ES Xeon Discussion

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RolloZ170

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Apr 24, 2016
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Do some boards check the CPU TDP and reject it if it exceeds the rated board TDP of usually 205W?
Do Gigabyte boards do this?
some Gigabyte support more than the specified 205W, the Gigabyte mu71-su0 and Gigabyte C621-WD12, Gigabyte MD61-SC2
the TDP is half the truth. the 240W OEM cpu draws more long time current and the VRM overloads.

supermicro do, if you see max. TDP 205W the 240W cpu will not start.
there are some third party 270W supermicro X11DPi-N(CT) & X11DAi-N(CT) with updated VRMs.

ASRock EPC621D8A does, but supports up to 255W because of the W-3175X.
same seems to EP2C621D8, EP2C621D16-4LP, EP2C621D12 WS but they don't have the W-3175X is the support list.
 

NablaSquaredG

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Aug 17, 2020
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supermicro do, if you see max. TDP 205W the 240W cpu will not start.
there are some third party 270W supermicro X11DPi-N(CT) & X11DAi-N(CT) with updated VRMs.
What do you mean by third party? Third party BIOS or hardware mods? Where are they sold?

Are there any other 240W capable boards that are suitable for a server? e.g. C621-WD12 is not, because the sockets are turned. C621-WD12 is not good, because you can only use really short PCIe cards

EP2C621D16-4LP and EP2C621D12 WS look good though.

I only bought the Gigabyte MD71-HB0 because it was comparably cheap.
I've found a Chinese seller with QPLA CPUs. The seller says 240W, but their CPU-Z screenshot and your CPU list (you removed the QPLA, but it's still in the google cache) said 205W. Will it work on the MD71-HB0?
 

RolloZ170

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Apr 24, 2016
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The seller says 240W, but their CPU-Z screenshot and your CPU list (you removed the QPLA, but it's still in the google cache) said 205W. Will it work on the MD71-HB0?
this seller is very carelessness, no wonder about.
some OEM cpu are high bin'ed AVX512 models, they exceed the power consumption normally allowed (by intel).
the MD71-HB0 supports up to 255W, but i did'nt tested that myself.
note: you need active VRM heatsink cooling.
 

NablaSquaredG

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note: you need active VRM heatsink cooling
Active = Watercooling or just a proper Airflow?

The MD71-HB0 will be placed in a 2U Supermicro chassis with custom air shroud and upgraded fans (9k or even 13k RPM type)

note the board does NOTHING with a 240W cpu, not just overheating.
the VRMs(DrMOS type) are replaced. BIOS remains the same.
How can it be the original BIOS if the board with the original BIOS refuses to boot with 240W CPUs?
 

NablaSquaredG

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they talk together, "hey how much can you drive ?" "up to 1000Amps, why do you ask ?"
Ah okay, I thought the power limit was a hardcoded constant in the BIOS. I'm really surprised that the power limit is determined at startup depending on the present VRM

proper Airflow
Ah well, that's not an issue then. Like I said, custom air shroud with high RPM fans, that should be enough.

So VRM cooling is not an issue - And you reckon that the board is going to accept the CPU and boot?
 
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zackiv31

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May 16, 2016
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Got my $300 eBay QQ8Q installed last night. TIL you need a 3.x Supermicro BIOS to get this ES(QS?) chip to work. Was so used to lower spec'ed ES cpus I've been rocking 2.1 BIOS for a couple years. Upgraded to the latest 3.4 and works like a charm.

Got 2933mhz memory running as well, as mentioned by a previous poster.
 

RolloZ170

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Apr 24, 2016
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Thanks. Is there a list of cascade lake A0 CPUs? Or a way to tell?
here
the A0 ones have (A0) behind name...
some ES2
QQ8B(A0) 2.80Ghz 8C
QQ8A(A0) 2.60Ghz 14C
QQ8M(A0) 2.10Ghz 16C
QQ8Q(A0) 2.40Ghz 18C
QQ89(A0) 2.20Ghz 24C
QQ9E(A0) 2.60Ghz 24C
QQ87(A0) 2.50Ghz 28C
 
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Spartus

Active Member
Mar 28, 2012
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Toronto, Canada
Got my $300 eBay QQ8Q installed last night. TIL you need a 3.x Supermicro BIOS to get this ES(QS?) chip to work. Was so used to lower spec'ed ES cpus I've been rocking 2.1 BIOS for a couple years. Upgraded to the latest 3.4 and works like a charm.

Got 2933mhz memory running as well, as mentioned by a previous poster.
Can I ask what kind of frequency it runs at if you try 18 cores (no HT, but you can leave it on) prime95 avx512 (small & large).
 

Microfridge21

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May 6, 2021
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I recently got two Xeon Gold 6138 ES 1Q1L cpus and an X11DPL-i. Got the system bios to rev 2.1 but with both cpus on the board I couldn't get the system to boot. The seller said they support dual socket set-ups.

Am I missing something?
 

RolloZ170

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Apr 24, 2016
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I recently got two Xeon Gold 6138 ES 1Q1L cpus and an X11DPL-i. Got the system bios to rev 2.1 but with both cpus on the board I couldn't get the system to boot.
a user in ther thread had same issue with a x11dph. downgrade BMC Firmware to 01.62 was the solution.