Gigabyte Dual Xeon Server DIY and Benchmarks! R181-2AO Built & Tested

[@WeeManXL]

I came for the music accompanying Wendell's voice. So calming!

[@johncnorris]

I hate when Russians remotely configure my servers! They rarely document it properly and their notes are impossible to read.

[@WarLordN1k]

some times they do a nice OC tbh

[@tin2001]

@@WarLordN1k But the Bitcoin mining sort of counteracts it.

[@5lickwi11]

Really enjoy these types of reviews. Can't wait to see what you guys do with some of these.

[@FlaxTheSeedOne]

For these server reviews i'd like to see some power consumption measurements.

[@vgamesx1]

Well if you're doing some homelab type of setup and don't need a powerful server you could always make a DIY solution using an older laptop, remember when laptops had DVD drives? Yeah, those are nice because you get two sata ports plus sometimes an M.2 slot and you can even replace wifi with two or four more sata ports using mini pci-e adapter like this: www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-PCI-Express-to-2-Ports-SATA-3-0-III-6Gb-s-Expansion-Card-Single-Chip/122818091536 That should get your power consumption down to around 100W depending on the drives.

[@SomeTechGuy666]

@Richard Clutterbuck With dual XEONs, the power supply efficiency is the least of your worries. I'd like to see this system compared to 2x 3950x and 1x 3980/3990X for processing speed, cost and power usage. I'll bet a 3990X would kill that thing for 1/2 the price and power usage. I think this is another one of Intel's fantasy builds = something you COULD do, but never would, in real life.

[@FlaxTheSeedOne]

@@vgamesx1 Nah its not about home use or worry about consumption but a general idea what the hardware consumes would be nice. So one can draw a comparison to older or AMD hardware otherwise just looking at TDP it is pretty hard to compare systems

[@ZihaoYu]

That one box of memory sticks.... damn. And Wendell just installs them while talking to the camera. It’s so calming

[@adrianwarner8686]

I don't understand these videos really, but seeing Wendell nerd out with servers is a wonderful thing. Like a puppy with a ball.

[@EposVox]

Mmm yes, relaxing RAM installation. Man that box of RAM is drool-worthy

[@Codeaholic1]

I've been using and building supermicro servers for the last 15 years. They're a fantastic way to save money on your own hardware. Go with a 2 or 4U case if you don't have a proper server room. 1U fans are soooo loud.

[@majstealth]

i also prefer 3/4u servers, but nothing kills a ibm/lenovo storage booting in noise, it is literally a fighterjet starting...

[@itsdeonlol]

Thanks Wendell, very helpful sir!!!

[@buildfrom]

Lovely piece of kit. To be fair, those CPUs are expensive. Re-mortgaging needed for all that RAM. Fascinating video.

[@iamtemo]

I love server hardware. Its nice seeing how a NEW sever come pack instead of the ebay ones

[@Shadowauratechno]

I'm happy to see discussion of barebones servers. Kinda surprised the rails weren't an extra fee! I've been thinking about getting a barebones and I've been on the fence but this gives me hope

[@vlycop7404]

cool ! but now i wan't to see the home version of something like that. i made the mistake to build my own nas in a 2u 12bay found on ebay (with buggy back plane) and a super-micro motherboard. it was way to expensive and not worth it... are they some cool stuff new that are under 2K ? or is this space only marketed for company budget ?

[@guy_autordie]

For soho budget, 3U is optimal. 1U&2U is really more company budget (new, obviously) as you say.

[@creativestarfox]

The unboxing struggle was real.

[@TheJuggtron]

It'll be cool to have one of these in a few years as a cruncher

[@marcelliusika]

Merry Christmas, Wendell!

[@amateurwizard]

Using that rack unit for scale, Wendell is friggin' huge :O

[@Outland9000]

He's a big unit.

[@pronstorestiffi]

Really dig the exposed brick walls.

[@QuentinStephens]

Loved the video. Two small presentation points, though: the reflections to the right (your rear left) are distracting and the microphone doesn't pick you up very well when you drop your head to look at the server.

[@MrBiky]

Man, I really wish I'll get in a company where I can play with some more serious servers and not just old refurbished servers used for testing software that don't really need the latest and greatest.

