How much airflow for X10SDVT-LN4F (Xeon D 1541)?

[matt_garman]

I just moved into a new house, and somehow during the move my server died. Here's my build writeup of that (now dead) server. I took this opportunity to do a little upgrade. The rebuild is essentially the same, I just dropped in a new CPU+Motherboard+RAM. Previously it was an ASRock E3C224D4I with an E3-1230v3 CPU and 16 GB RAM (which is the max for that board). The replacement is a Supermicro X10SDV-TLN4F, with Xeon D 1541, and 32 GB RAM (2x16).

I'm currently using the same case, the [url=http://www.istarusa.com/istarusa/products.php?model=S-35-DE5#.WThv5VXyvct]iStarUSA S-35-DE5. This build now has only three total fans: the 120mm case fan, the tiny (40mm?) fan on the CPU heatsink, and whatever fan is in the power supply (which I believe doesn't generally run because this system uses so little power).

Last night I ran prime95 for nearly two hours, and to my pleasant surprise, the CPU never broke 70 degrees C. That was my one hesitation in buying this board: tiny heatsink and minimal aftermarket options. (I've read the articles and posts here on replacing the heatsink on these boards; but this thing was expensive and is still new so I don't want to do anything that could compromise the warranty.)

Question 1: considering just the simple fan mod for this board: has anyone compared the stock fan versus the Noctua NF-A6x25? The Noctua is bigger, so I would think it might be better. (Also, I was thinking, maybe I could commission someone with a 3D printer to make a tapered duct, so you could use e.g. a 92mm fan on the stock heatsink.)

Question 2: the new house has a big unfinished basement, so I'm no longer space-constrained, though I like to keep things small when possible. So I'm thinking of migrating this server into a 2U rackmount case I already have, iStarUSA D-213-MATX. This case basically has only two 80mm fans. In it I'm using an Antec Earthwatts PSU, which I deliberately chose for this case because it has an 80mm "straight through" fan rather than the more common 120mm "sideways" fan. I thought this might help create some more in-case ventilation. Another option is, I have an unused 160watt PicoPSU which would suffice for this server. So then I could free up all that ATX PSU space, and rig another 80mm blower fan in its place.

In short, just trying to get a handle on how little airflow I can get away with when using this board.

Thanks for any thoughts![/url]

 

[PigLover]

If you never broke 70c on a CPU-intensive synthetic (Prime95) - and assuming the little fan wasn't too whiney - then why change it? You'll never put that CPU under more stress with server workloads than P95 did.

While I freely admit to a past-life as a "silent PC" fanatic and am prone to never-ending tinkering, I am also aging into more and more of an "if it ain't broke..." philosophy. Besides - there are more interesting things to tinker with than the fans. Step 1.

As to question 2: if the little CPU fan can keep it cool in the volume-restricted case then rest assured it will be OK in the 2U i-Star with its added air volume and an 80mm exhaust fan.

 

[matt_garman]

While I freely admit to a past-life as a "silent PC" fanatic and am prone to never-ending tinkering, I am also aging into more and more of an "if it ain't broke..." philosophy. Besides - there are more interesting things to tinker with than the fans. Step 1.

Totally agree. It's a habit, as soon as I get my hands on just about anything, I have to see how I can tweak it. I've burned a lot of time by "improving" things over the years (and fixing the problems my "improvements" introduced). The upside is I've learned a lot.

I guess my main concern is the longevity of the stock fan (more so than cooling ability). I've had several fans die over the years, and it feels like it's always the tiny ones. Clearly it's working now, and ought to work for at least a couple years, so I have some time to think about it.

As to question 2: if the little CPU fan can keep it cool in the volume-restricted case then rest assured it will be OK in the 2U i-Star with its added air volume and an 80mm exhaust fan.

I suppose the only thing I can do is try. I didn't take pictures of the current arrangement, but if you look at the pics of the previous motherboard, it's easy to imagine: basically the same but without the big tower heatsink and attached fan. But the 120mm exhaust case fan remains. So there's a decent amount of free-air volume right above the motherboard, and presumably a decent about of airflow due to the proximity of the 120mm fan.

Whereas in the 2U, there are only two 80mm intake fans, and the hard drives will sit between them and the motherboard. I suppose the 80mm PSU fan counts as an exhaust fan, but it's not in line with the motherboard.

 

[mackle]

I have the D-213 with my Xeon-D 1508, a couple of 80mm Noctua fans in the front (this has been running in my lounge for the last 6 months) and a spare PSU drawing air through the top of the case. 2 HDDs in the HDD cage nearest the side of the case (I think?)

In hindsight I should have gone with the D-214, and put in a 2x5.25 to 3x3.5 cage. Still, the case was $35... I do notice a decent amount of air coming out through the front 5.25 slot. It's to the point where I really should cover it up, but the loads on this system & ambient temps are low enough that it hasn't warranted it just yet. I did put a 40mm fan over the passive heatsink to help keep the CPU temp low, but if it were to fail I don't think it would be the end of the world, just insurance.

I would expect that the PSU fan would divert the airflow away from the CPU, but that's just speculation from eyeballing the case.

 

[i386]

In short, just trying to get a handle on how little airflow I can get away with when using this board.

The Xeon-Ds can run without problems til 96°c (intel thermal guide for xeon d 1500 series) and the supermicro website lists the mainboard with an operating enviroment of 0-60°C.

