HL8 "Pro" Custom Build

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While I’ve been waiting for the HL8 to go on sale and enter production, I’ve been debating the “Full Build” or custom “pro” build in the HL8 chasis. In fact, I came up with “pro” and “pro max” options with what I’ve been able to find for sale here in the US. It’d be awesome to hear from others on these. Definitely, let me know if there’s something I’m not considering or just your thoughts in general.

I’m defining “pro” as the following:

  1. Motherboard/CPU that supports ECC RAM
  2. Remote Management via IPMI, AMD Manageability, or Intel vPro

HL8 Custom “Pro” Build
Using the hardware from the HL8 “Full Build” as a starting point, it looks like AMD Pro series CPU are required to get these extra features. Unfortunately, AMD Pro CPU’s don’t seem to be readily for sale online. If someone knows where to find them, I’d appreciate the lead. I was able to find a few on Amazon or Ebay. If I open up to “used” CPU’s I do get more hits on Ebay.

This one is the most similar CPU I’ve found to what’s being offered in the full build. It’s a generation older but same number cores and threads. It’s currently $179.99.

Crucial sells 16GB ECC DD4 UDIMM’s for $65.19 on their website to satisfy my “pro” definition of ECC RAM when paired with the AMD Pro CPU.

From here, it’s all the same/similar components to round out my build:

  • HL8 - Chassis, Backplane & PSU
  • B550I AORUS PRO AX 1.0
  • Noctua NH-L9a-AM4
  • NVME to SATA adapter
  • 1TB NVME SSD
  • Hard Drives

HL8 Custom “Pro Max” Build
Thanks to a post reply by @DigitalGarden, I started looking at what I could build with a server motherboard - Asrock Rack X570D4I-2T. It has a dedicated IPMI chip on the motherboard for full featured remote management. The “Max” portion of this build comes from the builtin dual 10GBe on this motherboard.

The same AMD “Pro” CPU from above can also be used in this build to get access to ECC RAM. The same AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650G from the “pro” build is on the QVL which is good since I haven’t been able to find many others for sale.

However, it looks as though Ryzen 5000 series CPU’s without Radeon Graphics (mostly) also support ECC memory and full PCIe 4.0 on the Asrock Rack X570D4I-2T. The “mostly” remark comes from a few exceptions to this such as the Ryzen 5 5500. Instead, we can go with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 CPU that’s a generation newer than Ryzen Pro CPU’s I’ve been able to find. Not having the integrated graphics won’t be a problem with this motherboard due to the onboard BMC chip - AST2500 - providing onboard VGA graphics.

The Asrock Rack X570D4I-2T has SO-DIMM’s instead of UDIMM’s but it also has four slots instead of two. It’s possible a Noctua CPU cooler might interfere with some of these slots. That’s something I need to look into more. Regardless, Crucial sells the same 16GB RAM from the “pro” build in SO-DIMM format for $65.19.

To connect to the HL8 backplane with this build, we will need two oculink to mini-sas cables. Supermicro has some for sale on their website for $41.50 each.

Unfortunately, the X570D4I-2T isn’t using the standard AM4 CPU backplate and mounting hardware. Instead it’s an Intel bracket for LGA1156. Luckily the intel version of the CPU cooler used in the full build - Noctua NH-L9i - which is mostly compatible. The holes all line up but the threaded screw holes on the back plate won’t work with what Noctua includes. The back plate can be removed with a little patience and care which will allow the provided screws to work. Otherwise, M3-0.5 14mm long screws and 3mm thick spaces are also reported to work.

From there, I think only a few other items are needed to finish out this build.

  • HL8 - Chassis, Backplane & PSU
  • 1TB NVME SSD
  • Hard Drives

Obviously, the “Pro Max” is more expensive with the X570D4I-2T being $400 by itself but it doesn’t appear to be crazy more than the “Full Build” retail.

I’ve also been looking at external remote management systems like PiKVM or TinyPilot but those appear to be several hundred dollars in their own right. I’m thinking I might be better off investing that money into one of these custom builds instead.

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I’m not an ECC expert, but I think the PRO thing only applies to 3000/4000 series. All 5000 series Ryzens should support ECC. See, eg;

https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1045186/

For prices, also check NewEgg and B&H Photo. NewEgg seems to have a sale ending on the 4650G for $115. B&H can be useful if one lives in a high sales tax state. If you get their store card they’ll cover the sales tax (which for me is 9%), and they tend to match Amazon pricing. They don’t have the 4650G currently specifically though.

