Cheap chinese x79 mobos

[e97]

One data point: my X79Z has been running 24/7 as a NAS, machine learning server since Jan 2018 with 100% uptime.

X79 has a high chance to support NVMe boot if you have a UEFI BIOS and mod it to add in the NVMe DXE module. I confirm it works on X79Z and also updated to the latest Intel microcode.

 

[wildpig1234]

hopefully we will soon get the 4th gen of these boards with fully impletemented nvme built in support and proper sleep support?

 

[nerdalertdk]

LTT did a video abort these cards and they booted up on NVMe on there’s

 

[raimond]

Any chance there was someone here in this forum who bought one of the 50+ Alienware X79 motherboard I sold on ebay?

The said board is by far the best we have in my location, you can get the said board in our area for around $48. I think better quality compared to the China boards.

 

[e97]

Sold some stuff and upgraded to this:

JINGSHA X99 with E5-2678v3

 

[itronin]

@e97 that seems like a nice mix of features esp with the DDR3 on the e5-v3 ... I see on the ebay listing that it says ecc and non-ecc memory. Does it actually take advantage of ecc? Are you using the PCIE storage as a boot device? any oddities? board build quality thoughts. What has your experience been with the the board?

Looks like a great board!

 

[e97]

@e97 that seems like a nice mix of features esp with the DDR3 on the e5-v3 ... I see on the ebay listing that it says ecc and non-ecc memory. Does it actually take advantage of ecc? Are you using the PCIE storage as a boot device? any oddities? board build quality thoughts. What has your experience been with the the board?

Looks like a great board!

Received it yesterday so still putting it through the gauntlet.



ECC: Yes, likely multi-bit like my X79 NAS (older sibling motherboard). I'll post dmidecode and stuff later

Using a 1TB NVMe PCI-E 3.0 x4 with heatsink. Speeds match specs and tests in other boards.

Quality seems on par with any other vendor.

I like the ATX and EPS layout + DR DEBUG is in a good location vs being covered up by GPU on other boards. Wish mfgs would put RAM front to back.

Socket hold down is a tarnished color, not silver like the pics, so is the back plate -- like a gunmetal color so it may be a design thing. No rust or anything.

Looks like BIOS has overclocking features and sleep support - would be nice if a hackintosh can hibernate without issue. Updated the BIOS cpu microcode without issue.

Building a custom compact ATX case so will be busy. Thats why the GPU is where it is. Will post benches when I can.

Initial impressions pretty good and vendor is helpful in answering questions.

Enjoy the weekend!

 

[itronin]

thank you for the mini review. One more question.

What was the shipping time to your approximate locale? States? Aus? EU? etc.

 

[e97]

thank you for the mini review. One more question.

What was the shipping time to your approximate locale? States? Aus? EU? etc.

You're welcome. Folks help me out on this forum so I like to share my findings as well.

Shipping was about $40 through DHL from Shenzhen, China to Michigan, USA and took about 4 days.

Superbuy, a shipping agent, has a helpful international shipping cost/time calculator: superbuy logistics freight inquiry

 

[fossxplorer]

@e97
You probably haven't come so far to test this, but i'm asking: does this board support IOMMU/Intel VT-d?

 

[e97]

@e97
You probably haven't come so far to test this, but i'm asking: does this board support IOMMU/Intel VT-d?

Yes -- the BIOS is pretty raw -- like a debug OEM version so ton of options. Waiting to hear back from mfg on some settings to optimize things.

Board POSTS and installed debian lighting fast with E5-2678v3.

 

[itronin]

Yes -- the BIOS is pretty raw -- like a debug OEM version so ton of options. Waiting to hear back from mfg on some settings to optimize things.

Board POSTS and installed debian lighting fast with E5-2678v3.

Bench case or custom motherboard tray for a custom case? In either case really neat esp with the water cooling loop and repurposed power supply!

What are you doing for storage? Any plans to use the nvme? any indication that booting is supported with the nvme?

 

[e97]

@e97
You probably haven't come so far to test this, but i'm asking: does this board support IOMMU/Intel VT-d?

@fossxplorer forgot to attach this

Bench case or custom motherboard tray for a custom case? In either case really neat esp with the water cooling loop and repurposed power supply!

What are you doing for storage? Any plans to use the nvme? any indication that booting is supported with the nvme?

Thanks!

Prototype for a custom case, will likely become my goto bench case.

The PSU is 94% platinum efficiency @ 220V = less power consumption and compact.

Overall dimensions are 17" x 13.5" x 7". Next version will be even smaller with full cover.

Booting off 1TB Phison E12. Its hidden under the heatsink right under the GPU slot. Barely fits with 1.5 mm clearance : D

 

[itronin]

Edit - was informed that there is a limited set of v3 cpu's that supports ddr3.

@e97 how is the rest of your testing going?
I saw over on Win-Raid that you have ECC support working. Any other hiccups?
Are you using RDIMM or LRDIMM?
Do you know if there is support for LRDIMM?
Do you know if the manufacturer has released additional CPU support?
Did you purchase direct from the manufacturer or via eBay or Alibaba?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm contemplating getting one of these boards and a CPU for my next workstation life cycle upgrade.

TIA.

 

[e97]

Edit - was informed that there is a limited set of v3 cpu's that supports ddr3.

@e97 how is the rest of your testing going?
I saw over on Win-Raid that you have ECC support working. Any other hiccups?
Are you using RDIMM or LRDIMM?
Do you know if there is support for LRDIMM?
Do you know if the manufacturer has released additional CPU support?
Did you purchase direct from the manufacturer or via eBay or Alibaba?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm contemplating getting one of these boards and a CPU for my next workstation life cycle upgrade.

