Beginner Looking For Server Building Tips

[Swordflame]

I want to build a server that would double as a NAS and image processing/Machine language. Hopefully a dual processor motherboard and dedicated Graphics card would help with that. Any suggestions for hardware that would suit these requirements.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Canada EH]

16 minutes ago, Swordflame said:

I want to build a server that would double as a NAS and image processing/Machine language. Hopefully a dual processor motherboard and dedicated Graphics card would help with that. Any suggestions for hardware that would suit these requirements.

 

Thanks in advance!

new or used

budget

[maxtch]

Since my specialty is building servers out of used server-grade hardware, here is my ideas:

• Motherboard: Tyan S7012
• CPU: 2x Intel Xeon X5675
• Memory: 12x 8GB DDR3-1333 Registered ECC
• Graphics card: GTX 1060 6GB + 2x P106-100
• HBA: IBM M1015
• HDD: WD Red 4TB x6
• SSD: WD Blue SSD 256GB

Notes:

• The layout of that motherboard permits the installation of three graphics cards using its open-ended PCIe connectors.
• P106-100 are GTX 1060 6GB cards without display output. Both P106-100 and GTX 1060 6GB are being dumped by miners now, so they are very cheap. Here I am specifying effectively three identical cards, boy only one of which has graphics output, in irder to minimize cost.
• IBM M1015 can be flashed into LSI 9211-8i SAS HBA card. That is the intended use here.

[leadeater]

1 hour ago, maxtch said:

Motherboard: Tyan S7012

I'd swap that for an Intel S5520HC motherboard, personally don't trust Tyan but more that it has x16 slot for GPU. Open ended x8 are nice enough but if you don't need multiple GPUs or want/need the full x16 bandwidth then they aren't great.

[maxtch]

2 hours ago, leadeater said:

I'd swap that for an Intel S5520HC motherboard, personally don't trust Tyan but more that it has x16 slot for GPU. Open ended x8 are nice enough but if you don't need multiple GPUs or want/need the full x16 bandwidth then they aren't great.

I have specified three graphics cards here: one GTX 1060 6GB and two P106-100.

[leadeater]

13 minutes ago, maxtch said:

I have specified three graphics cards here: one GTX 1060 6GB and two P106-100.

Yep, but are 3 required. I kind of doubt that. I've used a Tyan motherboard before and the firmware was not great and had issues with multiple RAID cards and correctly going through the RAID bios boot sequences for all of them, same reason I won't buy Asus server motherboards etc. I know the Intel ones work and Supermicro, or other more premium server vendors but those are typically proprietary form factor motherboard.

 

Usually I recommend buying a used decommissioned server with the most basic specs and upgrading the CPUs, RAM, HDDs etc as price wise it typically works out cheaper if you also need rackmount. Used rackmount chassis with PSUs are basically the same price as a used server and Rosewill is one of the only companies that sell new rackmount chassis at actually low prices, really low prices .

[Swordflame]

Quote

9 hours ago, Canada EH said:

new or used

budget

 

Used, preferably under $500, going higher as more time passes.

[Swordflame]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-S5520HCR-S5520HC-LGA1366-with-12gb-and-2-x-Xeon-E5520-I-O-Shield/263784144956?epid=96994314&hash=item3d6ac2a03c:g:vLEAAOSwcSFbNLgN:rk:10:pf:0 Would this work?

[leadeater]

28 minutes ago, Swordflame said:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-S5520HCR-S5520HC-LGA1366-with-12gb-and-2-x-Xeon-E5520-I-O-Shield/263784144956?epid=96994314&hash=item3d6ac2a03c:g:vLEAAOSwcSFbNLgN:rk:10:pf:0 Would this work?

Do you have a case and PSU sorted out or do you need those as well. Where are you going to put this system? Does noise matter much?

[NelizMastr]

2 hours ago, Swordflame said:

Used, preferably under $500, going higher as more time passes.

What kind of image processing are we talking here? Will you work on the server or do you have software that uses the server as background rendering machine or whatever? Which software specifically? 

 

Machine language? What do you mean by that and how does it require a server?

[Swordflame]

1 hour ago, NelizMastr said:

What kind of image processing are we talking here? Will you work on the server or do you have software that uses the server as background rendering machine or whatever? Which software specifically? 

 

Machine language? What do you mean by that and how does it require a server?

Just some computing for training a machine to recognise images. 

 

It needs a certain level of computing, just running in the background. In a way it's like a rendering machine, taking pixel maps of images and using them in something like openCV.

[Swordflame]

1 hour ago, leadeater said:

Do you have a case and PSU sorted out or do you need those as well. Where are you going to put this system? Does noise matter much?

Probably underneath a table. Noise would matter as it would be running 24/7. I have not done any planning so far except for research on the CPU. 

[Hawkeye64]

Having bought an old DELL POWEREDGE 1950 SERVER I did not realize quite how noisy they were. When you have 4 X 4 Fans running it hits nearly 80db at startup and runs normally at about 55db. Servers generally are not as easy to set up with GFX cards as the drivers are not designed for server OS. You may be able to get it to work but it is a lot more hassle than just running a normal non-server OS. I would just use a normal PC for your Rendering and have a small separate NAS on 24/7. 

 

The Server you looked at has a CPU Benchmark of 4435 dual ups it to 7425.

 

This Pc has a single  I-7 3770 has a CPU Benchmark of 9515

 

Nas about $60 PC about $250 add a GFX card and you should be well in budget. 

 

 

 

NAS https://www.ebay.com/itm/ZYXEL-NAS326-2-Bay-Personal-Cloud-Storage-Seller-Refurbished/292892724545?epid=1765645341&hash=item4431c44d41:g:X5EAAOSwYNZaxR1-

 

PC https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Optiplex-9010-MT-Core-i7-3770-3-40GHz-16GB-RAM-250-HDD-No-OS-Win7Pro-C-O-A/183527210507?hash=item2abb12fe0b:g:qb8AAOSwO2hbvrTX:rk:27:pf:0

 

 

[leadeater]

On 1/11/2019 at 3:35 AM, Swordflame said:

Probably underneath a table. Noise would matter as it would be running 24/7. I have not done any planning so far except for research on the CPU. 

Ok then you'll definitely want to go down the path of using a more standard full tower/mid tower case, rackmount chassis are very loud and so are the dual PSUs in them.

 

I use a pair of Corsair H55's on one of my dual LGA1366 systems.