Advice for any dual LGA2011 (C602) motherboard working with ATX PSU

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Marc1

New Member
Jan 8, 2016
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Hi All!

I'm looking for a mobo for a pair of repurposed E5-2650LV2: initially I got a Supermicro X9DRW-iF but seemingly this board didn't like ATX PSUs (and never booted with them despite BMC hartbeat and UID Led light up).

So, according to you, what I should look for (something relatively readily available around) and where?

I may be wrong but I think most of those HP (Z820), Dell (T5600), Lenovo (X3650 M4) or Primergy (RX500) server / workstation boards should be ruled out (per ATX PSU requirement), old Intel-branded boards (S2600CP) are not an easy pick here in Europe, and I'm a bit suspicious about Supermicro now.

Last but not least, may anyone point me out why those boards look like a bit expensive after all these years?
At least, I think > 200 bucks for 6-10 years obsolete pieces of equipment is a relatively high cost.

Form factor is not an issue (at first), as the wanted board will run on an open test bench.

Thanks in advance for any useful hint.

BR, Marco
 

alex_stief

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2016
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Last but not least, may anyone point me out why those boards look like a bit expensive after all these years?
For the exact reasons you had to ask this question ;)
Especially the non-OEM variants that play nice with ATX power supplies are scarce in some parts of the world, and the demand is relatively high due to cheap CPUs and memory.
That's why there is a market for "knock-offs" on Aliexpress. Which might be a a real alternative for you if you have trouble finding good deals on regular boards. Search for "dual X79".
 

Marc1

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Jan 8, 2016
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That's why there is a market for "knock-offs" on Aliexpress. Which might be a a real alternative for you if you have trouble finding good deals on regular boards. Search for "dual X79".
Yeah, that overlooked law of supply and demand always justifies any thing...

Thanks for theAliexpress advice: by the way I don't trust unnamed chinese suppliers, so I will look for any branded option with ATX power supply support which may be available all over Europe.

May you suggest any "proven" one (regardless that somehow highish pricing and local availability), please?
 

alex_stief

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May 31, 2016
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It has been quite a while since I was in the market for dual-socket 2011. So I really don't know which ones are available at reasonable prices.
I used ASRock Rack EP2C602 boards, but they are like 350€ new these days.

Edit: supporting ATX PSUs with these boards is usually just a question of connector types. If you managed to plug in all power connectors with the board you had and power it up, then the issue was most likely something else. For example the board not supporting v2 CPUs, at least with the bios it had at that time.
 
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nthu9280

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Feb 3, 2016
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San Antonio, TX
I test the SM boards I buy from ebay with ATX psu on bench before putting them in a chassis. Never had any compatibility issues.

If you are using v2 cpus, make sure the bios is current. Also board revision # could be at play. I have a x9drw-if with v2 cpus.

Does your PSU have dual 8 pin EPS connectors?
Since you have ‘L’ version of the CPUs, you could use the splitter. Make sure it is good quality and wire gauge. Its not advisable for higher TDP due to overheating and fire hazards.

Can you login to the IPMI console? If so you can update the BIOS and Firmware. Supermicro IPMI bios license key can be generated using the MAC address. you can do a quick google search for the steps.
 

Marc1

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Jan 8, 2016
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I test the SM boards I buy from ebay with ATX psu on bench before putting them in a chassis. Never had any compatibility issues.

If you are using v2 cpus, make sure the bios is current. Also board revision # could be at play. I have a x9drw-if with v2 cpus.
Thanks for the sound advice: in the specific case, I'm pretty sure it could not be that my issue with the SM board.


Does your PSU have dual 8 pin EPS connectors?
It had three, I hooked up even the 4pin auxiliary power port.


Can you login to the IPMI console? If so you can update the BIOS and Firmware. Supermicro IPMI bios license key can be generated using the MAC address. you can do a quick google search for the steps.
Actually I gave it up with that SM board but, if I remember well, the IPMI device discovering was not able to locate any IP address, and accessing it locally with a proven RJ45-to-USB cable (proven = I use it for my network equipments) and Putty (usually set as 9600 8n1 Xon/Xoff) gave me nothing but a blank cursor.
The only vital signs were the BMC heartbeat and the UID blue led: no PSU spinning, no FAN also, no power on USB, nothing but the obnoxious green blinking of the BMC led.

So, given that such a troubleshooting looked like beyond me, I gave it up and that's why now I'm looking for another board. ;)
 

Marc1

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Jan 8, 2016
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Why the ATX PSU requirement then?
Partly because of money (I already have it), partly because of noise (this unit is semi-passive), partly because my bench already have ATX-compatible mounting brackets (which come handy).
 

alanware

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Jul 23, 2020
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I have been having issues with X9DRi-F motherboard. It doesn't like ATX power supply or my older Supermicro 650 P/S. However, I can put it on the P/S in one of my 1U units using PWS-704P-1R P/S which also only has a 20pin w/ dual 8pin. The board boots just fine. When I plus the system in the P/S fan spins up and USB gets power but then shuts off. I have no clue as to why this happens, any insights would be appreciated. Marc1, I hope you found a solution that works with your constraints.
 

RedX1

Active Member
Aug 11, 2017
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Hi


Most server motherboards operate from a Single 12v Supply Rail.

If you are choosing an ATX PSU, make sure it has just a Single 12v Supply Rail.


For Dual-CPU supermicro boards the BeQuite PowerZone series works well for me.

be quiet!


I have several Supermicro and Asus Dual-CPU motherboards working without problems using the PSU’s from this BeQuite series.



I hope this helps.





RedX1
 

kapone

Well-Known Member
May 23, 2015
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Hi


Most server motherboards operate from a Single 12v Supply Rail.

If you are choosing an ATX PSU, make sure it has just a Single 12v Supply Rail.


For Dual-CPU supermicro boards the BeQuite PowerZone series works well for me.

be quiet!


I have several Supermicro and Asus Dual-CPU motherboards working without problems using the PSU’s from this BeQuite series.



I hope this helps.





RedX1
Not true at all. A motherboard (server or not) doesn't care if the PSU has a single 12v rail or multiple. As long as the motherboard can get the power it needs, it'll run just fine.
 

kapone

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May 23, 2015
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@Marc1 - There is no technical reason that an ATX PSU cannot power a server motherboard. There's some obscure ATX specs that do affect things, but if the PSU you're using is not 10 yrs old or something, it should be fine.

If the board is not powering up, you're doing something wrong.
 

Markess

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May 19, 2018
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I'm looking for a mobo for a pair of repurposed E5-2650LV2: initially I got a Supermicro X9DRW-iF but seemingly this board didn't like ATX PSUs (and never booted with them despite BMC hartbeat and UID Led light up).
Did you pick something yet? I've been researching myself to assemble a new backup server, and like you I had LGA2011 compatible parts on hand. I didn't need dual processor, but found that, at the moment at least, many dual processor boards seem to be going for less than single on Ebay, and I could just run with one CPU.

X9DRW-if was tempting, especially since they seem to be going for less new (in US at least) than most used. But I found a lot of posts from people who couldn't get them to boot, so I steered away.

Last night I bought an Asus Z9PR-D12 on Ebay. If you're still looking, I can let you know how it does with an ATX PSU once I get it next week.
 

alanware

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Jul 23, 2020
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@kapone As stated in my original post, this board powers on and posts fine using a power supply out of another Supermicro system using PWS-704P-1R power supply. However, it does not power on using an older Supermicro power supply. This is in a 3U chassis that I am working around so power supply options are limited.