You might want to also check out this board;

It is a bit deeper than mITX, so might not fit in the HL8 chassis. It would be interesting to know.

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Interesting - I saw on ASRock’s website for the X570D4I-2T that only 5000 series without graphics or Pro chips support ECC.

*For AMD Ryzen Desktop Processors with Radeon Graphics, ECC support is only with Processors with PRO technologies.

https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=X570D4I-2T#Specifications

Seems like either Asus or ASRock is mistaken or maybe an update brought support later? I was also wondering if I would even need the APU graphics with the X570D4I-2T with the BMC chip for IPMI. Looks like another perk of forgoing the CPU graphics is Gen 4 PCIe instead of Gen 3. That might be the way to go.

SLOT7: PCIe4.0 x16* [CPU]
*Supports PCIe3.0 x8 when using AMD Ryzen™ 3000 G-Series Desktop Processors with Radeon™ Graphics
*Supports PCIe3.0 x16 when using AMD Ryzen™ 5000, 4000 G-Series Desktop Processors with Radeon™ Graphics

Looking at the case dimensions posted on the store, I’m pretty sure deep mITX won’t be supported. But maybe our friend @Vikram-45HomeLabs can help us get confirmation on that.

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ECC seems like a bit of a minefield in that, as I understand it, the CPU, RAM, motherboard and BIOS all have to cooperate to not only detect, but also properly flag and correct any corruption. I think Level1Techs has a deep dive video on it all.

In regards to Ryzen 5000 here is one resource;

So, the Asus boards may have a BIOS mod. The next question would be has anyone independently tested and verified that support on an Asus board? I didn’t look.

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Yeah - looks like ASUS might be known to do their own improvements so I wouldn’t be surprised if they implemented their own work around for ECC support. When I was building my AM5 gaming pc, there were several BIOS options on the ASUS x670e that were ASUS work arounds including “Medium Load Boostit”.

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So it looks like the BMC chip on the X570D4I-2T will provide onboard vga graphics without integrated graphics on the CPU.

https://www.aspeedtech.com/server_ast2500/

In additional to the advanced BMC features, the on chip PCIe 2D VGA provides server systems with local display capability without adding extra cost for VGA add-on card.

https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeServer/comments/vwxjz0/xeon_e_servernas_build_aspeed_ast2500_onboard/

With that board, I could then go with a Ryzen 5000 series cpu without Radeon graphics for ECC support the PCIe 4.0.

I see Newegg has a Ryzen 5 5600 for $114 or Amazon has a Ryzen 5 5500 for $76.

https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-5-5600-ryzen-5-5000-series-vermeer-socket-am4-desktop-processor/p/N82E16819113736

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After looking into CPU coolers some more I found that the X570D4I-2T is not using the usual AM4 CPU back plate and mounting hardware. Instead, it’s using Intel LGA1156. One person on reddit said the Noctua NH-L9i fit without modification. For other coolers, it looks like it’s easy enough to get compatibility by using a Noctua NM-i115x mounting kit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/lymbka/asrock_rack_x570d4i2t_can_easily_be_made/

https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/k98scn/which_noctua_cpu_fan_will_fit_the_asrock_rack/

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Why can’t it just be simple. Is 10 GBE, ECC, and IPMI on a late model mITX board so much to ask? :grinning:

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So I have had this build in mind for several months since it was announced that more options besides the HL15 would be coming. The form factor of the HL8 is perfect for what I would like to do.

Forgive my ignorance, but the only thing I’m scratching my head over is CPU choice. Since this MOBO (ASRock Rack X570D4I-2T) can handle 5000 series CPU, and it seems like on board graphics are not needed, why not go with something beefier? Am I stupid for wanting to use a 5800 or even 5950x? (Maybe not the 5950x as it may generate too much heat)

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I think you absolutely could go bigger but cooling is the wild card here. For my write up, I went for more parity (65 watt) with the CPU because, mostly likely, a low-profile CPU heatsink and fan would fit and be adequate in the HL8 chassis. This actually still might not enough. The ServeTheHome article also called out the need for active cooling on the motherboard chipset.

Unfortunately, the X570 chipset definitely requires active cooling; my normal open-air test bench did not provide adequate airflow over the chipset heatsink which resulted in system freezes during the benchmarking process.

