since this is my first post be gentle if I used the wrong category and kepp in mind that english isn’t my mother tongue
I’m currently running my homelab with x99 Hardware:
Asrock x99 Extreme 4
Intel Xeon E5-2630v4
8x16GB DDR4 ECC (RDIMM)
2x480GB Intel D3-S4510 Mirror for Proxmox
512GB NVMe as ZFS Cache
Mellanox ConnectX-3 CX354A 40Gbit’s NIC
Dual Port Gigabit NIC
SAS3008 HBA with IT-Mode
10x4TB Seagate Ironwolf HDD in ZFS Raidz2 Setup
OS: Proxmox - Storage is handled from the Truenas Scale VM. NVMe and SAS3008 are passed through to the VM
My problem with the setup is the lack of headless boot and power draw in general.
Every time I need to reboot the host for hardware maintenance or major OS updates i’ll shove a pcie mining Adapter in and unplug the USB connection when the server is up.
This is a major drawback and not “idiot proof” - I’m often abroad and don’t want my wife to hassle with the hardware if something can’t be fixed via remote/vpn connection
I recently aquired some cheap hardware and thought about upgrading but the physical and electrical pcie lane options making me unsure if those are even possible options:
Gigabyte Z370P D3 with Intel i5 8400
Asrock X570 Phantom Gaming 4 (CPU’s I still use in other options would be Ryzen 7 3700x or Ryzen 9 3900x)
I really want to keep the upgrade cost effective and would prefer reusing the RAM but since I want to keep the 128GB I currently think I need bite the bullet and buy some 32GB ECC Sticks.
Maybe you’ve got some advice for me. Currently I think of using the x570 board, get some RAM, some pcie hardware splitter (physical and electrical x16 to two x8)
That way I could use the GTX1070 stilly laying around, the Connectx-3 Card and the SAS3008 HBA and even the dual port NIC.
Still unsure what CPU to use when going down this road.
This allows booting a desktop CPU w/o a GPU present. It also has IPMI, meaning you can remote in and have full control over the machine, including (re)booting, BIOS, etc.
Maybe I need to clarify. The Asrock x570 Phantom Gaming 4 and the z370 Board with i5 8400 are mine. I know these asrock boards also the supermicro x11/x12 options. But since I want to keep the cost low, I would prefer using my existing hardware as mentioned above. IPMI is cool but not mission critical.
You will be hard pressed to “upgrade” it into a x570 or z370 board due to these not being HEDT and lacking PCIe lanes and (as a result) slots.
I understand the hassle of headless booting. I assume you validated that the BIOS doesn’t have an “ignore boot errors” or similar option that enables headless booting without GPU installed.
I have a similar system and solved the booting issue with a PCIe x1 GPU (NVidia GT710?). I think your system may still have a 1x slot available You may have to work hard to find such a(n old) GPU, though.
I think reasonable upgrade paths may lead you to Rome generation Threadripper or Epyc systems that can be had (at least in the US) for a couple of hundred dollars including CPU. There are similar options on the Intel workstation side.
I think the real question is if you really need a hw “upgrade” - you seem to be happy with your setup apart from the headless boot situation. Maybe the right move is to find a PCIe single lane GPU to solve your issue at hand.
Yeah, thats the issue I face here HEDT predecessors to x99 like x299 etc are pretty expensive here in germany. I came from x58 → x79 → x99 but the cost/use factor for upgrading to another HEDT is unjustifiable.
The main issues for me are the headless boot and power consumption. I’ve already counteract the power issue with script automated CPU governor changes during nighttime.
I’m happy to have a special employee power contract (my wife is working for the local electricity supplier) but even then we still pay 0,29€/kWh and my 3D Printers etc. don’t make it any better
I’ve considered going with Supermicro x11 or x12 or even Epyc systems or W680 but its so darn expensive here
Feel free to buy me some stuff over there and ship it to Germany - lul. But customs would kill the deal…
Last year I bought an EPYC system from a single vendor on Aliexpress for about 550€, comprising a Supermicro H11SSL-i board, 7551P CPU and 4x 32GB/2133 LDIMM ECC RAM. Unfortunately the supplier no longer offers these parts. Ebay also has combo offers (mainboard+CPU) for under US$400 (and free shipping from China!) like this one (<- link!). Do some research, other options are available that may suit your need and/or budget better. (hint!)
Alternatively, if you really want to stick to your currently owned boards, a PiKVM might be for you. Still requires a GPU in your system though
You may have to work hard to find such a(n old) GPU, though.