good 2011-3 options for home server?

[Kalm_Traveler]

Hey guys, I think with my old rig I want to throw another CPU in it, load it up with some more 4TB hdd's, and put it on server duty. 

 

Right now it is just: 

Coolermaster HAF X case

Asus x99 Sabertooth mb 

32gb (4x 8gb) 2666mhz Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 

512gb Samsung 850 Pro nvme ssd

Corsair HX1000i PSU

1x Seagate Desktop HDD ST4000DM000 4TB 64MB Cache SATA

360mm AIO with Noctua 2000rpm industrial fans 

 

I was thinking if I got something with lots of cores it could run some virtualized servers, maybe 1 for storage/media backup and streaming, 1 for a network firewall + DHCP kinds of things to take those duties off my router... maybe other uses?

 

Anyway, I'm trying to get a good idea of some CPUs would work and be a good fit for this type of workload in my home.

I found the supported CPU list here: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_X99/HelpDesk_CPU/  which seems to cover every 2011-v3 CPU including quad-core Xeons all the way up to the 22-core E5-2699-v4 (seems to still cost $4000 new so that's out).

Poking around on eBay it seems that one can find used 10 to 12 core Xeons for around $400-500 USD which is about as much as I'd be ok with spending, since this thing still needs some sort of graphics card and some more 4TB hard drives to be ready for business.

 

Any suggestions on something that would be a good fit for all of this? Do I even need to bother with virtualized servers or should I just install Linux and have everything running under 1 OS?

[Crunchy Dragon]

I doubt you would need more than 8 total threads. Any quad core Xeon should be fine.

[Jurrunio]

Why not just leave the 6900k there?

[Kalm_Traveler]

Just now, Jurrunio said:

Why not just leave the 6900k there?

the 6900k is in my main desktop rig, it used to be in the HAF X with all that other stuff but I bought newer everything and moved it over so the old rig is CPU-less.

[Jurrunio]

9 minutes ago, Kalm_Traveler1 said:

the 6900k is in my main desktop rig, it used to be in the HAF X with all that other stuff but I bought newer everything and moved it over so the old rig is CPU-less.

How much do 6 core and 8 core Xeons cost? You dont seem like a heavy VM user, so dont need the 10 cores and 12 cores unless the cheaper options arent much cheaper.

[Kalm_Traveler]

5 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

How much do 6 core and 8 core Xeons cost? You dont seem like a heavy VM user, so dont need the 10 cores and 12 cores unless the cheaper options arent much cheaper.

Looks like depending on how slow (I see some down at 1.6 gHz) you can get the 6 or 8 core Xeons for around $130 to $175 or so. You're right, I mostly just want to set this up for data storage + NAS, and figure out how to get it to do firewall + DHCP stuff so I can let the router focus it's meager power on routing, instead of trying to do all the network functions at once.

[Jurrunio]

8 minutes ago, Kalm_Traveler1 said:

Looks like depending on how slow (I see some down at 1.6 gHz) you can get the 6 or 8 core Xeons for around $130 to $175 or so. You're right, I mostly just want to set this up for data storage + NAS, and figure out how to get it to do firewall + DHCP stuff so I can let the router focus it's meager power on routing, instead of trying to do all the network functions at once.

what about the higher clocked E5 1650, 1660 and 1680? I feel like doubling the clock speed will be helpful.

[Kalm_Traveler]

32 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

what about the higher clocked E5 1650, 1660 and 1680? I feel like doubling the clock speed will be helpful.

hmm I found this one for $190 buy it now with free shipping from California, but I don't know if it's legit... not up to snuff on identifying real Xeon CPUs: INTEL XEON 6 CORE PROCESSOR E5-1660 3.3GHZ 15MB CACHE TDP 130W CPU SR0KN

 

*edit* I should add that it looks like 5820k's are going for about that same price. Funny thing is I originally had the 5820k but sold it when the 6900k launched and I upgraded to it.

[Jurrunio]

24 minutes ago, Kalm_Traveler1 said:

hmm I found this one for $190 buy it now with free shipping from California, but I don't know if it's legit... not up to snuff on identifying real Xeon CPUs: INTEL XEON 6 CORE PROCESSOR E5-1660 3.3GHZ 15MB CACHE TDP 130W CPU SR0KN

 

*edit* I should add that it looks like 5820k's are going for about that same price. Funny thing is I originally had the 5820k but sold it when the 6900k launched and I upgraded to it.

lol then why not just a 5820k if you arent getting 8 cores anyway

[Kalm_Traveler]

34 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

lol then why not just a 5820k if you arent getting 8 cores anyway

yeah that might be the best option. I found a local seller about 30 mins away who has one in box for $200, I can probably haggle him down a little bit. Plus those overclock pretty well and with the 360mm AIO in that old rig it should be fine for 4.2-4.4 gHz... not that there's any need for that on a file/network server haha

[DogKnight]

I use a 5820k in my home server. Mine is primarily for VMs. Honestly, I am finding RAM the primary limitation at the moment. With only 32gb, it tends to fill up way before the CPU gets close to max. I will be upgrading it to 64gb of RAM at some point when prices become more reasonable. I think a 5820k is going to be fine. Would spend any extra cash on RAM.