Xeon-D vs Xeon in a 1U Context

[tssrshot]

So Let me try to clearly define my requirements:

Between a 1 and 2U rack sizing.
Short depth, so total depth cannot exceed 18.5" with the power cable.
Front Facing IO due the space limitation
Overall Price generally below $1300
Not Required but SFP+ would be a great addition.

My problem is...I've been using C2758 and Synology for a while, so I'm out of context for Xeon Offerings that aren't Xeon D.

I love the 1541, but none of the Supermicro or easy 1U packages contain an SFP+ to start. I have a bunch of Connect-x2 from the Great Sale of 2016, but I lose my one PCIE right off the bat. Not a deal breaker, but just keeping my options open.

Use Case:

Not big on VMs (I know, get with it, right?) but I am an often traveler, and I am more comfortable repairing or talking my wife through any changes in a single console in Linux or via IPMI. Its on my list of To-do learning, but for now i'd like a solution that works both ways, but designed to be single context.

Primary Focuses:
Plex Media Server...Transcoding is killing my Synology. We've got about 2 shared users, but we also watch a lot of stuff of iPad/iPhone when I travel with my kids. Sanity is directly correlated to how long it takes Daniel Tiger to start.

The usual Media Stack: Sonarr, NZBGet, CouchPotato...some scripts to convert unusable formats up front. NZBGet can hang a Synology up on a single Post-Processing event. A little power to churn through that would be helpful.

Overall: I don't mind an slight increase in power usage if I can get some power out of it. Noise is less a concern due to the sound my ancient networking equipment, and its location in a nice basement HVAC room. Rackmount is my nice clean solution and keeps the cooling concerns to a minimum. C2758 has been very clean and easy for me, I'd love to keep it in the same vein if possible.

Thoughts? Fire Away.

 

[Netwerkz101]

Supermicro | Products | SuperServers | 1U | 5018D-FN8T
Supermicro | Products | SuperServers | Mini 1U | E300-8D

^Performance may not be enough though to replace your C2758.
In my lab..they perform about the same YMMV depending on work load.

It does have 2 SFP+ 10GbE ports and 2 PCIe slots (Flext ATX)

Since you don't have issues with sound ... you can get the chassis:
Super Micro Computer, Inc. - Products | Chassis | 1U | SC505-203B

+ get a regular Xeon and Mobo with a 1u cooler.

or because the depth is <10" you could get the version with rear io:
Super Micro Computer, Inc. - Products | Chassis | 1U | SC504-203B

For a Xeon setup...I have the following in a 2U setup:
- SuperMicro X10SRI-F
- Intel Xeon E5-2620v3 6 core / 12 thread 2.4GHz
- 64GB DDR4 (2x32GB modules - up to 256GB possible)
- Mellanox Connectx3 dual port 10Gb (DAC to host and storage)

 

[tssrshot]

Anyone running PMS native on a 1541? I'd like to save the money of going 1518...but I need the small burst to get tasks done sometimes. Heaven forbid transcoding delays Sofia the First. No mercy from those under Age 5.

 

[tssrshot]

Well this might be a weird solution....what about an x11ssv-m4 with a 10gb NIC? Better or worse than a Xeon-D for Plex Media Services?I don't know if Plex does QuickSync, but this seems like a possible deal maker...anyone?

 

[IamSpartacus]

Anyone running PMS native on a 1541? I'd like to save the money of going 1518...but I need the small burst to get tasks done sometimes. Heaven forbid transcoding delays Sofia the First. No mercy from those under Age 5.

I would seriously consider the D-1537. Plex is the focal point of my home network and I've run it on both the D-1541 and currently the D-1537 as I swapped to the D-1537 also for the onboard SFP+ ports. I ran some stress testing on my Plex server the other night to test out a new aftermarket heatsink I installed and was able to stream 9 simultaneous transcodes without issue.

My typical daily workload (Plex, PlexPy, Sonarr, CP, NZBGet, and Deluge) regularly consists of 6-7 transcodes at a time every night in Plex with no hiccups. Now the D-1541 did perform better at things like Optimized Versions and Mobile Syncs as it would complete those in a little less time. But in terms of live transcodes I haven't noticed a single difference.

