Just out of curiosity... What model backplane is in that SC846? Also, what model power supplies are in the SC846?
I've got four Supermicro servers of different generations at home, and it took me a little while to become accustomed to reading model numbers before I learned which backplanes and power supplies are desirable. Now, when I go shopping on Ebay, really great deals turn out to be a waste of money after I read the fine print.
Gecko,
I'm quoting your original post because there is nothing wrong with what you asked me and I think my response might help others in the future if they find and read this thread. If another forum member has a problem with a post, they can choose to report it and let the moderators deal with it (or not), but otherwise should let your question to me in my thread stand.
I got the SAS2-846EL1 backplane with mine (it was a PITA to check but worthwhile for me to do so, so thank you for asking me to verify what I got because I hadn't yet), and 2 x 1200 watt gold rated power supplies (model PWS-1K21P-1R). For all intents and purposes it is the following model:
Supermicro | Products | Chassis | 4U | SC846E16-R1200B
They even threw in a brand new (it looks that way anyway) air shroud, and I got it for under $300 shipped after some back and forth. They offered me the unit with 2 x 900 watt power supplies that were unrated for even less, but I chose to go with the rated power supplies.
I was a little nervous about a deal with so many variables and the nuances to learn as you have noted, but after reassurances from those on this forum that it wasn't scary I took the leap and so far am pleased with what I got. You can tell it is used when you get right up on it, but otherwise it looks fine. I am throwing out the caveat that I haven't tested it yet because the motherboard just showed up yesterday and I am still waiting for a few parts to come in so I can take a "before" picture of all the parts prior to assembly and testing. Hopefully everything will be in tomorrow and I can get started.
Years ago I was an Ebay junkie, with my pinnacle being a dual Pentium 75 server with 9 x ultra-wide hard drives and a RAID controller that I built for my Exchange 5.5 lab, so I certainly understand your reservation with Ebay purchases. However a reputable dealer will be happy to respond to your questions over Ebay messages prior to purchase. That's how I made sure mine was what I wanted prior to purchase. If they don't want to respond to you or give you adequate answers to your questions then definitely move along.
I certainly couldn't have gotten this far w/o the help of those in this thread and in other threads (which is usually the same great people), so again to all of you who helped me out - thank you!!!
EDIT - Fixed quoting.