Lga1366, Xeons and server RAM.

[PopcornMobo]

I'm building a gaming PC but i'm super tight in terms of budget. I've found a pretty sweet xeon w3565 for 7€. It's a lga1366 socket but i've found some sellers who have Lga1366 mobos and because they're not popular (the mobos) i might get a deal.
Since it's a xeon CPU i thought server RAM might be an option. I've found 8Gb sticks for 20€ each and by the looks of things they're 1600MHz, not bad imo.
I won't be buying anything anytime soon since i'm pretty much broke right now so i have time to look for best deals.
What i want to know is how to identify a server ram compatible mobo in case it's the route i choose to go. Afterall, 40€ for 16 gigs of ram is not too bad.
And in case you're wondering why i'm broke, well, the R9 295X2 on my table might have something to do with that.

[Topcat]

Re: Lga1366, Xeons and server RAM.

Depends on the chipset (Tylersburg is my favorite)....but most LGA1366 stuff can use PC3-10600R (reg/ecc), which is dirt cheap right now. I run a lot of them myself. The westmere platform (5600-series Xeons) is still bulletproof and fast!

[PopcornMobo]

Re: Lga1366, Xeons and server RAM.

Depends on the chipset (Tylersburg is my favorite)....but most LGA1366 stuff can use PC3-10600R (reg/ecc), which is dirt cheap right now. I run a lot of them myself. The westmere platform (5600-series Xeons) is still bulletproof and fast!

Good to know. The server 1600MHz ddr3 ram is 2x cheaper than the regular 1600MHz ddr3 ram around the used market here, which is why i want to go that route. I could very easily get 24 gigs of server ram for 60€, but i'll settle for 16 gigs i think.
I guess it's decided, server ram it is then.

[Snayperskaya]

Re: Lga1366, Xeons and server RAM.

1366 is a great platform for tinkering with, even by today performance standards. Some tips:

* LGA1366 RAM clock support for all chips tops at 1333MHz. Older 55xx series top at 800/1066MHz. You can check this at Intel Ark;

* Check if the motherboard is compatible with the CPU. I've had problems with a 5520 chipset mobo not recognizing 56xx chips, even the lower wattage ones;

* There are many types of "server memory" - Unregistered ECC (UDIMM), Registered ECC (RDIMM) are the most common. Check your motherboard support. Rule of thumb is: Buy all your modules from the same type. Server-grade motherboards recognize half of maximum RAM supported (or less) while using UDIMMs (compared to RDIMM). Also, RDIMMS are not compatible with desktop-grade chipsets;

* Check the RAM's ranks. Most likely to have less trouble with them if you have all modules using the same config (may it be 1Rx8, 2Rx4, etc);

* Don't update motherboard BIOS if you are unsure if it's compatible between PCB revisions. I've had a X8DTI-F non-bootable after a "successful" BIOS update since SuperMicro don't mention anything on their site.

* Get a 60mm (or 50mm) fan into the PCH heatsink if you are going for a server-grade motherboard. They get real hot very quick.

* Grab a cooler that is compatible with the Xeon 1366 backplate for direct assembly. Some motherboards have the area near the socket pretty cluttered with VRM components and don't fare well with cooler assemblies that use a front plate.

There are plenty SuperMicro, Intel and Tyan options on eBay if you are going for a 2 CPU build.

[PopcornMobo]

Re: Lga1366, Xeons and server RAM.

well we agreed with the seller that the cpu would be 9 euro shipped and i gave him my email for all the bank details and whatnot, but he never responded so i gave up on him.
i did find a i7-3820 for 50 euro but 2011 mobos here are super expensive. I did find a few Chinese made 2011 miniATX mobos for 90 euro.
I'm in no hurry so i can wait for better deals to come, it's not like i can up and pull money out my ass anyways.
Also the PC is for games not server use but more power is always better.

[Snayperskaya]

Re: Lga1366, Xeons and server RAM.

AliExpress have some great deals on 1366 CPUs. I've snatched a pair of X5570 so I could use the best possible into a board that don't work with 56xx series. I paid US$16 for each. There's some good deals for the high-end (X56xx) chips, but I think they

I don't trust chinese boards. I've heard that 1366 boards use modified H61 chipsets (but I didn't go after to check this).

There are some implications on going for a server system (I've described most of them above), but they are very solid, performance and reliability-wise.