[@ishansharma9492]

I can't even play with servers :(

[@MrBiky]

@@ishansharma9492 You will get there, buddy. I've started as a helpdesk too, with no access to any server, just some raspberry pis that I did a custom on-premise radio for announcements and one of those slideshow picture frames. When I asked for higher level access, I was denied, then just moved to another company. If you want to learn, going to a small company might be better, because usually you have a closer relation with the whole IT department and they can give you access quicker to the backend. Just make sure you aren't getting hired strictly as a helpdesk.

[@ishansharma9492]

@@MrBiky thanks mate!

[@plapbandit]

My humble old Dell R210-II probably is due an upgrade, a trusty freebie that hasn't let me down yet even with the weird assortment of peripherals i've wedged inside it. I do wish it had more PCI-E ports, though. Only one, had to swap out the SAS card for a DVB-S2 tuner to keep the family happy

[@detronbrian]

Love the Victorionx Cybertool 41

[@GizmoFromPizmo]

Back when I was building servers, we used to charge 8-hours and more because we actually mounted the motherboard into the chassis, installed and patched the OS, and configured the storage. If all we had to do was install the processor(s), slap in some memory, and close up the case, we could have charged much less.

[@AI-xi4jk]

I need a chassis for the new RTX 3080/90. Single or dual socket. Any recommendations? I know it’s a bit early.

[@jamesdegriz]

You had me at Dual.. :D

[@Mr_Wh1]

Dual core.

[@tadej255]

You lost me at Xeon ;)

[@ZeroCarbo]

arnt you supposed to put your cpu on the heatsink first? thats how i did it acording to the manual on an asus MB with dual 4210

[@ZeroCarbo]

@starshipeleven no. this socket is different. the cpu is heavy. and the plastic bracket has some locking pieces on the side to mount the cpu first on the heat sink. if you first put the cpu in the socket then you have to push it alot harder( something you can avoid by doing it right) even tho. ppl who wrote the manuals, and engineers who made this socket are not stupid. 1 more thing. if you do put the cpu in socket first, if for any reason you lift it up again and only 1 side of plastic bracket holds on it, the cpu will fall on pins. iv been working and mounting gold scalable cpus since their launch. and any way you put it, is wrong funny you get a like, that means something LOL

[@eseseis7251]

@@ZeroCarbo i agree

[@galaxyban5436]

dispite the mounting in the vid was wrong, the wrong comment got a like, confirming he would not accept some constructive criticism

[@ZeroCarbo]

@starshipeleven on one side i understand the only way to mount it without the plastic is directly on the socket. iv always been afraid of the cpu falling on the pins, is an expensive MB and even if the plastic thingy is not to be trusted it still holds the cpu to the heatsink when unmounting it. at least more then with the thermal paste? it also depends what thermal paste we use. lucky artic silver 5 is verry sticky and that would help keep the cpu sticked to heatsink in any situation. if the paste he used is less sticky, he might have to be lucky when he will unmount.

[@joewayne9951]

Galaxy Ban no life

[@magellan124]

I like the new intro music

[@Gryfang451]

Love the video! But I do have a question... Is there any way we can get more info about the Raspberry Pi as a witness for VMWare (I assume VSAN)? That would be awesome for my home lab!

[@Jorge2222]

Is thee a LT1 recommended or list of vendors for these types of build your own server and for the CPU's, RAM? Maybe take it to the forum?

[@1707Cezar]

Where can I study more about servers, server maintaince and all this?

[@bogdan3453]

It could probably be too late now for my request but I will give it a try. If you still have this system, is there any chance that you could test the startup time till the hardware boots into the actual OS? I am asking this because I have a Supermicro E5 1U server, single processor and it takes a couple of minutes until it is actually booting into the Linux OS. I know it is normal for servers but it is somehow frustrating. I am curious how Gigabyte handles that. Thank you!

[@DukeNukem8075]

I love the Swiss Army Knife.

[@fluffyfloof9267]

12:39 oof, this dash of red scare xD LOL

[@David_Johannesson]

Great video! I'm starting to study for the datacenter field and I got a quick question. Does Xeon have any advantage over threadrippers or epyc processors nowadays? In the gaming field intel is superior in sheer speed over multitasking, but is it different in the server and datacenter field?

