Replacement for X5DAL-G server motherboard?

[Yeechang Lee]

My Supermicro X5DAL-G has been giving me trouble for some time and I
am looking to replace it, while keeping as much of the existing
components as possible, including:

* Two Xeon 2.8GHz 604/603-pin 2.8GHz processors
* PC2100 ECC RAM
* Antec 4U22EPS550-2 rackmount case
(<URL:http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=94552#>),
which can fit up to a 12"x13" board

I also need on-board features comparable to what the X5DAL-G has:

* At least one gigabit Ethernet port
* At least two 64-bit, >=64MHz PCI-X slots on separate PCI buses

Features that would be nice, but aren't essential:
* FireWire
* A second gigabit Ethernet port
* On-board sound and graphics

I'm not wedded to an Intel or other chipset (the X5DAL-G uses the
E7505), but since the board will be used in a Linux software RAID 5
server box (see signature) that generates ginormous amounts of PCI and
networking traffic, Intel chipset-like stability is vital.

Suggestions? If the answer turns out to be "Buy another X5DAL-G"
($320-340), that's OK, but hey, if there's something that costs half
as much and still gives me what I need, that'd be great.

 

[nos1eep]

It is further alleged that on or about 15 Jan 2006 06:39:15 GMT, in
alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt, the queezy keyboard of Yeechang Lee
<[email protected]> spewed the following:

|My Supermicro X5DAL-G has been giving me trouble for some time and I
|am looking to replace it, while keeping as much of the existing
|components as possible, including:
|
|* Two Xeon 2.8GHz 604/603-pin 2.8GHz processors
|* PC2100 ECC RAM
|* Antec 4U22EPS550-2 rackmount case
| (<URL:http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=94552#>),
| which can fit up to a 12"x13" board
|
|I also need on-board features comparable to what the X5DAL-G has:
|
|* At least one gigabit Ethernet port
|* At least two 64-bit, >=64MHz PCI-X slots on separate PCI buses
|
|Features that would be nice, but aren't essential:
|* FireWire
|* A second gigabit Ethernet port
|* On-board sound and graphics
|
|I'm not wedded to an Intel or other chipset (the X5DAL-G uses the
|E7505), but since the board will be used in a Linux software RAID 5
|server box (see signature) that generates ginormous amounts of PCI and
|networking traffic, Intel chipset-like stability is vital.
|
|Suggestions? If the answer turns out to be "Buy another X5DAL-G"
|($320-340), that's OK, but hey, if there's something that costs half
|as much and still gives me what I need, that'd be great.

Supermicro X5DL8-GG Motherboard, but it costs twice as much.

 

[John-Paul Stewart]

My Supermicro X5DAL-G has been giving me trouble for some time and I
am looking to replace it, while keeping as much of the existing
components as possible, including:

* Two Xeon 2.8GHz 604/603-pin 2.8GHz processors
* PC2100 ECC RAM
* Antec 4U22EPS550-2 rackmount case
(<URL:http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=94552#>),
which can fit up to a 12"x13" board

What sort of trouble are you having? Are you using the latest BIOS?
Are you using RAM from SuperMicro's recommended memory list? (The last
point is by far the most important, in my experience with SuperMicro
boards. They can be very picky about the RAM.)

FWIW, I've found the SuperMicro X5DA8 (with 7505 chipset) and X6DA8
(with 7525 chipset) to be very reliable.

 

[Yeechang Lee]

What sort of trouble are you having? Are you using the latest BIOS?
Are you using RAM from SuperMicro's recommended memory list? (The
last point is by far the most important, in my experience with
SuperMicro boards. They can be very picky about the RAM.)

Hmm; I hadn't even considered the ECC RAM, which I confess is pretty
off-brand (but sealed and packaged, not just from a big loose bag or
something) stuff from the neighborhood store. The sticks have passed
several runs through with memtest86++, though. I bought the sticks in
the first place after the Kingston-brand sticks I bought the server
and motherboard with failed after about eight months of use (again,
tested under memtest86++).

I am using the latest BIOS; that's the first thing I looked at.

FWIW, I've found the SuperMicro X5DA8 (with 7505 chipset) and X6DA8
(with 7525 chipset) to be very reliable.

I've heard nothing but good things about SuperMicro, too. The issue
I'm facing is that with my two 3Ware 7506-4LP PCI-X 64-bit, 66MHz
controller cards in the system, I get intermittent (but fairly
consistent) crashes, often in the kudzu hardware detection phase or
when switching into runlevel 3 just before that, when booting in
Fedora Core 3 and Linux kernel 2.6.12. Right now I'm a) running 2.6.9
and b) have stepped the PCI-X slots down to 33MHz, and either or both
action seems to have helped so far; we'll see.

 

[Chris Cox]

My Supermicro X5DAL-G has been giving me trouble for some time and I
am looking to replace it, while keeping as much of the existing
components as possible, including:

I have this exact same board. No problems.

* Two Xeon 2.8GHz 604/603-pin 2.8GHz processors
* PC2100 ECC RAM
* Antec 4U22EPS550-2 rackmount case
(<URL:http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=94552#>),
which can fit up to a 12"x13" board

I have 2x3.2Ghz Xeons, 533Mhz w/1M cache

I also need on-board features comparable to what the X5DAL-G has:

* At least one gigabit Ethernet port
* At least two 64-bit, >=64MHz PCI-X slots on separate PCI buses

I run a LSI U320-2 to a internal icy dock RAID 5.

Features that would be nice, but aren't essential:
* FireWire
* A second gigabit Ethernet port
* On-board sound and graphics

I use an SB-Live.

I'm not wedded to an Intel or other chipset (the X5DAL-G uses the
E7505), but since the board will be used in a Linux software RAID 5
server box (see signature) that generates ginormous amounts of PCI and
networking traffic, Intel chipset-like stability is vital.

I use hardware RAID hot swap as stated above. I would NOT want
to run software RAID5.

Suggestions? If the answer turns out to be "Buy another X5DAL-G"
($320-340), that's OK, but hey, if there's something that costs half
as much and still gives me what I need, that'd be great.

Here's a link to a friend selling his X5DAL-G for cheap...
http://forums.2cpu.com/showthread.php?t=71520

It's NIB, $275 shipped.

 

[John-Paul Stewart]

I've heard nothing but good things about SuperMicro, too. The issue
I'm facing is that with my two 3Ware 7506-4LP PCI-X 64-bit, 66MHz
controller cards in the system, I get intermittent (but fairly
consistent) crashes

Hmm...I vaguely recall there being some problems with 3Ware cards when
these particular SuperMicro motherboards were first released. I don't
remember the details, except that there was some fingerpointing going on
as the two manufacturers blamed each other's products for the
incompatibility. I don't know what the fix (if any) was.