CPU for X11SRL-F?

[LoftyGoals]

I was all happy that I had successfully picked the X11SRL-F in this thread. I then set about picking a CPU and RAM and I feel like I hit a wall. The good news is that board can handle W-2100 and W-2000 chips (16 options). The bad news is that:

• all of the W-2200 are "workstation" CPUs (not "server")
• all of the W-2100 are discontinued with an end-of-service date of 2023-12-31.
• there are only three validated DIMMs, they are all Supermicro (Samsung) brand, one of them is EOL, one of them is out of stock, and the third is only 16GB.

If I hadn't noticed that, I would have tried (and failed) to get a new W-2123 and then balked at $360 for a new W-2223.

So:

• Am I missing something or is the X11SRL-F not a viable TrueNAS board?
• If it is, would you get a used 2123 ($126), a new 2223 ($360), or is there some reason to get a fancier CPU (options from least to most expensive: 2125, 2225, 2235, 2133, 2245, 2135, 2255, 2265, 2145, 2275, 2155, 2295, 2175, 2195)?
• Am I really stuck with the one in-stock SuperMicro 16GB DIMM?

System design criteria below the sig.

Thank you!

-- Salvatore
smile.


CHOSEN HARDWARE

• Motherboard: X11SRL-F (per https://www.truenas.com/community/threads/motherboard-for-borg-build.113607)
• RAM: 2 x 32GB ECC RAM (per https://www.truenas.com/community/threads/ram-qty-for-borg-build.113606)

GOALS

• TrueNAS SCALE (per https://www.truenas.com/community/threads/ram-qty-for-borg-build.113606)
• Borg server in Docker (needs 16 GB RAM, minimal CPU)
• 20 TB disk (6 x 8 TB RAIDZ2)
• SSD boot drive + backup

PRIORITIES

• absolutely important
  • reliable (and, therefore, ECC)
• important
  • runs comfortably
  • runs quiet (will be in a living space)
  • cost effective (not "budget" -- I will pay for a performant system but don't want to pay more than I need to)
• somewhat important
  • reasonably cool (will be in a well ventilated space)
  • expandable (don't want to max out motherboard)
  • power consumption (I don't want to be wasteful but I care more about total cost of ownership than low electricity bills)
• unimportant
  • physical size

 

[NugentS]

1. No issue with a second hand CPU. Indeed its bread and butter for home TrueNAS boxes. If you do buy second hand - don't forget to stress test it nefore using it live (actually, stress testing a new CPU is a good idea)
2. The board will be fine. Yes its a workstation board - but it has what you need. Loads of memory, IPMI etc. The CPU I looked at has 48 PCIe lanes - which is a good number. Its a supermicro workstation board that actually edges close to a server board. Note the caveat "

• W-2200 CPU is supported on the motherboards with BIOS 2.0 or newer upon receiving from Supermicro
• To support 130W (or higher TDP) W-2200 CPUs, BIOS 2.0 & VRM update by Supermicro are required"

Choose the CPU that matches both the board (obviously) and the total load you want to put on the box. Make sure you have more than needed, just in case you find another load to put on the box. General NAS services do not require a lot of CPU - its when you start adding hig load jails / containers that the CPU requirement ramps up. The W-2223 you mention is a 4c/8t at 3.6Ghz which is loads for NAS at a decent speed too.

Memory: Don'y pay any attention to QVL - just buy RAM with the right specs. aka DDR4-2933Mhz (or better) of either LRDIMM or RDIMM (probably cheaper). Consider second hand on this too. PLug it in and run memtest for minimum 24 hours, preferably several days to thoroughly test it. For example EBay Link would probably do - and it can be returned if it doesn't work

 

[NugentS]

I would point out that

• runs quiet (will be in a living space)

will be at least some form of an issue.
CPU Cooler, System Cooling, 8 HDD's and associated airflow/cooling.

Systems make noise. HDD's make noise, airflow makes noise. You do not want to cook the HDD's. My HairyNAS (in my sig) was built in a R5 case with 3 of the default fans from FD. I turned it on, measured and turned it off till I replaced the fans which just couldn't shift enough air to keep the disks cool. I put in 3 high static pressure fans turned down by a seperate variable fan controller (was easier than finding the cabling for the case fan controller again). Its quiet, but not inaudible. I keep it in the cupboard under the stairs (but don't close the door). The synology next to it is louder with 5 identical HDD's

 

[Etorix]

X11SRL-F is actually a genuine server board using LGA2066 Xeon W-2000 which were marketed "for workstation". Just don't pay attention to this and pick a CPU according to your requirements: Enough cores for VM/apps, and otherwise high clocks for serving SMB. With just about any RDIMM from Micron/Samsung/SK Hynix.
For noise, try using fewer, but bigger, disks.

 

[LoftyGoals]

Memory: Don'y pay any attention to QVL - just buy RAM with the right specs. aka DDR4-2933Mhz (or better) of either LRDIMM or RDIMM (probably cheaper). Consider second hand on this too. PLug it in and run memtest for minimum 24 hours, preferably several days to thoroughly test it. For example EBay Link would probably do - and it can be returned if it doesn't work

Thank you for the thorough answer! I'm confused about one thing. The hardware guide says "I'm confused about one thing. The hardware guide says "For best results, models should be chosen from the motherboard manufacturer’s Qualified Vendor List." Why does the guide's advice diverge from yours?

 

[NugentS]

Based on experience.
QVL lists are what they have tested specifically - and you can rarely actually get it as manufacturers change specs amd model numbers on a regular basis.
As you are US based used RAM will be easy and plentiful - just get some you can return. Get the right specs, test it for a few days and you should be good to go. All my RAM in my NAS's is used and I ignore QVL, I just get the right spec