAS for the upgrade or can I go right ahead power down, swap in the new hardware and power up again as if it were just a normal restart for FreeNAS.

Not really anything special you need to do. If you've manually configured a network interface, and the new board uses a different driver, you'll need to reconfigure that, but everything else should Just Work (tm).

 

[Spencer Skinner]

I've been doing a little more reading, maybe a more cost effective solution would be -
Supermicro MBD-X11SSM-F
Intel Xeon E3-1220 v6

I am going to assume that the SuperMicro board supports my memory based on the fact that supermicro support most micron chips, and crucial mostly use micron chips (my memory modules also use micron chips)

 

[danb35]

I am going to assume that the SuperMicro board supports my memory based on the fact that supermicro support most micron chips, and crucial mostly use micron chips (my memory modules also use micron chips)

That really isn't a very good thought process to reach that conclusion. Supermicro calls for certain memory specs--in the case of the motherboard you mention, unbuffered ECC DDR4 DIMMs, 2400 MHz, up to 16 GB each. Some Crucial DIMMs meet those specs; more do not. If your existing RAM meets these specs, whether or not it uses Micron chips, it should work with this board. If not, it wouldn't.

 

[Spencer Skinner]

That really isn't a very good thought process to reach that conclusion. Supermicro calls for certain memory specs--in the case of the motherboard you mention, unbuffered ECC DDR4 DIMMs, 2400 MHz, up to 16 GB each. Some Crucial DIMMs meet those specs; more do not. If your existing RAM meets these specs, whether or not it uses Micron chips, it should work with this board. If not, it wouldn't.

Ahh right, my bad, to be fair I agree with you, it's a very shody was to come to a conclusion. So I have 2133MHz ECC Unbuffered, would that work seeing as I'm under the requested frequency?

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[danb35]

So I have 2133MHz ECC Unbuffered, would that work seeing as I'm under the requested frequency?

Probably, but I'll have to leave a definite answer to someone who knows the board better.

 

[Spencer Skinner]

Probably, but I'll have to leave a definite answer to someone who knows the board better.

I've just taken a look on the supermicro site, seems my memory would work. I never quite realised how informative the supermicro product pages are. Most other board manufacturers don't specify as much as supermicro. Thanks for the clarification on that though, appreciated.

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