Pointing an 80mm fan at the chipset alleviated this issue, and ensuring there is adequate airflow over the chipset and VRMs will be crucial for anyone looking to deploy this board.

I’m hoping the case fan in the HL8 will be enough to help with that, but another fan might also be needed somewhere to play air across the motherboard in general.

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Thank you for the extra info @rymandle05 !! I believe I will pull the trigger on the case and MOBO for now then plan a bit more regarding CPU. I can’t wait to set this thing up!

I must say I was a bit surprised that there aren’t really any fan mounting options but I assume the whole idea of it really is low energy/heat generating setup. All this being said, I do wish 45drives/labs offered this “Pro” option direct from them. A 12 or 16 core option would have been nice for those with little sense. Maybe something they could consider down the line?

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Thinking more about cooling, I also found this that may be compatible but we will need to know about space limitations between MOBO and the wall for the HDD compartment.

https://noctua.at/en/nh-l9x65

BTW they also make a black version of both, super “sexy” lol:
https://noctua.at/en/nh-l9i-chromax-black
https://noctua.at/en/nh-l9x65-chromax-black

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This might have been part of my motivation to write this up… :upside_down_face:

But I do have a big appreciation with 45HomeLab showing restraint and not trying to do too much too fast. There’s a lot of factors and tradeoffs to consider with any product design. It’s a tough job for sure.

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Be aware that the Ryzen 5500 is a an APU without an iGPU (more or less a Ryzen 5600G with disabled graphics) and does not support ECC.
the lowest Ryzen with ECC support (in the 5000 generation) is the 5600.

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Thanks @jok2 ! One more example of why this is all more than just a little confusing. I went head and updated the original write up with this.

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@stillzman looks like @CraftyJeff has some of your questions covered.

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I was just about to come here to share this video as well! Haha I saw his last one finally the other night and was wondering when he would drop this.

I haven’t finished watching it yet but very interesting stuff so far, especially the MOBO/CPU combo he went for, never knew that existed. Very impressive thermals and looks a lot more cost effective compared to what we discussed but I have to say I’m a bit surprised he went that route.

My knowledge with NAS/Storage is very limited (this will be my first build) but I always read that you want to use ECC RAM with TrueNAS whenever possible and you don’t really want to go with the latest and greatest parts due to compatibility concerns.

I ended up getting the AsRack MOBO already along with the RAM and SuperMicro cables. Still deciding on the CPU however and I think I will wait to get the case to figure out cooling. Started getting some really dumb ideas thinking about this like possibly water cooling if I go with the 5950x. :rofl:

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I think Tom Lawrence has a video on ECC RAM with ZFS but I understand it basically comes down to “ecc is better than non-ecc but not a requirement”.

Awesome! I put my order in as well along with a cooler, ram, and the Ryzen 5 5600. I should have it all by the weekend. I plan to do some bench tests and verification ahead of the HL8 (hopefully) entering production this month.

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Hello all,

I just want to say that I appreciate all of the work put into researching the possible options with the HL8 (and the other HomeLab hardware) and all the members who contribute their time to provide the community with their thoughts and experience with what works/doesn’t.

I love to see all the input from the community. I would contribute if I had something I felt added some value here. I got my preorder in but I am still on the fence on the prebuilt or doing something a bit more “pro” like has been discussed here. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

I am leaning towards one of the prebuilt options and hope one of the manufacturers comes out with that ideal motherboard that will fit the chassis in the future.

Keep it coming :slight_smile: Have a good weekend.

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Hardware arrived today so I got a chance to check out the cooler fit. Good news is the holes NH-L9i line up perfectly with the motherboard bracket, and it doesn’t appear to interfere with anything on the motherboard you’d want to get to later. The bad news is the screws that come with Noctua cooler won’t work out of the box. The standard screws are not compatible with the installed bracket. There are four M3 screws also included but they are too long and pose challenges getting a tight fit between the IHS and heatsink.

IMG_0030
IMG_00303024×4032 2.87 MB

IMG_0027
IMG_00273024×4032 3.22 MB

IMG_0031
IMG_00312655×2759 1.1 MB

IMG_0032
IMG_00322474×4030 1.77 MB

I found this LevelOneTech thread where a person used 14mm M4 and 3mm spacers to get a good fit.

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