Intel Xeon E5-2670 Deal and Price Tracking

[svt3391]

On the S2600GL/GZ, the onboard SAS port1 is active without a key and should work (provided it's enabled in the BIOS, but off hand I don't remember the specific things that may need to be toggled on), however a key is required to unlock/activate the 2nd onboard SAS port. I had confirmed this when I initially received the system (SAS port 1 worked, SAS port 2 did not).

Thanks @jwegman! Also thanks @nthu9280. I got my answer as the following:

S2600GL has the first SCU activated for SATA, but not for SAS. Per the configuration guide, it says "8 CPU ports (4 SATA ports only functional w/NO storage keys". I just tested on my R2312GL4GS unit. If I only inserted SATA drive in the first 4 bays, those will be identified and the system boots fairly fast. Also there is no special need to configure in the BIOS, just choose AHCI and it is okay, and the OS (I used a live DVD for CentOS 7) identified all drives. But if any of the bay has a SAS drive, then none of them will be identified and the system takes forever to boot.

I kind of think Jake may have tested with SATA drive so that's how he saw those drives. I was testing with SAS drives and unfortunately I thought something was wrong and spent some sizable time trying to resolve it.

And the firmware on those $32.99 drives may have prevented the LED to light up for these SATA drives.

 

[svt3391]

...if anyone is interested in the P4000 Advanced Rail kit (full extension); $20ea (+shipping):
Intel AXX3U5UPRAIL Advanced Rail Kit For Server Chassis P4000 New Bulk Packaging

...and the rack bezel & rack handles $10ea (+shipping):
Intel AUPBEZEL4UF Rack Bezel Frame (No Door) New Bulk Packaging

I have received the AXX3U5UPRAIL today. They look fabulous, and are of tool-less design. That means, you do not need to put the square rack nut/screw in order to install them.

The only issue I have is they are way too long. My rack is 36 inch deep. These, in their shortest state, is probably 38-39 inch long. So when they are installed with the rack, the rear end will extrude for about 4 inch outside the rack. At Intel's website, i didn't see the spec listed.

Now I probably have to turn another 90 degree so the rear end will face an open shelf and not be dangerous to anyone who may walk into them. But that will prevent I put the rear screen door on. Another rail I bought is exactly the same length: the AXXPRAIL, an upgrade for 1U/2U, even though the R2312GL4 system I got already came with basic rail. The basic rail's length is just right for my rack, although it lacks the nice, smooth operation from the AXXPRAIL. I guess I will have to live with those mistakes.

So anyone is interested in getting them -- make sure your rack is at least 40" deep, otherwise you will end with some really cool, smooth rails which are too long for the rack.

 

[nthu9280]

I'm seeing a wierd issue with my P4xxxCP2MHGR.
I'm still seeing P1 temp / Thm Margin about 9 deg. hotter than P2 even during idle. I would expect P2 should be slightly hotter as it is further from the fans. I've removed the heat sink cleaned the TIM that came with the intel passive heat sinks and added new thermal compound. IPMI output attached. The P1 thermal margin got to -20 while I was in UEFI shell and fans did ramp up as they should and kept the temps at that level.
I used the compound that came with the eSISO E5 processor purchase.

My P4xxxxIP4LHGC unit does not exhibit this behavior. It's P2 is about couple of degrees hotter than P1 even under load.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. I was thinking of swapping the heat sinks to see if the issue follows.

 

[zackiv31]

I'm seeing a wierd issue with my P4xxxCP2MHGR.
I'm still seeing P1 temp / Thm Margin about 9 deg. hotter than P2 even during idle. I would expect P2 should be slightly hotter as it is further from the fans. I've removed the heat sink cleaned the TIM that came with the intel passive heat sinks and added new thermal compound. IPMI output attached. The P1 thermal margin got to -20 while I was in UEFI shell and fans did ramp up as they should and kept the temps at that level.
I used the compound that came with the eSISO E5 processor purchase.

My P4xxxxIP4LHGC unit does not exhibit this behavior. It's P2 is about couple of degrees hotter than P1 even under load.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. I was thinking of swapping the heat sinks to see if the issue follows.

Not at home, so don't have access to IPMI, but here's what `sensors` gives me, which shows 1 CPU about 5~8 degrees higher. This is with the passive intel heatsinks in a P4216IP4LHJC

root@intel:~# sensors
i350bb-pci-0700
Adapter: PCI adapter
loc1:         +57.0°C  (high = +120.0°C, crit = +110.0°C)

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Physical id 0:  +43.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 0:         +40.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 1:         +37.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 2:         +37.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 3:         +36.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 4:         +38.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 5:         +41.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 6:         +38.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 7:         +43.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)

coretemp-isa-0001
Adapter: ISA adapter
Physical id 1:  +45.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 0:         +45.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 1:         +41.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 2:         +44.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 3:         +45.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 4:         +45.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 5:         +42.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 6:         +45.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)
Core 7:         +42.0°C  (high = +90.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)

 

[nthu9280]

Thanks @jwegman! Also thanks @nthu9280. I got my answer as the following:

S2600GL has the first SCU activated for SATA, but not for SAS. Per the configuration guide, it says "8 CPU ports (4 SATA ports only functional w/NO storage keys". I just tested on my R2312GL4GS unit. If I only inserted SATA drive in the first 4 bays, those will be identified and the system boots fairly fast. Also there is no special need to configure in the BIOS, just choose AHCI and it is okay, and the OS (I used a live DVD for CentOS 7) identified all drives. But if any of the bay has a SAS drive, then none of them will be identified and the system takes forever to boot.