[@skullleader-hw9hi]

It is an it depends on application. Thread-rippers had issues with ESXI for a while while Epyc worked right out the box. SAP HANA in Memory Database only works on Intel Platforms. Epyc had an advantage is that it allowed more access to Memory in smaller foot print. Then there are edge servers where the XEON-D are very good with AMD looking at 32xx. Intel used have Better NUMA domains but AMD getting there with the third 3rd GEN Epyc. Intel Optane 3d x-point.

[@David_Johannesson]

@@skullleader-hw9hi Thanks for the response! It seems to be a perfect time to get into the field because from now on there will be rapid changes in boths hardware, and software support will get wider

[@pyroromancer]

give that box to your evil cat Wendell

[@drdroop2163]

I wish we had more options for home rack mount systems/cases but centered around a home market (so no 5000rpm 40mm fans). I'd love to have all my homelab stuff in a small rack and have it be (relatively) quiet.

[@guy_autordie]

3U and 4U chassis are for you. Also a 2U can have 80mm fans, they can be not loud.

[@andrewcarlson1625]

Are those 2.5" drives or 3.5" drives? I've never seen 8TB drives in 2.5" form factor, but would be interesting if there are.

[@Level1Techs]

2.5 and 8tb just became available a couple months ago in enterpriseish channels

[@JasonLeaman]

2.5.

[@trumanhw]

Yeah, but they have custom backplanes and cases that you CANNOT find which support dual PSUs, hot-swappable HDs, quick-release fans, etc. And I would LOVE to have those things in regular cases. I.e., the T640 holds 18x 3.5" HD. ... or 32x SFF 2.5" drives... SATA-DOM, IPMI, supports DUAL - CPUs ... etc.

[@OriginalOrigins]

that BGM is fire

[@FilleMang]

Where can I find the video with the Pi as an auditor? I really need that for a two node Proxmox cluster

[@shadow7037932]

@11:05: It's great that Gigabyte includes IPMI out of the box. I'm sick of the big OEMs nickle and dimeing features like this that should be standard.

[@tommihommi1]

what's the point of using Xeon when you don't need optane NVDIMMs?

[@ferdievanschalkwyk1669]

Far too little server content on KZbin, Keep filling the gap!

[@spartan1o5]

this is awesome!

[@Mobay18]

What about replacement parts? Troubleshooting and tech support? Frequent and certified Firmware and Driver updates? Not much fun when you run into an issue affecting the performance or stability of the OEM system and how fast do you think Gigabyte is going to be able to solve a problem for you? IF you are going OEM servers, i suggest different brands mixed in a cluster, so you wont deal with the above problem.

[@JohnClark-tt2bl]

Supermicro can be good for barebones machines as well. I've got a tower sever from them at home.

[@Yandarval]

As is usual with all servers, memory speed or density, pick one. The usual third option of price doesn't apply as ALL server memory is extortionate.

[@baggle8203]

I challenge you to a duel!... Xeon server build

[@DaveGamesVT]

I can't imagine why you'd use Intel server chips over AMD at this point.

[@FlaxTheSeedOne]

AVX512, Intel Optain Memory or DC persistent memory, Better software support, Better Optimizations, sometimes Better managment. There are a lot of reasons why one would choose intel over AMD Specific workloada require specific hardware. Sometimes intel is better sometimes AMD. So please don't make such ignorant comments

[@ashishpatel350]

Most servers still use Intel. Because of the years of them being superior.

[@magoid]

With all the hardware security flaws poping up, I can't see why one would choose Intel over AMD at this point, unless is something not facing a public network. And if you are buying brand new, your workload REALLY must run a lot better on Intel to compensate the higher cost.

[@jarilo8639]

@@magoid Only if you have untrusted users operating on your servers. If you don't have remote access to your servers those vulnerabilities mean nothing. If you are not running malware on your servers those vulnerabilities cannot be exploited. It's only if you are running programs you don't know if they are secure and only given limited permissions. It makes sense for giant cloud providers(Google, Amazon, Azure) but if you are buying and running your own server the security stuff means nothing. You should be more concerned about the software vulnerabilities of the servers you are running and making sure your network is secure.