I think other components (add on cards, ssds/hdds) will fail before the cpu/mainboard does and that even one exhaust fan would provide enough airflow for this mainboard.

 

[PigLover]

I guess my main concern is the longevity of the stock fan (more so than cooling ability). I've had several fans die over the years, and it feels like it's always the tiny ones. Clearly it's working now, and ought to work for at least a couple years, so I have some time to think about it.

From experience in my silent-PC fanatic days, I'd suggest you should be more worried about longevity with a Noctua or other "enthusiast" fan. I have a lot of confidence in SM's testing and parts selection and no doubt the the little fan on the HSF will last forever (or at least longer than the MB remains useful).

However, given the job I do in the daytime, I also know that everything should be monitored. On of the VMs on that little box should run something like Zabbix or another monitoring system, which should monitor the IPMI SDR on the motherboard, and send you a text alert if the CPU gets out-or-spec hot or if one of the fans spins too slowly or stops.

 

[matt_garman]

From experience in my silent-PC fanatic days, I'd suggest you should be more worried about longevity with a Noctua or other "enthusiast" fan. I have a lot of confidence in SM's testing and parts selection and no doubt the the little fan on the HSF will last forever (or at least longer than the MB remains useful).

Interesting. I agree, SM would be shooting themselves in the foot if they built such a nice board only to cheap out on the fan.

I've always had the impression that the premium enthusiast fans like Noctua were overbuilt, and should last forever... they boast big MBTF specs and the fluid dynamic bearings sound impressive. Maybe I've just been brainwashed by marketing copy!

However, given the job I do in the daytime, I also know that everything should be monitored. On of the VMs on that little box should run something like Zabbix or another monitoring system, which should monitor the IPMI SDR on the motherboard, and send you a text alert if the CPU gets out-or-spec hot or if one of the fans spins too slowly or stops.

No question there.

Based on your and others' comments, sounds like I have a pretty good chance of having no issues in the D-213. Hopefully I'll have time this weekend to try it out!

 

[PigLover]

I've always had the impression that the premium enthusiast fans like Noctua were overbuilt, and should last forever... they boast big MBTF specs and the fluid dynamic bearings sound impressive. Maybe I've just been brainwashed by marketing copy!

I've got a small box of dead Notua's that suggest otherwise

 

[CJRoss]

I've been running a D-1540(the original version of your board) for around 18 months with no problems. I have it sitting in a 743T that I swapped the fans for the SQ versions. I can hear them ramp up whenever plex starts transcoding something but other than that they run at a low setting.

FreeNAS Xeon D Build Journal |

 

[matt_garman]

I've been running a D-1540(the original version of your board) for around 18 months with no problems. I have it sitting in a 743T that I swapped the fans for the SQ versions. I can hear them ramp up whenever plex starts transcoding something but other than that they run at a low setting.

FreeNAS Xeon D Build Journal |

That looks great, and is very encouraging for my own project. Thanks for posting!

I've got a small box of dead Notua's that suggest otherwise

That's interesting. Are they old? Or do you run them in an unusually dusty environment? At least their current offerings have six year warranties, did you see about getting them replaced?

Are there any fan brands you've found to be particularly reliable, "enthusiast" or not? Now I'm overthinking the 80mm fans for the iStar D-213 case. Right now I have in it these Arctic Cooling F8 PWM fans. I bought them because the specs looked good, PWM, FDB, and they are cheap. But your comment has put doubt on all "enthusiast" fans.

I know SuperMicro likes to use the Sanyo Denki "San Ace" fans in their chassis. Years ago (many years) I couldn't find these for reasonable prices for sale in the USA. Now it looks like Mouser.com carries them! Something like this might be good for the M-213: Sanyo Denki 9A0812H401. Depending on how much room I have in there, I might even be able to squeeze in a 38mm deep 80x80 fan.

 

[mackle]

My Noctua's have 6mm between them and the HDDs, and they're listed as 25mm deep.

 

[brinox]

I've used the CO versions of the Arctic fans in a few different builds, and I trust them a little bit more than the regular white F8 series stuff:

ARCTIC | F8 PWM PST CO

My best guess would be these have slightly more premium stuff thrown in, such as higher quality bearings with longer lasting lubrication built-in.

 

[matt_garman]

My Noctua's have 6mm between them and the HDDs, and they're listed as 25mm deep.

I moved everything into the D-213 yesterday. I actually measured 13mm between the drives and the 25mm fans I have. There is some play, as both the hard drive mounting holes, and the bracket-to-chassis holes are pill-shaped, rather than circles. So I was able to push everything "back" and create more clearance. So there's a chance I can squeeze 38mm fans in the case, but it would be very tight. With tolerances and such, it might not work. Not sure if I'm going to try or not.

At any rate, just using the Arctic F8 PWM fans I already have, stock heatsink+fan on the x10sdvt, and the fan built into the PSU, I did another prime95 test. I ran it for about 2.5 hours (actually forgot about it while I ran some errands!). Max CPU temp was 73 degrees C. So still well within the comfort zone. Still I might drop in better chassis fans.

I took some pics, I'll post them shortly.

 

[matt_garman]

Pics posted, see this thread: Home server rebuild - x10sdvt, d-213-matx.