EXPIRED Decent spec Cisco C240 M4 12LFF - 299£

[Cruzader]

Would have bought them myself if SFF, but since its LFF maybe somebody here is interested.

Fairly nice spec for its 299£
- Cisco UCS 240 M4 12LFF Server
- 2x E5-2683v4 CPU - 32 Cores 64 Threads
- 128GB PC4 RAM (8x 16GB)
- 2x 2TB Intel DC P3600 PCIe NVME SSD
- UCSC-SAS12GHBA Raid - 12Gb/s SAS 24-Channel Storage HBA Controller
- UCSC-MLOM-CSC-02 Virtual Interface Card - Dual Port SFP+ Network Adapter
- 2x 650W PSU

ebay listing, almost not bad just for the 2x P3600 cards by themself.
Was 3 left last night and 2 now.

 

[amp88]

Very good deal overall. Just keep in mind those SSDs (2TB P3600) consume up to 25W when writing, so if you were to use them in another project they'd need a decent amount of airflow.

 

[Cruzader]

Just keep in mind those SSDs (2TB P3600) consume up to 25W when writing, so if you were to use them in another project they'd need a decent amount of airflow.

They are power hungry indeed, i had 12x P3605 as caches before and it was a noticable part of the overall consumption.
2 of them and a pair of 40gbe nics per host was goodbye to low rpm fans even on symbolic loads.

 

[ano]

which is same as any other u.2 drive though

 

[amp88]

which is same as any other u.2 drive though

The drives in that server aren't U.2 (they're half height PCIe), but even for U.2 drives 25W write would be quite high. Compare that to, for example, the 1.92TB Samsung PM983 U.2, which delivers comparable performance to the P3600 at less than half the power consumption for a write workload.

 

[ano]

The drives in that server aren't U.2 (they're half height PCIe), but even for U.2 drives 25W write would be quite high. Compare that to, for example, the 1.92TB Samsung PM983 U.2, which delivers comparable performance to the P3600 at less than half the power consumption for a write workload.

I know they are not u.2

I also have measured power draw for pretty much every u.2 drive, and its surpringly high 21-25w usually theese days for most.

 

[amp88]

I know they are not u.2

I also have measured power draw for pretty much every u.2 drive, and its surpringly high 21-25w usually theese days for most.

Have you tested a PM983? Should be ~10 watts max.

 

[Cruzader]

Low endurance U.2 like PM983 tends to be lower wattage.

The high endurance U.2 drives tends to be about same wattage as the cards in my experience.

 

[ano]

well, was off by a few watts, I looked at our tables,

only tested m.2 983 power, not u.2

pci 3.0 and 4.0 numbers are on m.2 drives on pcie risers, you can see a clear divide with u.2 LOVING power over m.2, sadly performance numbers also reflects this and u.2 wins by a lot.

 

[amp88]

well, was off by a few watts

Yeah, the PM9A3 does pretty well there.

 

[Samir]

only 2 left now

 

[mrpasc]

Anyone knows a good source for used LFF trays for this C240 in Europe? Can only find Chinese sellers at eBay with 15€+

 

[rtech]

Anyone knows a good source for used LFF trays for this C240 in Europe? Can only find Chinese sellers at eBay with 15€+

You should search by Cisco part number

 

[mrpasc]

I‘ve searched for „800-37836-01“ which is Cisco part number for M3/M4 LFF drive tray.
cheapest option with delivery to Germany still 15€/ea..

 

[rtech]

Consider this Cisco tax for unwary people buying their stuff without caddies

- 3d printing
- you could try caddies from different server makes see if they fit

 

[Cruzader]

Printing caddies, bezels and blanks is the main use of my 3d printers.
Already at a single set of 24x2.5 or 12x3.5 you can be around the cost of a lowend printer.

When i rarely buy them i look for "[partnumber] lot" and offer 20% below asking, tends to come out a bit cheaper even with US->Europe shipping than chinese listings.

 

[rtech]

Printing caddies, bezels and blanks is the main use of my 3d printers.
Already at a single set of 24x2.5 or 12x3.5 you can be around the cost of a lowend printer.

When i rarely buy them i look for "[partnumber] lot" and offer 20% below asking, tends to come out a bit cheaper even with US->Europe shipping than chinese listings.

Do disks in 3d printed caddies have higher temperatures due plastic being thermally insulating?
If theres no differences and i suspect theres none you are not risking and or losing any performance...

 

[Cruzader]

Do disks in 3d printed caddies have higher temperatures due plastic being thermally insulating?
If theres no differences and i suspect theres none you are not risking and or losing any performance...

The public/popular files on thingiverse etc are generaly exact copies when it comes to the sides with simplified mesh front, typicaly just snugger fit rather than lock.

Only temp concern is that you should idealy use petg for the higher temp resistance, especialy sas/u.2 stuff and pla can warp and be a paaaaain to get back out after.

For the cisco style caddies that still use the clear plastic strings to bring led light from backplane to front you can still make out the lights also, for the ones with leds in tray that is RIP.