2-node vSphere Refresh Recommendations

[GenX]

Hey folks!

Long time lurker, first time poster here.

Looking to replace my 2 node vSphere homelab. Currently consists of 2 -

• Shuttle SH67H
• 32GB RAM
  
• i7-2600
  
• I350-T4
  
• some dinky SD card for ESXi

Shared storage is off a Synology 1812+ serving roughly 12-15 non-CPU intensive VMs. Both nodes is still serving me well, but I'm hitting a RAM ceiling and would like to deploy Horizons for some exposure.

So I guess it's time for me to refresh the lab with something with at least 64GB/node. Also perhaps buying me some upgrade room going forth; some Mellanox cards down the road, maybe.

I've came up with a rough build, nothing fancy. Wanted to run it by you folks to see if it's the best usage of my funds (~$2000, slightly flexible) for both nodes.

• SUPERMICRO MBD-X11SSH-LN4F-O
• Intel Xeon E3-1230 v5 SkyLake 3.4 GHz
• Crucial 64GB (4 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM ECC DDR4 2133
• Seasonic SS-460FL2 Active PFC F3, 460W Fanless
• Fractal Design Node 804 Black Aluminum

Noise and power, in that order is key for me as I'm in a apartment and the actual equipment doesn't sit far from me. I've considered the Xeon D-1540 route, but after all said and done, it's beyond my price point. Can consider a lower D-1500, but not sure how well it fair - opinions?

Thanks for reading and hopefully some guidance. Help me spend some cash folks!

 

[BlueLineSwinger]

I don't get why you'd want to replace the two existing nodes instead of simply adding in another one. They should still be viable for a while even with the RAM maxed. Adding a single additional node the current two will save you some cash and/or give you more budget for a more capable system. Is space really that tight?

The D-1540 boards are expensive, but they give you twice the number of cores. And since you aren't CPU-bound the fact that they're slower shouldn't be an issue. Something based on a Xeon D with equivalent cores to the CPU/MB you list will cost about the same. It'l be slower, but you'll gain smaller size, a lower TDP, greater RAM capacity, and (typically) 10Gb ethernet. The main advantages of the Xeon E3 systems are raw per-core speed and PCIe expansion.

That PSU is rated for far more power than you'll need, but then it looks like quality EPS12v-compatible units don't get much smaller. Also, given how little power your system will be pulling I don't believe the price premium for platinum-rated over gold is worth it. I get that noise is a concern, but I'm not big on fanless PSUs. I bet that, for the system you're planning, you'd be hard-pressed to get the fan on a quality gold-rated unit to really kick in.

That case is huge for a system that doesn't need to support any storage or GPUs.

Also, do you require 4 NICs, or is two sufficient?

Were I in your position I'd keep the existing systems and add in a new node possibly consisting of the following:
MB/CPU: Supermicro X10SDV-TLN4F: ~$900
RAM: Samsung 32 GB DDR4-2133 ECC RDIMM x2: ~$350
PSU: Seasonic SSR-450RM: ~$80
case: Fractal Core 1000: ~$40

A 6-core Xeon D will cost ~$200 less, and a 4-core knocks the price down ~$400. Stepping up to a 12-core adds ~$400.

 

[GenX]

Fantastic idea. Guess I got overzealous (shiny object syndrome) with the idea of replacing an almost 5 year old lab that I didn't see there's still life in my existing setup. Thanks for your wisdom.

No, 4 NICs is not a requirement. If needed, I have a few PRO/1000 PT lying around.

You're suggestion hits on 2 key factors for me -- lower TDP and greater RAM capacity. It costs a little more per node, but that's perfectly fine as I can see the build will be last me at least several years. I'll just purchase another similar node when my budget resets.

Off to Tinkertry I go to get more detail about this board under ESXi 6.

Thanks much for your time and suggestions, BlueLineSwinger!

 

[Marsh]

shiny object syndrome)

I actually like the Shuttle SH67 boxes. Within last couple of months, I was able to pick 3 x Shuttle SH67 from Ebay @ $65 to $75 each.
3 x I7-2600 for around $50 - $75 each. Paid retail 4 x 8 gb = 32gb RAM @ 100 each.
Running cluster software for my home lab , it would allowed me to scale out cheaply.

 

[cheezehead]

FWIW, you may want to the run the numbers and figure out beyond your initial hardware purchase....what your ongoing electric costs would be.

For me, it was cheaper to buy lower TDP E5 gear off ebay than to build new...I didn't see a breakeven until 10+ years in with a dual D1540 setup. The key for me was that while I wanted lower power consumption and noise I didn't care of the form factor....if your really tight on space then the mini-itx xeon-d/E3v5's are the way to go but if size isn't the biggest concern there may be other options (2U-4U sizes).