This is my current report on a

Supermicro Server Motherboard MBD-X9DRH-IF REV 1.02 Dual LGA2011 DDR3 Intel Xeon

1) This MB uses the "narrow" eg. rectangular cpu cooler design. They are not expensive but there are only a few choices.
2) I had no trouble running it with two e5-2670v1 cpus (8c/16t).
3) The reason to select the motherboard is it has 7 gpu slots and it will run 7 gpus if you use riser cards.
4) You can run 8 gpus by using something like a 1 to 8 riser expander card.
5) I have not been able to get the Gui of the OS to run if I try for 9 gpus. The error message seems to be a bus error.

If you are looking for a low cost, 2 cpu, server solution for running 7 gpus for Seti processing this seems to be a pretty good solution.

eBay prices on the MB are currently in the $300 range. The e5-2670v1 cpus are currently running about $64 / cpu. It will run with 4 sticks of ram (32 GB). The rectangular cpu coolers are about $40 / cooler. The onboard Vga gpu is reliable and updates the screen smoothly and rapidly. I need to test and see if I can get to 9 gpus with the onboard gpu disabled.

Respectfully,
Tom

---

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association).

I just was reminded that you can get a lower cost, single cpu version of the 7 pcie slot motherboard.

SuperMicro X9SRL-F-ME008 Motherboard Socket LGA2011 System Board X9SRL-F

$154.99 (1 left)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SuperMicro-X9SRL-F-ME008-Motherboard-Socket-LGA2011-System-Board-X9SRL-F/123687860510

I have NOT tested this one. But given it is claiming 7 slots, it probably will run 7 slots. And since it is doing it with 1 cpu, I presume someone has tinkered with the design. It MIGHT have more pcie gpu head room than the two gpu version I have. So maybe it would run 9 riser card gpus (including at least 1 to 4 expander card). Or it might only run 8 like mine does (so far).

HTH,
Tom

---

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association).

This is my current report on a Supermicro Server Motherboard MBD-X9DRH-IF REV 1.02 Dual LGA2011 DDR3 Intel Xeon

Opps, almost forgot. Order this cooler rather than the "other" cooler. This one is reviewed as significantly quieter. The other one "howls" under load.

SUPERMICRO SNK-P0050AP4 Heatsink for Supermicro X9DR3-F Motherboard

Apparently it has an adapter for the rectangular cpu socket motherboard. And the reviewer specifically mentioned the noise issue of the other one and recommended this as a quieter alternative.

HTH,
Tom

---

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association).

I'm curious what the CPU cooler difference is between a Supermicro single/dual CPU board is.
Is it just tighter clearance between the RAM or a different mounting mechanism?
It looks like a standard LGA 2011 mount so I guess the clearance.

---

There are different socket mounting fixtures. Square and Narrow ILM. The square socket has equidistant mounting threads and narrow ILM has rectangular spaced mounting threads. I'm guessing the Narrow ILM could have better RAM clearance or not. Depends on how close they mount the DIMM sockets. Not a server board expert but did notice the difference between the socket thread hole spacing.

---

Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

I'm curious what the CPU cooler difference is between a Supermicro single/dual CPU board is.
Is it just tighter clearance between the RAM or a different mounting mechanism?
It looks like a standard LGA 2011 mount so I guess the clearance.

It’s not a difference in single or dual socket boards. It’s only a difference in the CPU latch mechanism. There are single and dual socket boards in both square and narrow ILM. It’s not specific to supermicro.

The “normal” is the square ILM. Narrow ILM allows you to put the ram closer to the socket and free up space for other things you might want to add. Like more dimm slots or other MB features.

---

Seti@Home classic workunits: 29,492 CPU time: 134,419 hours

Thanks, something to watch for in the future.

I'm curious what the CPU cooler difference is between a Supermicro single/dual CPU board is.
Is it just tighter clearance between the RAM or a different mounting mechanism?
It looks like a standard LGA 2011 mount so I guess the clearance.

It’s not a difference in single or dual socket boards. It’s only a difference in the CPU latch mechanism. There are single and dual socket boards in both square and narrow ILM. It’s not specific to supermicro.

The “normal” is the square ILM. Narrow ILM allows you to put the ram closer to the socket and free up space for other things you might want to add. Like more dimm slots or other MB features.

As far as I can tell, there are a LOT fewer cooler options for the narrow ILM. And at least one of the active cooling options "howls" under full load. That basically means it is only suitable for a server room. I have ordered a couple of the quieter ones for additional testing.

Tom

---

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association).

the supermicro 4U size cooler is very quiet.

im guessing the loud active sinks you have are smaller 2U sinks.

EK has brackets for the Narrow-ILM for their waterblocks I believe. and there's at least one that uses Narrow-ILM on a consumer mITX board. but it is more common in the server space

---

Seti@Home classic workunits: 29,492 CPU time: 134,419 hours

I'm curious what the CPU cooler difference is between a Supermicro single/dual CPU board is.
Is it just tighter clearance between the RAM or a different mounting mechanism?
It looks like a standard LGA 2011 mount so I guess the clearance.

It’s not a difference in single or dual socket boards. It’s only a difference in the CPU latch mechanism. There are single and dual socket boards in both square and narrow ILM. It’s not specific to supermicro.

The “normal” is the square ILM. Narrow ILM allows you to put the ram closer to the socket and free up space for other things you might want to add. Like more dimm slots or other MB features.

As far as I can tell, there are a LOT fewer cooler options for the narrow ILM. And at least one of the active cooling options "howls" under full load. That basically means it is only suitable for a server room. I have ordered a couple of the quieter ones for additional testing.

Tom

I got one of the quiet cpu coolers in, but the other doesn't look like it will get here till Monday. Then I can spin up a "production" 8 GPU system and see if it is stable. If it is, I probably will nominate the "new" (to me) motherboard as my upgrade on my e5-2690v2 box. Of course, that will be a small problem as I am also about to get an Amd Mining MB with 6 pcie slots that will want its own supply of 6 gpus.....

I need a cheap cloning device for my gtx 1060 3GB's :)

Tom

---

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association).