What to buy: E3-12xxL v3 vs V5

[ncdesign]

Hi all.

Looking for help as to which CPU/Mobo-combo to buy:

low-power home server running ZFS and snapraid (depending on data criticality), plex (incl. 4K streams) and pfsense.


E3-12xxL V5: (~25W TDP)
MB: X11SSL-CF
X11SSL-CF | Motherboards | Products - Super Micro Computer, Inc.
SAS LSI 3008

Or

E3-12xxL V3: (~25W TDP)
MB: X10SL7-F
Supermicro | Products | Motherboards | Xeon® Boards | X10SL7-F
SAS LSI 2308

The controller connects to a Xcase RM 424 via reverse breakout cables and a HP SAS Expander.

X-Case eXtra Value RM 424 - 24 Hotswap Bays 120mm Fan Wall - Low Noise


Which Combo is preferable?

Have looked a Xeon D-15xx and the are very interesting but also expensive here i DK...

Anything not from within the EU gets slapped with 25% tax and handling fee of ~$25, so what's cheap in US isn't in Denmark, after taxes and whatnot...

Anyway: which combo do you prefer, and should i bite the bullet and go the Xeon D route?

Thanks in advance.

 

[pyro_]

How much ram do you plan on needing/wanting as the v5 can handle twice the ram the v3 can

 

[ncdesign]

No more than 32GB, but good point though. The zfs-array will not be bigger than 5-6TB at the most.


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[pyro_]

Then realistically it will prob be a toss up. The V5 might be a bit quicker due to being a newer gen and will give you all sata3 and sas3 ports vs the mix of sata2/3 ports and sas2 ports on the V3. Otherwise connectivity will be the same

 

[ncdesign]

Thanks, pyro_

The v5 is pretty cheap at the moment on eBay Intel Confidential Xeon E3-1240L v5 Quad Core 2.10GHz CPU QJHG | eBay

Just wanted to check if i overlooked something major as to differences performancewise between the two CPUs.


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[i386]

That's an engineering sample you have linked.

 

[ncdesign]

I know - but should that really make a difference?


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[gigatexal]

I like to stay up to date as needed so my vote is v5 and you'll probably get quicksync on the v5 (haven't checked intel for features this is just off the top of my head).

@Patrick theres a lot of these threads where one of the use cases is Plex. Sounds like latent demand for a front page defacto article.

 

[BlueLineSwinger]

First off, I'd skip the 'L' CPUs and just get a regular Xeon. The case you picked out is huge and has no real thermal constraints that would require an 'L' CPU and its reduced TDP. In reality, the regular Xeon is not going to consume appreciably more power than the 'L' (i.e., you'll probably be at/close to idle most of the time), and the extra 1.4 GHz per core will come in very handy for transcoding via Plex and other functions.

I'd go for the V5 just for the updated SAS controller, unless the V3 setup was considerably cheaper.

 

[ncdesign]

First off, I'd skip the 'L' CPUs and just get a regular Xeon. The case you picked out is huge and has no real thermal constraints that would require an 'L' CPU and its reduced TDP. In reality, the regular Xeon is not going to consume appreciably more power than the 'L' (i.e., you'll probably be at/close to idle most of the time), and the extra 1.4 GHz per core will come in very handy for transcoding via Plex and other functions.

I'd go for the V5 just for the updated SAS controller, unless the V3 setup was considerably cheaper.

Very important information - thanks.
I was going for the L-version, because of the lower TDP, but if idle is the same, and they have the same sleep-states, then you're right. The non-L version makes better sense.





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[cheezehead]

Very important information - thanks.
I was going for the L-version, because of the lower TDP, but if idle is the same, and they have the same sleep-states, then you're right. The non-L version makes better sense.

Years ago the L-parts made a bigger difference as they CPU's didn't know how to down clock, sleep cores, ect. Generally go with newer gen procs as they are more power efficient. L-versions are more about maximums these days.....if you need to make sure the CPU never draws more than X scenario... small case, fanless, processes which max the cpu 24x7.

 

[Patrick]

@Patrick theres a lot of these threads where one of the use cases is Plex. Sounds like latent demand for a front page defacto article.

Agreed. I actually had that discussion with a vendor earlier this week and Plex server or Plex + NAS is on the content plan.

 

[cheezehead]

Agreed. I actually had that discussion with a vendor earlier this week and Plex server or Plex + NAS is on the content plan.

The Plex DVR would be an interesting bit

 

[John Burns]

I agree in the suggestions for Plex content! I'd be interested in what others are doing for bluray/4K hdr content.

 

[Patrick]

@cheezehead @John Burns @gigatexal - I think the hardware and software are not an issue. Just a bit of a logjam in terms of content. Need more writers!

@ncdesign On the original topic, my general guidance is to go V5 if price is near equal (<20% discount). I prefer the SAS 3008 as well. If you can get the V3 part at a very good price, I think it is not a bad option.

 

[gigatexal]

There you have it. My thoughts exactly. Looking forward to all the new content too

 

[ncdesign]

Thank you everybody.
I'll be going after the biggest v5 that fits my budget and not bother with the tdp, as it will be idle most of the time anyway ;-)

On a sidenote (perhaps a new thread?): Anyone running a similar setup as to lsi 3008 -> Reverse breakout -> HP expander -> sff 8087 backplane ?
Any problems or anything i should be aware of?


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