[Motherboard options] (click for full spreadsheet)
Credit to @Riggi for doing 99% of the legwork with the motherboard research!
This is the area where you will have to do the most research. The foundations for a long lasting build starts with a good motherboard. This is the best way to future-proof.
Important - Not all hardware revisions support v2 CPUs.
The hardware revision is independent of the BIOS version. BOTH must be the correct version to allow for V2 CPU compatibility. If the hardware revision allows for it, it might be a good idea to purchase a cheap ($5) V1 CPU just in case you need to flash the BIOS.
Verify with the vendor that the motherboard supports V2 CPUs before purchasing. Generally, this applies only to server motherboards. X79 motherboards are not affected unless specified by the seller.
Dual CPU Motherboards
I’m not going to give a specific recommendation here, as a lot of the models are very close in specs and pricing. However, I do have a few notes.
- Given the choice of onboard LSI SAS or 10Gb networking, I’d choose 10Gb every time. It’s much cheaper to add LSI SAS than it is to add 10Gb.
- Personally, I’d probably avoid the SSI-EEB+/EE-ATX motherboards. You don’t gain any PCI-E expansion, typically you only gain more DIMM slots for RAM. You also severely limit your case/chassis options. 32GB and 64GB sticks of RAM have come down in price a lot, so it won’t be expensive to have a lot of RAM.
| Brand (specs) | Model (link) | Form Factor | Socket Mounting | DIMM Slots | PCI-E | NIC | SAS Onboard | Notes | Expected Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supermicro | X9DRD-7LN4F | SSI-EEB / E-ATX | Narrow | 16 | 6 | 4 | LSI 2308 | ----- | $200.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DRD-7LN4F-JBOD | SSI-EEB / E-ATX | Narrow | 16 | 6 | 4 | LSI 2308 | Preflashed IT | $185.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DRD-EF | SSI-EEB / E-ATX | Narrow | 16 | 6 | 2 | ----- | ----- | $185.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DRD-iF | SSI-EEB / E-ATX | Narrow | 16 | 6 | 2 | ----- | ----- | $200.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DRi-F | SSI-EEB / E-ATX | Narrow | 16 | 6 | 2 | ----- | ----- | $185.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DRH-iTF | SSI-EEB / E-ATX | Narrow | 16 | 7 | 2 x 10Gb | ----- | ----- | $200.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DRH-7F | SSI-EEB / E-ATX | Narrow | 16 | 7 | 2 | LSI 2208 | ----- | $175.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DRH-iF | SSI-EEB / E-ATX | Narrow | 16 | 7 | 2 | ----- | ----- | $140.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DRD-LF | SSI-EEB / E-ATX (short) | Narrow | 8 | 1 | 2 | ----- | Short compute mobo | $72.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DR3-LN4F+ | SSI-EEB+ / EE-ATX | Square | 24 | 6 | 4 | C606 | Need R 1.20 for V2 processor | $200.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DRi-LN4F+ | SSI-EEB+ / EE-ATX | Square | 24 | 6 | 4 | ----- | Need R 1.20 for V2 processor | $200.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DRE-TF+ | SSI-EEB+ / EE-ATX | Square | 24 | 6 | 2 x 10Gb | ----- | ----- | $240.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DRL-iF | SSI-CEB / ATX | Square | 8 | 5 | 2 | ----- | ----- | $200.00 |
| Supermicro | X9DRL-7F | SSI-CEB / ATX | Square | 8 | 5 | 2 | LSI 2208 | ----- | $300.00 |
Single CPU Motherboards
Generally speaking, single socket builds are not as cost effective as their dual-socket counterparts. I find them harder and harder to recommend as the prices of dual-socket motherboards continue to drop. That said, occasionally you can find a good deal.
If I were to recommend a board, I’d go for the Supermicro X9SRA.
| Brand (specs) | Model (link) | Form Factor | Socket Mounting | DIMM Slots | PCI-E | NIC | SAS Onboard | Notes | Expected Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supermicro | X9SRA | SSI-CEB / ATX | Square | 8 | 4 | 2 | ----- | Audio, USB 3.0 | $130.00 |
| Supermicro | X9SRi-F | SSI-CEB / ATX | Square | 8 | 3 | 2 | ----- | ----- | $160.00 |
| Supermicro | X9SRH-7F | SSI-CEB / ATX | Square | 8 | 3 | 2 | LSI 2308 | ----- | $190.00 |
| Supermicro | X9SRL-F | SSI-CEB / ATX | Narrow | 8 | 6 | 2 | ----- | ----- | $250.00 |
X79 Motherboards
X79 motherboards generally support E5-1600 V1/V2 and E5-2600 V1/V2 processors, as well as consumer i7 processors. Overclocking is supported with E5-1600 V1/V2 and i7 CPUs.
DDR3 ECC REG is not supported. Non-ECC UDIMM is required.
As always, please refer to manufacturer specifications for complete information.
| Brand (specs) | Model (link) | Form Factor | Socket Mounting | DIMM Slots | PCI-E | NIC | SAS Onboard | Notes | Expected Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASUS | Rampage IV Extreme | E-ATX | Square | 8 | 5 | 1 | ----- | ----- | $240.00 |
| ASUS | Rampage IV Formula | ATX | Square | 4 | 6 | 1 | ----- | ----- | $200.00 |
| ASUS | P9X79 WS/IPMI | E-ATX | Square | 8 | 6 | 2 | ----- | IPMI | $250.00 |
| ASUS | P9X79 LE | E-ATX | Square | 8 | 5 | 1 | ----- | ----- | $170.00 |
| ASUS | P9X79 PRO | ATX | Square | 8 | 6 | 1 | ----- | ----- | $190.00 |
| ASUS | Sabertooth X79 | ATX | Square | 8 | 5 | 1 | ----- | ----- | $180.00 |
| Intel | DX79SI | E-ATX | Square | 8 | 6 | 2 | ----- | ----- | $200.00 |
| Intel | DX79SR | E-ATX | Square | 8 | 6 | 2 | ----- | ----- | $220.00 |
| Gigabyte | GA-X79-UD3 | E-ATX | Square | 4 | 5 | 1 | ----- | ----- | $160.00 |
| HP | OEM IPIWB-PB | Micro-ATX | Square | 4 | 4 | 1 | ----- | ----- | $100.00 |