I don't know....depends if you have any of these...http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835706015

120mm fan at 253 Cfm.

Cpu coolers and fans turned to blow towards the rear instead of the top, added the power supply 24 pin extension to be able to run it behind the motherboard.

Still not completely satisfied with the sound card issues in linux vs windows, might just give up on the case front panel jacks.

Looking at this latest picture it did turn out to be a pretty clean build, green motherboard color is kind of meh....

I did not think the SmartFan PWM for the cpu fans were working.

The monitor programs would either read the cpu fan speed incorrectly or not at all, %100 or zero.

So I enabled the onboard IPMI ethernet port and added a spare gigabit switch on my desk and plugged it in and logged in via the lan.

Seems to be working, not super fast or super aggressive but it works.

The web page does not refresh itself but it has a cool "Live Widget" that does.

Lowered it back down to 1.5 volts and its been doing great.

Had an issue with Windows 10 doing random HARD lock ups and played around with the hardware settings for a few days before installing 8.1 pro, no more lockups.

Working it......

Simply an idle point of curiosity, but does the rear CPU run slightly hotter than the front CPU, given that the front CPU is directing its hot air to the rear?

It runs about 3c or 4c hotter, when I had the cpu fans blowing up the rear one was about 5c to 8c cooler. So strangely enough they are more even now.

Does anyone else run seti and if so what are your numbers and system specs like?

Just checked my stats and now i'm in the top %5 in less than a week.

Maybe I should add that other video card that's just laying on a shelf.

UPDATE: I'm a dumb ass...

I downloaded Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 5 the other night and tried to make a bootable flash drive with the iso image and it was a no go. Thought about a burning the iso to a DVDR but all I had were single layer disc's.

I spent a major part of this evening looking for DVD+R dual layer disk and at the second store I remembered that I could have installed it via the network using the dedicated IPMI lan port.....

My first server board and I cant even remember that feature...


So I ended up getting a couple of new 16 gb usb flash drives , I really want to try UnRaid out eventually, and a Samsung 850 evo 500gb drive I have been wanting for a while.

You don't have it running in a VM?

I tried it out in Virtual Box and it did not run very well.

So i'm going to try it on metal.

I found the problem.

LOL

It was easy to install and try it out.

I seem to have the dreaded JViewer black screen issue in megarack.

Allowed popups in my browser, have the latest version of java, and added the ip address to the exception site list in java control panel.

Still a black screen.

Remote console window is black and says " Host is powered off or in sleep mode"

WRONG, i'm on the pc now.

EDIT: it seems that the "fix" is to install an older version of java.....dont want to do that.

Installed Windows Server 2016 today on a new hard drive, 850 evo that I bought this week, and it runs pretty damn good.

Seems a bit snappier than windows 10.

Only thing so far that I am setting up is hyper-v.

You should join the AR15.com team on SETI@home.

I just let out a girlish scream when I read the part in bold.

One of my projects is to turn around a foundering infrastructure upgrade for a government organization that is an all Hyper-V shop.  After some years go by you don't give a lot of thought to the features and capabilities of the VSphere suite or even newer converged/composable stuff like various implementations of OpenStack, Nutanix, Simplivity, or hell even HPE's hyper-convergence stuff.

Until you don't have it.

LOL.

This is my home pc, I do not work in IT, Its just a hobbie for me.

Carry on!  

I suspect you are more skilled than some of the "IT" staff I have run into lately.

If you feel like looking at another side of the hypervisor world, download the free version of ESXi.

Do it man.

If I happen to run across a pair I promise I will put them in some secure areas that would NOT amuse a lot of folks.

You need a Quadro GPU
 


Should have lapped the TIM on the CPU to a mirror like copper finish, and delid them and replace the thermal compound inside with CLU

You know my thoughts on Hyper-V and where it fits in the grand scheme of things

I can't , these Xeons have soldered lids.

I mess with the IT techs at the job pretty regular.

I actually was checking out ESXi , Zen and KVM today, but I need to get another matching hard drive or two to go with the three one TB drives I have extra.

Just to report, World Of Tanks runs really nicely on Windows Server 2016 Datacenter.

It has about the same peak FPS but the minimum does not drop as low as on Windows 8.1 pro or Windows 10 pro.

Downloading VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.0 as I type this, still need to get an extra hard drive or two.

I played around with using a HDMI cable to my monitor to see if the monitor speakers are worth a crap and more importantly to find out what the quality of the audio output port from the monitor using my speakers.

If I can use HDMI sound from the GTX 970 I can take out the sound card and free up a PCI slot for something else.


Well the sound via HDMI works but the quality sucks, both through the onboard speakers in the monitor and through the monitor outport port to my external speakers.