With that said, I'm actually in the process of changing out one of my two D-1537 boards for an ASRock D-1541D4U-208R that wasn't available at the time I bought my D-1537. I've started doing a LOT of Optimized Versions and Mobile Syncing so I want the extra juice for that. It comes at a price though as the board runs $1k.

So yea, take that all for what you will .

 

[tssrshot]

I am at a serious crossroads now. The X11SSV-M4F 3.5/3.9GHz and has full-up quick sync. The newest PMS for PlexPass users supports QuickSync...its only a matter of time before its working moderately well. They claim 15 streams@1080p, and 2-HEVC-4K from the last Intel Brief. The MB is listed at $969, but to make it a standard rate 1U Supermicro, front-facing would be close to 1104, prior to memory/storage.

I've been shooting for under 1200 total with some parts on hand (some memory and MLC M.2 hanging about). So this would fit, but dang. Talk about gamble.

 

[IamSpartacus]

I am at a serious crossroads now. The X11SSV-M4F 3.5/3.9GHz and has full-up quick sync. The newest PMS for PlexPass users supports QuickSync...its only a matter of time before its working moderately well. They claim 15 streams@1080p, and 2-HEVC-4K from the last Intel Brief. The MB is listed at $969, but to make it a standard rate 1U Supermicro, front-facing would be close to 1104, prior to memory/storage.

I've been shooting for under 1200 total with some parts on hand (some memory and MLC M.2 hanging about). So this would fit, but dang. Talk about gamble.

Where did you read that the newest PMS supports Quick sync?

 

[tssrshot]

Where did you read that the newest PMS supports Quick sync?

http://forums.plex.tv/discussion/250946/plex-media-server-hardware-transcoding-preview-1-4-0/p1

Plus, I tried it... PlexPass Version Though.

 

[IamSpartacus]

http://forums.plex.tv/discussion/250946/plex-media-server-hardware-transcoding-preview-1-4-0/p1

Plus, I tried it... PlexPass Version Though.

Oh wow I'm surprised I missed this.

When you say you tried it, on what configuration did you try it (sytem, OS (virutalized)?) and what were your results.

As for that E3 board you posted, I'd be real interested to see how much of an impact the QuickSync has because I'd imagine either the D-1537 or D-1541 would greatly outperform it otherwise. Also, it has no onboard SFP+ or HBA and has only one expansion slot which eliminates that board as an option for me. Also the 32GB max supported RAM is a dagger.

 

[tssrshot]

I used it on a MacBook Pro running Windows 10 Natively in BootCamp. I didn't have a ton of clients to throw at it, but it seemed to perform well. CPU barely budged starting a Movie that I know needed transcoding down to 720p on a iPhone client. I didn't try syncing or offline files.

Well, if the purpose is just to make a boss PMS sharing machine, I don't see how it wouldn't be better than 1541. 15 Streams is a lot more than 4-5 most people attempt. I know the multi-thread performance for 1541 is better, but thats no sniff at 3.5/3.9turbo. People out there have single thread only performance issues too, even aside from QuickSync. My Use case is 1U, also, to Storage + HBA was never a selling point. It has M.2 for Boot, iSCSI is an option, and all my storage is in a decently fast huge NAS to serve up content.

That being said, even though my points were counter to yours, I am still probably going to tuck tail and buy a 1541. I have a big deadline coming up and I can't travel, etc. while experimenting. The WAF would suffer...and that's not good. I could at least get a 1541 setup and done i short order, figure the rest out OTA while I'm gone. Just interesting is all...weird form factor for what it is.

 

[tssrshot]

Oh wow I'm surprised I missed this.

When you say you tried it, on what configuration did you try it (sytem, OS (virutalized)?) and what were your results.

As for that E3 board you posted, I'd be real interested to see how much of an impact the QuickSync has because I'd imagine either the D-1537 or D-1541 would greatly outperform it otherwise. Also, it has no onboard SFP+ or HBA and has only one expansion slot which eliminates that board as an option for me. Also the 32GB max supported RAM is a dagger.

