I'm working on building an epyc server for a co-location. Originally I was planning on a single socket, 64 core Epyc build, but I searched around and found some cheap dual-socket Epyc motherboards on ebay and kinda started going down the rabbit hole. Looking for a sanity check here or maybe I've come across something decent?
First the motherboard: Supermicro H12DST. It's designed for a 2U, 4 node setup and even runs 7003 Milan processors so this gives me some upgrade paths. Now I just need a power supply and a case? The power supplies are only about $100 used, but the cases designed for these are $3000-5000 ( 2124BT-HTR / 2124BT-HNTR).
Next the chassis: Luckily the 4 node CPU chassis that supermicro sells all seem to be generally the same with minor variations between generations. The Epyc motherboard dimensions are 18.86" x 7.61" (47.9cm x 19.33cm) and the older 2028BT-HTR+ chassis, for example, uses a motherboard that is the exact same dimensions and the power connections seem to be in the same places. So it looks like all I need to make this work is to buy the chassis, install the PSU/Motherboard/CPU, and then I'm in business? The older chassis is still $800, but that's somewhat bearable. I'm still searching for cheaper models but so far this looks doable.
Conclusion: Overall this could save me $500-600 on the motherboard and $100 on a cooler, while giving me dual socket capability and newer Epyc support. I'd also get benefits like hot-swappable PSUs and probably better airflow than my DIY build. The colocation costs would increase since I'd be using a 2U instead of a 1U, but it would also let me install 4 times as much capacity per 1U of space so if I scale up I would have a lot of room to work with.
First the motherboard: Supermicro H12DST. It's designed for a 2U, 4 node setup and even runs 7003 Milan processors so this gives me some upgrade paths. Now I just need a power supply and a case? The power supplies are only about $100 used, but the cases designed for these are $3000-5000 ( 2124BT-HTR / 2124BT-HNTR).
Next the chassis: Luckily the 4 node CPU chassis that supermicro sells all seem to be generally the same with minor variations between generations. The Epyc motherboard dimensions are 18.86" x 7.61" (47.9cm x 19.33cm) and the older 2028BT-HTR+ chassis, for example, uses a motherboard that is the exact same dimensions and the power connections seem to be in the same places. So it looks like all I need to make this work is to buy the chassis, install the PSU/Motherboard/CPU, and then I'm in business? The older chassis is still $800, but that's somewhat bearable. I'm still searching for cheaper models but so far this looks doable.
Conclusion: Overall this could save me $500-600 on the motherboard and $100 on a cooler, while giving me dual socket capability and newer Epyc support. I'd also get benefits like hot-swappable PSUs and probably better airflow than my DIY build. The colocation costs would increase since I'd be using a 2U instead of a 1U, but it would also let me install 4 times as much capacity per 1U of space so if I scale up I would have a lot of room to work with.