I'm late to the party on this one but you have my attention.  What's the total cost you have in this thing?

I'm wanting to build another ESXi host for my home lab and a dual xeon setup would be freaking awesome.

Original Total :

Motherboard $329.99  ( Now $449.00 at new egg but I've seen it elsewhere for ~$320.00)
Cpu's $134.00
Ram $125.00
Cpu coolers $59.98
200mm fan $25.00
Usb 2.0 brkt $8.00
Asus pci sound card $30.00
Usb 3.0 pcie card $33.00

total for build: $744.97

I used a bunch of stuff from my last build, case, power supply and hard drives.

I also added a Samsung 850 evo 480 gig ssd a few weeks later so add another $169.00

I'm not including freight or sales tax.

It could have been MUCH cheaper if I would have went with a used motherboard and without a sound card and used it as a server and not used it as a workstation.

I try not to buy used motherboard or power supplys, but if they are freebie's that entirely different.

Example:
Used motherboard Foxconn dual 2011 comes in a 1u server from natex sold without CPU's , ram or hard drives. $125.00

http://www.natex.us/product-p/spd-6.htm

Thanks!

No problem, you looking at as cheap as possible? Or like me , the best value?

I have no problem going with a used cpu or ram if it has a long enough warranty to give them a good test.

Used motherboards I tend to shy away from unless they are free or almost free , as in a screaming good deal and i'm willing to risk it.

Natex has a great rep and will stand behind their stuff.

Bang for the buck mainly.

New:
The one I originally wanted.
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EP2C602

The one I went with, can hold twice the ram and has one less PCIe slot that the one in the link above.
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EP2C64L

They constantly go on backorder so you have to have them notify you and then JUMP on it!!

Used:

Go with Natex and one of their "build your own server" bundles. Go to the servethehome website and there is a thread or two about them.

If yo go with the E5 2670 you need the newer stepping version, its the one thats priced higher. The earlier 2670 does not have all the virtualization op codes built in.


EDIT: The intel 2600 motherboards from natex have a couple of issues, the fans are loud but there is a way to change them, also the newer bios have the pcie slots default to pcie 2.0 and to get them to work you have to force a bios downgrade to an older bios if you have to have pcie 3.0.

The new motherboards I listed are ready to go as is and the one I purchased has the latest bios and updates.

Also if you need a server board only then you have a few more options because the most popular ones are the workstations ones or the ones that can be used as a workstation.

Now what to do with the spare 240 gb SSD?

I have a install disk for Windows XP Pro 64 bit and a sata driver for it....

Worlds most powerful Windows XP pc anyone?

"Windows XP Professional 64-bit supports up to 128 GB of RAM.
Supports up to two physical CPUs (in separate physical sockets) and up to 64 logical processors (i.e. cores or threads on a single CPU). As such, As of 2014, the OS supports all commercially available multicore CPUs, including Intel Core series, or AMD FX series."

Went back to windows  8.1 Pro, cloned the install from the intel 240 gb ssd to the samsung  500 gig 850 evo.

Went smoothly using Samsungs cloning program.

Indeed I do.

I'm consulting for an organization that is using the Scale Out File Server clusters with these JBOD arrays and 10Gig iSCSI.  It's Microsoft's implementation of software defined storage.  It's very very simple to install, provision, and use. It's essentially 2012 R2 failover clusters with the SOFS feature connected to JBOD shared storage. The disks are added to CSV's and presented as SMB3 shares.  The nature of the storage makes it ideal for VM's under Hyper-V and large workloads and files such as SQL Server.

It is surprisingly fast.

I wouldn't be surprised if you were already knee deep in this.

 
Going to hand roll the deploy or use one of the deployment projects? I need to get a lab back up and running, but Ill be damned if I am going to use what I use at work. A guy I worked with started a cool project for Openstack deployments that I think I will toy with instead.

Oh yes, knee deep. It fits very nicely in their overall strategic positioning and re-enforces my thoughts on where MS based virtual infrastructure fits in the grande scheme.  It's great for people like me sitting firmly in the SMB space as an IT service provider because now the MCSA techs that I only have to pay 20 bucks an hour can deploy, maintain, and support the VM, Hypervisor, and Storage verticals.  This means fewer Sr Engineers in less specializations, higher level of FTE that costs less per hour but can work in Tier 2 and Tier 3 support.  All of this drives my margins up, or allows me to be more competitive when needed.  Combine that with the cheaply available outsourced MCSA/MCSE resources to fill in the gaps and it becomes a whole new world, where a 5 or 10 man shop can offer managed services competitively in the Enterprise market.