And it would appear that the QuickSync Support is Beta at best. It broke for me and several other people already. So I guess, its a good thing I was too busy to jump onto anything. I need to implement in two weeks or less before my next work trip, so looks like NewEgg.com here I come, unless someone has a good source for a 1541 or 1537 1U that I can get in less than 3 weeks.

 

[IamSpartacus]

And it would appear that the QuickSync Support is Beta at best. It broke for me and several other people already. So I guess, its a good thing I was too busy to jump onto anything. I need to implement in two weeks or less before my next work trip, so looks like NewEgg.com here I come, unless someone has a good source for a 1541 or 1537 1U that I can get in less than 3 weeks.

Considering Plex just added support for this and based on their previous timeline for adding new features, I'm not surprised. This is why I'm not in any rush to upgrade from my Xeon D's anytime soon.

In your OP you mentioned you need front facing IO. However I didn't see any mention of space needed for drives. Will you put housing your drives elsewhere such as your Synology?

 

[tssrshot]

Yeah, I forgot to write it, but I Was thinking it. Either a simple SSD I've got laying around, M.2, SATA-DOM, or just a SATA one I am not using for basic OS stuff. I could boot iSCSI from Synology if I had to, but keeping it simple works too. I use the drives from the Synology for Media File Storage, but this box would probably still need some storage natively for NZBGet: post processing, also I script handbrake to post-process to optimum file size, audio codec, etc.

I did just remember that I have a 512GB PCIE SSD that dropped off another project, but if I'd rather use the 1 slot for SFP+ 10GB if I had to. A 1541 with SFP+ sure seems like a bonus now!

 

[IamSpartacus]

Yeah, I forgot to write it, but I Was thinking it. Either a simple SSD I've got laying around, M.2, SATA-DOM, or just a SATA one I am not using for basic OS stuff. I could boot iSCSI from Synology if I had to, but keeping it simple works too. I use the drives from the Synology for Media File Storage, but this box would probably still need some storage natively for NZBGet: post processing, also I script handbrake to post-process to optimum file size, audio codec, etc.

I did just remember that I have a 512GB PCIE SSD that dropped off another project, but if I'd rather use the 1 slot for SFP+ 10GB if I had to. A 1541 with SFP+ sure seems like a bonus now!

Can you not pull the SSD off the PCIE card and install it directly into an M.2 slot?

 

[tssrshot]

Not that kind:

Plextor M6e Black Edition Half-Height, Half-Length (HH-HL) 512GB PCI-Express 2.0 x2 Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) PX-512M6eA-BK - Newegg.com

I'm not sure from quick glance if its faster than M.2, but its free in this case. Also, the Next M.2 in size I have on hand is only ~128.

 

[IamSpartacus]

Not that kind:

Plextor M6e Black Edition Half-Height, Half-Length (HH-HL) 512GB PCI-Express 2.0 x2 Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) PX-512M6eA-BK - Newegg.com

I'm not sure from quick glance if its faster than M.2, but its free in this case. Also, the Next M.2 in size I have on hand is only ~128.

Are you still considering the Xeon D boards with SFP+ onboard?

 

[tssrshot]

Yeah. SFP+ is the best deal. However I wish I could just get a 1U prebuilt that way. No SFP+ 1U right from Supermocro that I can find.

 

[IamSpartacus]

Yeah. SFP+ is the best deal. However I wish I could just get a 1U prebuilt that way. No SFP+ 1U right from Supermocro that I can find.

Yea no pre-builts with SFP+ unfortunately. Are you dead set on front facing I/O or are you open to back facing I/O if the case is shallow enough? The problem with front facing I/O is that you won't have as good of cooling for the CPU and the Xeon D's tend to run hot if you don't have good front to back air flow.

 

[tssrshot]

I guess I'm starting to run out of time and budget, so I'm beginning to compromise.

We've got a spare 2u case now but it's ATX or smaller. There is some interest in a Dell R210 ii if the price was right. Looks like budget is about half of what we could spare.

Any ideas, anyone? Same network and support elements just need a baller transcoder for sharing (external and internal to AppleTV) Synology still doing the storage piece. Other than Plex I'll probably dual duty NZBGet on it too, just to reduce the any overhead.