TIA.

Won't know about long term stability until its been running few months but I'm quite pleased after getting ECC working. For now everything is great!

One tiny thing is after waking from Sleep the LED turns back on but I think thats a BIOS misconfig on my part.

I'm also working on porting CoreBoot to this for open source BIOS / UEFI.

Using RDIMMs.

LRDIMM support in BIOS, set to Auto - not sure if its functional. I would think since RDIMMs with ECC work correctly on every OS I've tested + memtest, if the CPU supports LRDIMMs, they should work. Unless LRDIMMs have quirky trace requirements above and beyond RDIMMs that I'm unaware of.


I got it on Alibaba (Alipay, paypal equivalent, now accepts all major credit cards so its as easy as ebay) with purchase protection (30 days): Intel X99 Mainboard on Alibaba.com ~ $130 with express DHL shipping

Ask for Diego and tell him "the professor" recommended the board to you.


UPDATE (2019-09-22):

seller said they can give a discount, use this link:
SZMZ X99-8D3 LGA 2011v3 DDR3 Intel motherboard on Alibaba.com

 

[itronin]

Just saw your edit on the discount as I was going to order the board today. wow! way to go @e97 and the seller! Not quite sure how to contact Diego? If there's a message space for the order I'll drop that in there! eBay bucks coming in October so that will be the time to order the CPU!

 

[e97]

Just saw your edit on the discount as I was going to order the board today. wow! way to go @e97 and the seller! Not quite sure how to contact Diego? If there's a message space for the order I'll drop that in there! eBay bucks coming in October so that will be the time to order the CPU!

Yep, got a E5-2678 v3 grade B for $130 ! Use them ebucks!

Contact button! Maybe only appears if you are logged in?



Pro-tip: when buying from overseas, always contact seller because listings are often inaccurate. You also get a feel for who you are dealing with. Good sellers will not let you buy without talking to them first.

 

[itronin]

Yep, got a E5-2678 v3 grade B for $130 ! Use them ebucks!

Contact button! Maybe only appears if you are logged in?

View attachment 11991

Pro-tip: when buying from overseas, always contact seller because listings are often inaccurate. You also get a feel for who you are dealing with. Good sellers will not let you buy without talking to them first.

ohhhh Nice Tip - first time I've done a non ebay overseas purchase. I didn't contact them via the contact supplier so we'll see what happens. There was a NOTE field in the order form and I did put the note in there. we'll see if that was sufficient. I have a small project where about 5 of these would work quite while as some lower cost engineering workstations so besides me trying one out there might end up being a small build.

I did not select DHL as I do not need this in my hands for at least 14 days. I did let it go with the default Alibaba Air Express which was 5-7 working days. plus the 3 day lead. so 8 - 10 working days total? Its an experiment in many different ways.

 

[e97]

ohhhh Nice Tip - first time I've done a non ebay overseas purchase. I didn't contact them via the contact supplier so we'll see what happens. There was a NOTE field in the order form and I did put the note in there. we'll see if that was sufficient. I have a small project where about 5 of these would work quite while as some lower cost engineering workstations so besides me trying one out there might end up being a small build.

I did not select DHL as I do not need this in my hands for at least 14 days. I did let it go with the default Alibaba Air Express which was 5-7 working days. plus the 3 day lead. so 8 - 10 working days total? Its an experiment in many different ways.

It certainly is a learning experience.

Diego mentioned being contacted by someone and having a phone number issue but it got sorted not. Not sure if that was you?

Interesting, I've never heard of Alibaba Air Express. AliExpress has standard and express shipping options, wonder if this is new for Alibaba?

If you dont mind, please let me know who the carrier is, how long it takes and how much it was. Plus package weight and dimensions if you know. I'm always interested in cheaper, faster, or better shipping options!

 

[itronin]

It certainly is a learning experience.

Diego mentioned being contacted by someone and having a phone number issue but it got sorted not. Not sure if that was you?

Interesting, I've never heard of Alibaba Air Express. AliExpress has standard and express shipping options, wonder if this is new for Alibaba?

If you dont mind, please let me know who the carrier is, how long it takes and how much it was. Plus package weight and dimensions if you know. I'm always interested in cheaper, faster, or better shipping options!

I received a text from a chi-town number but no name in the message so a little back and forth to establish who it was, namely Diego. Timezone lag is creating a 24 hour round-trip delay in all channels. He also connected to me via LI and we have exchanged messages there too. I've suggested email since I'm not on social media much.

Diego said it was packaged up and out the door the same day I ordered it. He did not have the shipping info at that time. The shipping info was posted to the order within 48 hours - its there now.

Alibaba Air Express was I think the default option and second cheapest. The shipping amount was $21.04 for 5-7 business days plus a 3 day lead time. Per Diego it went out same day, tracking info was posted within 48 hours - all within the 3 day lead time. Maybe waiting for a air cargo container to fill up before it goes out?

I will definitely update with the shipping details, actual carrier etc, and will take some pictures when I receive the box. I am very curious about the Alibaba Air Express too - a very positive experience with that would cause me to look at Alibaba as an alternative source to eBay for some items as I do not feel the shipping cost was particularly outrageous.

I *might* even have a small volume (5-7 unit) custom "very value-priced" engineering workstation build project later this fall and am hopeful this motherboard could fit the bill if that project goes live and I like what I find. I have NOT mentioned this to Diego and like a said very small volume.