It depends on how much time I have to blow. I might start with a deployment project to see how it all fits together and then might hand roll something.

Just found this today.

New in the box Open Compute Server.  $199.00 each.

Dual node dual socket 2011 server, does not include Cpu's, ram or hard drive but complete otherwise.

Some cheap E5 26xx Xeons some used Ecc DDR3 ram and a couple of big hard drives...









It has its quirks but......

Trying sooo hard to not ask if there are any more of those servers available...

Yep....screaming price and they are new in the box and quite a few available.

I do not need this........want it badly and would be fun to tinker with......I must show restraint.....must have willpower.......

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wiwynn-SV7210-2-Node-Open-Compute-Server-Base-Unit-2x-LGA2011-Brand-New-/391293435900?hash=item5b1ae7fffc:g:J20AAOSwFqJWsRi6

These servers have a few quirks about them:

Will not fit a standard size rack, only one that complies with the Open Server standard.

Non standard height, 1 1/2 u.

Only certified OS is Cent OS 6, but others have run newer os's on them , FreeBSD 10, Windows 7 but not 8.0 8.1 nor 10 runs. Just about all distros of Linux seem to be ok.

Can use a PCIe graphics card but it seems to not like not newer ones.

They run off 200 - 277 volts AC or 48volts DC.

Some have used converters plugged into 110 volts. You can also use a modded HP server powersupply.

Will not run a E5 V2 cpu's only V1's. Tho thats not really a con because you can find E5 2650's for ~ $50.00 and E5 2670's for about $10 -$15 more each.

There is no updated bios.

Read more here about this server and used Quanta version.

The quanta version is still somewhat supported and has newer bios but are only used where the Wiwynn is new in the box, and I think I would rather deal with the new one verses the used one.

Damnation... so pretty yet so many thorns.

When I had the time to futz with this, I didn't have the money.

When I have the money to futz with this, I don't have the time.


I'll just have to live vicariously through you guys.

I'm restraining myself, I promised to build my middle girl a pc otherwise I'd be all over it.

Still may buy it anyway and slowly collect parts for it.

That's a very interesting model and were I to run my own shop I would absolutely have that as a core offering.  It's funny because that's the essence of the "cloud" model that is driving so many organizations to push into AWS/Azure/Softlayer (whether or not they should is a whole other conversation) only you are providing something along the lines of private cloud.  

Do you host for the clients, build them out in client spaces/co-lo on their gear and licensing, or both?  I can already see the sales angles and some of the types that would go for it eagerly.

I've always broken up 3rd part IT into 3 major categories.

IT Professional Service: Your typical integrator's, consultants, etc.  One time CAPEX projects where you go in, do what the SOW says, get out, and move on to the next job.  This is how it's been for decades.

<noun> as a Service

This is some aspect of IT as it says provided as a Service.  Examples of that would be Hosted Exchange, Hosted App Delivery, VPS provider, etc.  It's basically a provider providing one single or collection of infrastructure or LOB components, where the customer is responsible for day to day, and coordination.

IT Managed Services

This is the full monty.  Basically the provider replaces the entire IT component of a business, and makes all the specific technical decisions.  Basically the customer says "I want it to just work, and I don't particularly care how"

This is the model I'm in the midst of trying to build out.  Basically we show up, we spend some time figuring out the what and why of the business end of things, then completely rip out and replace or re-design the customer infrastructure to fit what we want to support designed in a way we envision.  This is why the Microsoft centric approach is ideal.  My customers under this model, from an IT perspective, are all nearly identical.  They have standardized machine names, group assignments, GPOs, servers, storage designs; basically the only thing that changes from customer to customer is the names associated to the agreement.

You basically take a bunch of discrete customers with heterogeneous environments, and turn them into a collective of homogeneous divisions and treat them all like a single entity because EVERYTHING is standardized and logically it's just like different departments in a single Enterprise.  Everything functions the same, all managed in a single pane of glass, troubleshooting is all the same for any customers, and if it's LOB specific we require the customers have valid support contracts with the vendors and my guys just escalate to them directly and they fix their issues.

The ONLY reason I haven't considered hyper-converging everything internally and presenting it to all my customers is that last mile transport to my customers to actually do that would be cost-prohibitive.    

UPDATE: Still running great !!

I think I'm about to buy one.  This AMD is just running way too hot and the performance isn't what I expected or what I need.  

The Dual Xeon E5 26XX V1 cpu Asrock Rack motherboards are in stock !!!

Cheaper one for $299.00 This one would be better for a workstation build as it has an extra Pci Express full length slot.

The one I bought is now down to $339.00 from $449.00 This one would be better for a server build as it has twice as many ram slots.