[@gtwannabe2]

Platform maturity and validation. LTT built an all NVMe storage EPYC server and had all kinds of severe performance issues because the CPU could not service drive requests fast enough when all PCIe lanes were fully loaded. There's a reason Xeon is typically a generation or two behind Intel's desktop parts; it takes time to fully test and validate all manner of hardware configs and use cases. You don't want to order 10,000 servers and then find out they can't actually do what you bought them to do because the engineers didn't have time to test what happens when you fully populate all the slots.

[@davidg4512]

Wendle, can you make videos about hardware vs cloud and costs over time

[@GabbyTech]

nice benchmarks

[@Ponlets]

i want a link to that storage solution that has 32tb on a card

[@betohfinger879]

awesome..

[@mr.needmoremhz4148]

On the PSU's although they are specked bronze to ... for efficiency % but that's just a "meaningless" label when you go over 1200 W. PSU's in general give the best efficiency when they are above 70 % load. You have 2 par rack server + normally there are UPS's involved again not efficient so ...

[@guy_autordie]

You don't care about efficiency when you have a downtime because one of your power supply is down and you have a second one. And in that case, an UPS is useless.

[@mr.needmoremhz4148]

@@guy_autordie Okay i don't follow you have dual PSU's for redundancy and (otherwise you get a bigger rack with 4) if one is down the other on should be able to hold the base functions of the server. The performance will go down as the hardware clocks down there fore you have redundant servers. UPS's are there for several other reasons besides a 10 min battery. They should maintain the network infrastructure and let the servers do a clean shut down and in multi rack rooms be connected to separate electric circuits. I'm not saying you wrong and downtime can't happen but we are talking about enterprise hardware and solutions and if you want to DIY and take a server down to upgrade the hardware you can put in a new PSU's in they are not the big cost ;)

[@Alexandra-Rex]

The Swiss Army Knife screw driver :D

[@haydn-db8z]

I see what you did there. Or maybe I see what L1 did... OK, now I'm just confused.

[@arsentek]

Bro. Did you really say RAMbunctious?

[@rdsii64]

Imagine how quite you can make a 4U model.

[@marvintpandroid2213]

But can the AI that runs on it play crisis?

[@tomtalk24]

No since its a 1U CPU based server.

[@marvintpandroid2213]

@@tomtalk24 it's a week attempt at a joke but you do you.

[@TheMasterpulha]

so much cores and ram ... #dreams

[@BrandorT]

looks like you just crawled outta bed and started filming

[@evatanen]

The microphone has sub-optimal configuration. >:-(

[@Outland9000]

Still better that Aux's mic on morning coffee.

[@newrhea13]

I need this right now. desperately, my supermicro's I got from the snowden scandal(government decided to dump a warehouse of them off on a company to sell on, ended up on CL), have become insufficient for me, like 2 years ago. and Im need something I can afford, thats new. a 2u with loads of drives 3.5" disks, and a gpu slot is all I ask. I'm tired of waiting multiple days for simple exports, for the community around me that need them within the same day to aid in keeping us safe.

[@josiahmoorhouse8036]

I'm a simple man. I see Xeons in 2020, I close the video.

[@tomtalk24]

haha so true.

[@edplat2367]

You might want to take a look at all the issues linus encountered with epyc.

[@Delcolux]

Is a sweaty Wendell a sWendell? I'm sorry...

[@Jagerbomber]

Screw the CPUs, RAMs all the way down.

[@slickjim861]

i wonder how much all this costs lol gotta be thousands

[@metallurgico]

As many watts as an hairdryer.... and the same noise lol

... intel?

[@katnerd6712]

Sooo...is Linus watching this and rubbing his hands together mumbling, "sssooooonnnnn...."?

[@Iam_Dunn]

Nice Rack .... O_o

[@Jdjsksjdhdj]

i just need to put this in my original xbox lolololol jk

[@jyvben1520]

i prefer no music, my nas is playing all my music (random) billy joel at the moment, peer gynt next "anitra's dance"

[@donnygraham4378]

styrofoam

[@Outland9000]

_ftyrosoam_