Whats the story with LGA2011-3

[hooraysimpsons]

Background: Building a server for the home. I have bought 6 x5TB hard drives which I plan to use in Raid-Z2, and a used cse-pt933-pd382 chassis (http://www.supermicro.com/products/chassis/3U/933/SC933T-R760.cfm) which can hold 15 drives. I already have some UPS's so that is covered as well.

The server will use Emby or Plex to serve up media. This is almost always direct streamed but I would like the server to be able to transcode 2 streams if neccessary. Also running on the server (in a jail) will be some home automation software (OpenHab currently) and IP camera recording software. Also will be doing backups of computers around the house to it.

My question boils down to my desire to allow future upgradability. Right now I'll have 30TB of raw space so given the rule of thumb I'd need 38 gigs of RAM. Given my use case I am pretty sure I could get away with 32 gigs. However, if I ever add storage in the future this may no longer be true. Therefore to allow the ability to go over 32 gigs of RAM as I understand it I should be looking at LGA2011, LGA 2011-3 or some of the system on chip motherboards.

I'd like to use LGA2011-3 so that I can use DDR4 which isn'y much of a price premium now and likely will be cheaper than DDR3 when it comes to add more RAM. Also it seems like the SOC's get pretty expensive to put 64gigs of RAM in. However, LGA2011-3 isn't mentioned in the recommended hardware thread and I don't see it being used much while browsing the forums.

The question in brief: Is there an LGA2011-3 board that is currently recommended for use with FreeNAS?

Thanks in advance

Other search words for the future: LGA2011-v3, Socket R3, LGA 2011-3, LGA 2011-v3

 

[joeschmuck]

rule of thumb I'd need 38 gigs of RAM

Don't over think the rule of thumb. If you have read some threads about this you would have heard many times that this is an old rule and doesn't apply to everyone, or actually most home users. Based on the functionality you are trying to support, 16GB should be more than enough however if you are looking to purchase everything now in order to future proof it, well I can't say what the future holds but 32GB of RAM is fine.

As for which LGA2011 CPU to use, that is up to you and you should have no issues, just find one with the features you desire. What you need to do is get one that is fast enough to handle transcoding two video streams so go for the fastest CPU you can afford since you are looking to future proof it as well. Read the forums for builds that have been made, you will see a lot of recommendations and these threads pop up daily. Listen to the advice given not only the final result because sometime folks go against the advice so you will have to do a little reading to see what you find might meet your need.

BTW, that is a monster of a case, I hope it's what you were expecting.

 

[Ericloewe]

However, LGA2011-3 isn't mentioned in the recommended hardware thread and I don't see it being used much while browsing the forums.

Most people are happy with smaller systems. :p

The question in brief: Is there an LGA2011-3 board that is currently recommended for use with FreeNAS?

Supermicro X10 and ASRock Rack boards are generally problem-free. Might want to avoid SAS3 controllers for now, since SAS3 is still a bit unstable.

 

[hooraysimpsons]

Don't over think the rule of thumb. ... 16GB should be more than enough

I guess this was an unspoken question I also had. Given my plans for the server I was thinking I'd be able to get by with less. I just didn't want to buy everything and end up being wrong.

BTW, that is a monster of a case, I hope it's what you were expecting.

It is big. I was following the advice in the sticky to find a used chassis and gut it. I managed to find this one for $100 shipper with power supplies so I'll make the size work given the price.

Thanks for the input guys. If I can get by with 16-32 of RAM that would be ideal for me, just worried about all the warnings and having to buy things twice.

 

[joeschmuck]

I'm curious how loud that beast of a case will be but hey, the cost sounds good. Make sure you do all the RAM and CPU stress testing for the new build before you put data on the thing. Hopefully the used power supply is rock solid. Also, blow out any dust ahead of time if it hasn't already been cleaned.

 

[hooraysimpsons]

I'm curious how loud that beast of a case will be but hey, the cost sounds good. Make sure you do all the RAM and CPU stress testing for the new build before you put data on the thing. Hopefully the used power supply is rock solid. Also, blow out any dust ahead of time if it hasn't already been cleaned.

I'm currious about the noise as well. Anxious to get the motherboard just so I can test the noise and start planning location and running wires. It has a triple redundant PSU so as long as 2/3 work I'll feel good about the purchase. It's overkill for my use case either way I'm sure.

 

[Fuganater]

I avoided that case because the backplane is older and won't support drives that size. There are several threads in here that mention it.

 

[hooraysimpsons]

I avoided that case because the backplane is older and won't support drives that size. There are several threads in here that mention it.

Speaking of buying things twice. I looked at the manual for the backplane and didn't see any limits (https://www.supermicro.com/manuals/other/BPN-SATA-933.pdf). I saw some stuff on the forum regarding SAS backplanes. I hadn't found anything for the SATA one. I guess I assumed it was basically a pass through device at that point. I'll investigate more.

EDIT: Looks like I linked the wrong chassis in OP. Will update. It come from ebay and was listed a little wonky so I had to figure out which chassis it was by deduction. I think it is SuperChassis 933T-R760B. Which comes with the SATA backplane not SAS.

 

[hooraysimpsons]

I haven't found anything about the BPN-SATA-933 backplane giving people trouble based on disk size so far. (I did find some for the SAS expander in the chassis I originally incorrectly linked to). I'm leaning more towards sticking with an LGA1150 board. Most likely getting the recommended X10SL7-F and E3-1230v3 instead. Looked through the systems others have setup and I should be safe on the RAM side of things.

 

[NAStard]

Is there an LGA2011-3 board that is currently recommended for use with FreeNAS?

Here is one a good one and I recommend it: SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SRA-F-O
I have a similar model, X10SRA, and it works fine.
IIRC, this one has more features, too: IPMI, on-board video

Note also... RAM is always always cheaper, later. (within a certain limit of course).
I purchase one 8GB stick to get started at $170; then I purchased the 2nd two months later at $140. :)
If I add more today (just 1.5 month later), I think the price is about 120-125 ;)

HTH!
:D

 

[Fuganater]

I haven't found anything about the BPN-SATA-933 backplane giving people trouble based on disk size so far. (I did find some for the SAS expander in the chassis I originally incorrectly linked to). I'm leaning more towards sticking with an LGA1150 board. Most likely getting the recommended X10SL7-F and E3-1230v3 instead. Looked through the systems others have setup and I should be safe on the RAM side of things.

Well that is good to know if I end up not being able to get a SAS2 846 for a good price.

 

[cyberjock]

The reason I haven't added any 2011-3 boards is that there's not enough testing by users to really claim good compatibility and no problems. While I'd expect that if you buy one (especially a supermicro with proper on-board stuff) will work fine and never be a problem, I'm very conservative about claiming stuff works until I see enough evidence that it does. ;)

 

[NAStard]

I agree and believe that staying with Supermicro will keep you in the reliable and compatible territory.
Do not be deterred by a motherboard not being mentioned in the aforementioned hardware guide.
The motherboard recommendations therein are narrow in scope, from my perspective.
A much larger universe of system boards are compatible with FreeNAS.
There is no technical reason to discourage a new FreeNAS'er from choosing a LGA2011-3 socket board, in general.
Just my 2 cents.