I'm building a system to do FreeNAS and handle multiple other VM workloads. The X10SRH-CLN4F board was a perfect fit for what I wanted to do. It was also my first SuperMicro board. In the past, I always used Asus which worked great for me, but I've read so many great things on this forum that I decided to give SM a try. I paired it with an E5-2696 v4 CPU and thought this would be the build of my dreams.
After I finished the install, I could not get the system to POST or boot under any circumstances. Basically, the machine powers on and then constantly reboots without ever posting or making beep codes. SuperMicro claims the board is compatible with all Intel 2600 series V4 CPU as long as you are running 2.0a BIOS. I confirmed with their tech support that this board ships with the correct BIOS for V4 support. They also stated the E5-2696V4 CPU is specifically supported. After a week of troubleshooting, I got absolutely nowhere. Trying to reset CMOS did nothing and all the steps I tried with SM support failed to rectify the issue. Everything was stripped off of the board and I even tried starting it outside of the chassis to ensure there were no power shorts going on. At this point, SM recommended that I return or RMA the board. I chose to return it to Amazon and obtained a brand new one. While the board was being returned, I found that my E5-2696V4 CPU had a 150W TDP, which is not compatible with the board (max 145W TDP). This was my "a-ha!" moment. I returned the CPU and purchased a brand new E5-2699V4, which has similar specs, but also has a compatible 145W TDP. I was finally on the road to success...or so I thought.
A week later, I have a new board and a new (different) processor in my hands, which I confirmed with SM is specifically supported (just like the last one, lol). I hooked everything up again and also used a different PSU to be sure. What happens? The same exact problem. At this point I'm only attempting to use the Motherboard/CPU and the same reboot loop occurs. I contacted SM again and we went through the same troubleshooting steps, but nothing we did rectified the issue. They tested a similar config on their end, but their E5-2699V4 CPU was embedded. They did not have a non-embedded CPU to test, but said that it *should* work. At this point, I held my ground and stated there has to be a compatibility issue here somewhere, but they recommended I return or RMA the board AGAIN and this was all they could do.
Ok, I returned both the processor and the board as they asked. I received a brand new X10SRH-CLN4F along with a new E5-2699V4 processor. Third times the charm, right? I hooked it up to a third and different working PSU for good luck. I didn't even bother to install it in the chassis, because I knew what was waiting for me around the corner. What happens? THE SAME THING. The board reboot loops over and over. Resetting CMOS with the battery or the jumpers does nothing. I've built many server systems in the past, but I've never encountered one this troublesome. Usually you can isolate the problem down to a single component by stripping down the computer and going through each part one by one, changing RAM sticks etc. But, nothing I did fixed the problem. IPMI failed to respond and could not be accessed, which is not surprising. This is the first time I've ever had to accept defeat when it comes to system building.
I contacted SuperMicro and they are once again saying I should return or RMA the board, because they can't figure out what's wrong. That's not going to happen. I'm hoping you guys have a different suggestion, because my experience with SuperMicro has been terrible and I'm ready to go back to Asus at this point. I regret ever trying this brand. I did a google search and found others who were experiencing this exact same problem with SuperMicro boards, but usually a BIOS update or RMA fixes the issue. In other cases, there was no posted fix. Anyone have suggestions? Because I'm ready for a mental institution.
Motherboard: X10SRH-CLN4F
Processors tried: E5-2696V4 & E5-2699V4
RAM: MEM-DR432L-SL02-LR24 (M386A4K40BB0 - Recommended by SM)
PSU's tried:
Seasonic PRIME Titanium (850W - Their flagship PSU)
Seasonic Platinum SS-860XP2 (860W)
Antec CP-850 (850W)
After I finished the install, I could not get the system to POST or boot under any circumstances. Basically, the machine powers on and then constantly reboots without ever posting or making beep codes. SuperMicro claims the board is compatible with all Intel 2600 series V4 CPU as long as you are running 2.0a BIOS. I confirmed with their tech support that this board ships with the correct BIOS for V4 support. They also stated the E5-2696V4 CPU is specifically supported. After a week of troubleshooting, I got absolutely nowhere. Trying to reset CMOS did nothing and all the steps I tried with SM support failed to rectify the issue. Everything was stripped off of the board and I even tried starting it outside of the chassis to ensure there were no power shorts going on. At this point, SM recommended that I return or RMA the board. I chose to return it to Amazon and obtained a brand new one. While the board was being returned, I found that my E5-2696V4 CPU had a 150W TDP, which is not compatible with the board (max 145W TDP). This was my "a-ha!" moment. I returned the CPU and purchased a brand new E5-2699V4, which has similar specs, but also has a compatible 145W TDP. I was finally on the road to success...or so I thought.
A week later, I have a new board and a new (different) processor in my hands, which I confirmed with SM is specifically supported (just like the last one, lol). I hooked everything up again and also used a different PSU to be sure. What happens? The same exact problem. At this point I'm only attempting to use the Motherboard/CPU and the same reboot loop occurs. I contacted SM again and we went through the same troubleshooting steps, but nothing we did rectified the issue. They tested a similar config on their end, but their E5-2699V4 CPU was embedded. They did not have a non-embedded CPU to test, but said that it *should* work. At this point, I held my ground and stated there has to be a compatibility issue here somewhere, but they recommended I return or RMA the board AGAIN and this was all they could do.
Ok, I returned both the processor and the board as they asked. I received a brand new X10SRH-CLN4F along with a new E5-2699V4 processor. Third times the charm, right? I hooked it up to a third and different working PSU for good luck. I didn't even bother to install it in the chassis, because I knew what was waiting for me around the corner. What happens? THE SAME THING. The board reboot loops over and over. Resetting CMOS with the battery or the jumpers does nothing. I've built many server systems in the past, but I've never encountered one this troublesome. Usually you can isolate the problem down to a single component by stripping down the computer and going through each part one by one, changing RAM sticks etc. But, nothing I did fixed the problem. IPMI failed to respond and could not be accessed, which is not surprising. This is the first time I've ever had to accept defeat when it comes to system building.
I contacted SuperMicro and they are once again saying I should return or RMA the board, because they can't figure out what's wrong. That's not going to happen. I'm hoping you guys have a different suggestion, because my experience with SuperMicro has been terrible and I'm ready to go back to Asus at this point. I regret ever trying this brand. I did a google search and found others who were experiencing this exact same problem with SuperMicro boards, but usually a BIOS update or RMA fixes the issue. In other cases, there was no posted fix. Anyone have suggestions? Because I'm ready for a mental institution.
Motherboard: X10SRH-CLN4F
Processors tried: E5-2696V4 & E5-2699V4
RAM: MEM-DR432L-SL02-LR24 (M386A4K40BB0 - Recommended by SM)
PSU's tried:
Seasonic PRIME Titanium (850W - Their flagship PSU)
Seasonic Platinum SS-860XP2 (860W)
Antec CP-850 (850W)
