Cheapest CPU/MBO card supporting 3x PCI-E x8 connectors
Cheapest CPU/MBO card supporting 3x PCI-E x8 connectors
Hello, I hope you find this useful. I'm trying to upgrade my old workstation into a server and need advice on connecting three PCI-E x8 LSI HBA cards for extra storage. I think it's best to run them at full speed rather than slowing them down to x4, right? I'm open to suggestions—whether you're using new or used parts, consumer or high-end hardware works fine. Thanks!
Unless you're stacking a lot of SSDs (which I question), x4 should work just fine at 2.0 speeds—still delivering 2GBps, which is quicker than what 8 HDDs can handle. Where will you store all these drives?
Rejecting used parts? An X99 board and 5820K might be affordable on eBay, likely around £200 or less for both. You’d likely need to push your GPU to 4x performance, which assumes you require 24 PCI-E lanes.
I believe each controller will handle many more than just eight drives. It's an LSI SAS adapter and I'm also using SAS expanders. This means the adapter can support up to 256 drives. Right now I run one card with well over 50 drives. At that point, the setup is all about creative solutions—just say the word. I’m far from the usual PC case expectations. I really want something new, hoping it will last at least as long as my current hardware (i5-3570K on Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H), which has been functioning for seven years. Perhaps there’s room to make small upgrades, like adding more RAM down the line.
Confirming your approach is solid. These individuals bring creative concepts but lack execution. Keep moving forward.
1650v3 and 5930K are viable choices if you locate a good deal, and both offer the complete 40 PCIe lanes. It’s worth noting that even the 4c/8t 1620v3 provides the full 40 PCIe lanes, depending on the specific requirements the user has beyond additional lanes.
Mainly straight lanes were considered. I planned to test different concepts against Intel Xeon Bronze 3204 versus Supermicro X11SPA-T, which is costly but could be a solid final solution. I’ll look into threadripper and 2011-3 options. Appreciate the suggestions!