Re: [gentoo-user] NAS box and switching from Phenom II X6 1090T to FX-6300

[Dale <rdalek1967@gmail.com>]

Rich Freeman wrote:
> On Sat, Apr 13, 2024 at 8:11 AM Dale <rdalek1967@gmail.com> wrote:
>> My biggest thing right now, finding a mobo with plenty of PCIe slots.
>> They put all this new stuff, wifi and such, but remove things I do need,
>> PCIe slots.
> PCIe and memory capacity seem to have become the way the
> server/workstation and consumer markets are segmented.
>
> AM5 gets you 28x v5 lanes.  SP5 gets you 128x v5 lanes.  The server
> socket also has way more memory capacity, though I couldn't quickly
> identify exactly how much more due to the ambiguous way in which DDR5
> memory channels are referenced all over the place.  Suffice it to say
> you can put several times as many DIMMs into a typical server
> motherboard, especially if you have two CPUs on it (two CPUs likewise
> increases the PCIe capacity).
>
> IT would be nice if there were switches out there that would let you
> take a v5 PCIe slot on newer consumer hardware and break it out into a
> bunch of v3/4 NVMe adapters (U.2, M.2, PCIe, whatever).
>


I see lots of mobos with those little hard drives on a stick.  I think
they called NVME or something, may have spelling wrong.  For most
people, that is likely awesome.  For me, I think I'd be happy with a
regular SSD.  Given that, I'd like them to make a mobo where one can say
cut off/disable that NVME thing and make use of that "lane" as a PCIe
slot(s).  Even if that means having a cable that hooks to the mobo and
runs elsewhere to connect PCIe cards.  In other words, have one slot
that is expandable to say three or four slots with what I think is
called a back-plane.  That way if a user wants to use the NVME thing,
they can.  If they don't, they can disable it and go another route with
PCIe expansion.  Sort of reminds me of that SAS drive thing.  You have
one cable that branches out into several SATA drives or SAS drives
themselves.  I don't know a lot about SAS really.  May have to read up
on that with that new case that holds 18 drives tho.  O_o

I have considered getting a server type mobo and CPU for my new build. 
As you point out, they are packed with features I could likely use. 
Thing is, the price tag makes me faint and fall out of my chair.  Even
used ones that are a couple years old, in the floor I go.  -_-  I looked
up a SP5 AMD CPU, pushing $800 just for the CPU on Ebay, used.  The mobo
isn't cheap either.  I don't know if that would even serve my purpose. 
I may need something newer and even more expensive.   I'd have to be
able to put it in a regular case tho.  No room for rack mount stuff. 

The biggest thing I need PCIe slots for, drive controllers.  I thought
about buying a SAS card and having it branch out into a LOT of drives. 
Still, I might need two cards even then. 

It's like looking at the cereal isle in a store.  All those choices and
most of them . . . . are corn.  ROFL 

Dale

:-)  :-) 

P. S.  To all:  There was a news item recently about grub updates and
reinstalling to the hard drive when updating.  I just synced and there
is a new grub update.  Make sure to see if grub updates for you and if
so, don't forget to reinstall to the hard drive.  For old BIOS users,
usually a grub-install /dev/sda will do.  You EFI folks, you on your
own.  Gentoo wiki has the command.  I've never had EFI stuff, yet.  Hope
this heads up helps someone.