I kind of think Jake may have tested with SATA drive so that's how he saw those drives. I was testing with SAS drives and unfortunately I thought something was wrong and spent some sizable time trying to resolve it.

And the firmware on those $32.99 drives may have prevented the LED to light up for these SATA drives.

I overlooked your sentence about mixing SAS & SATA on the same HSBP. Intel docs say you can't mix. Must either be all SAS or all SATA.



Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Roy68]

When I set up the FRUSTR fan control on my S2600CP board I believe there were three choices to select the profile for how quickly the fans ramp up with increasing temp. I selected the medium setting, this runs the fans quiet on idle, but I still have plenty of temp headroom for my rig, the fans don't need to ramp much even on full load, so I'm thinking I could run the fans even slower at idle. Has anyone experimented with either of the other two FRUSTR settings, do any result in a really low fan speed at idle?

 

[jjoyceiv]

So 2670s and the dual-socket boards and RAM to go with them have gotten so cheap that it has me wondering: starting fresh, is the savings up front worth going refurb 2x2670 vs. a single E5-2620v4? Obviously the dual-2670 setup will have more raw power, but it's also noisier, sucks more power, and considerably more outdated, not to mention lacking the warranty of new. These boxen I'm considering would be an ESXi 6.0 node and a NAS.

 

[RobertFontaine]

The Motherboards are not cheap but the rest of the value proposition is awfully compelling for a home server or workstation.

It all depends on your requirements and your budget. For me it is the most compute bang for the bucks that I can scrape together to run xeon phis on.

Next gen I may have to go with gpgpus or lots of cpu cores as the price to play with the new xeon phi is likely more than I will be able to justify.

I think the next big thing is going to be greater data bandwidth and speed while cpu's and gpu's continue to stall. 14nm is exciting this week but physics is a bitch. Big data and pixels scale fairly well. Most other problems knock up against amdahl very quickly.

 

[jjoyceiv]

The Motherboards are not cheap but the rest of the value proposition is awfully compelling for a home server or workstation.

Agree for home, easy choice - but for small biz? (<20 users)

 

[RobertFontaine]

SLA, Warranty, Parts Replacement, Service....

Buying parts of 5 year old servers that have come off lease to support anything mission critical seems pretty sketchy to me.

 

[T_Minus]

SLA, Warranty, Parts Replacement, Service....

Buying parts of 5 year old servers that have come off lease to support anything mission critical seems pretty sketchy to me.

It would be a step up from most small businesses using consumer grade garbage that's also years old LOL!

 

[jjoyceiv]

It would be a step up from most small businesses using consumer grade garbage that's also years old LOL!

Indeed... though I would never go there.

Nothing particularly mission-critical would live on anything I'd build with that. Obviously, I'd prefer a warranty, but at some point it's so inexpensive I can just keep spares on hand.

e: I'm just looking at the value proposition from all angles - lest ye think I'd run my office with typical small biz rattletrap crap, all our workstations are either Dell Outlet Latitude refurbs (1-3yr ProSupport), Apple refurbs (1yr standard), or specialty built from new, all with brand new Samsung SSDs. Nothing egregious here.

 

[T_Minus]

Not that what I've been doing is really 'mission critical' as-in I can accept down time or node failure... but with 4+ trays of used CPUs in the last 15 or so months... so far so good here

 

[jjoyceiv]

Not that what I've been doing is really 'mission critical' as-in I can accept down time or node failure... but with 4+ trays of used CPUs in the last 15 or so months... so far so good here

Good to know. I'm more concerned with the boards (bad caps, etc.) than the CPUs. Even the RAM I'm not terribly worried about going bad fast if it isn't DOA.

 

[azev]

If you are running some sort of hypervisor just make sure that you overprovision the hardware. If you need 3 servers, get 5, and you could care less about warranty in case a server failure happens.

 

[Fritz]

Most small businesses around here have never heard the term "Mission Critical" much less know what it is. As long as they have a current backup of their QB company file, all is good.

 

[jjoyceiv]

Most small businesses around here have never heard the term "Mission Critical" much less know what it is. As long as they have a current backup of their QB company file, all is good.

Coming from SMB consulting, I can attest to the same... all over.

 

[DavidVermillion]

Most small businesses around here have never heard the term "Mission Critical" much less know what it is. As long as they have a current backup of their QB company file, all is good.

Hell, sometimes its pulling teeth just to get them to do THAT.

 

[Peter99]

So 2670s and the dual-socket boards and RAM to go with them have gotten so cheap that it has me wondering: starting fresh, is the savings up front worth going refurb 2x2670 vs. a single E5-2620v4? Obviously the dual-2670 setup will have more raw power, but it's also noisier, sucks more power, and considerably more outdated, not to mention lacking the warranty of new. These boxen I'm considering would be an ESXi 6.0 node and a NAS.

I run Prime95 using all dual CPU 2670 cores at 100% load and 128GB of memory and I couldn't hear fans from the other side of my room. Got two cheap Coolermaster Hyper 212x coolers on a Gigabyte board.

 

[MountainDew]

Has anyone noticed hardware related to these CPUs are going up? A couple weeks ago, you could get dual 2670s and 192GB RAM for around $1,000 USD. Now, everything on ebay is $1,200 minimum. I'm wondering if supply is dwindling or sellers are marking up prices.