Supermicro X9SRi-F Server Motherboard

MB Server

Supermicro X9SRi-F Server Motherboard

Exhibit Type: Enterprise Hardware Specification & Architectural Dossier
•
Platform: Intel C602 Express / Socket R (LGA 2011)
•
Form Factor: Standard ATX (12″ × 9.6″)
•
Source Authority: Supermicro Manual MNL-1284

1. Technical Overview & Key Specifications

Category Property Specification
Board Architecture Manufacturer & Model Supermicro X9SRi-F (PCB Rev 1.01+)
Form Factor Standard ATX (12.0″ × 9.6″ / 304.8 mm × 243.84 mm)
Target Chassis Optimized for 1U / 2U rackmount and mid-tower workstation enclosures
Chipset Intel® C602 Express Chipset (PCH)
Processor Support CPU Socket Single Socket R (LGA 2011, 2011-pin FC-LGA)
Supported Families Intel® Xeon® E5-1600 and E5-2600 series (v1 and v2 with BIOS update)
Thermal Design Power Up to 135W TDP support; 6-phase switching VRM
Bus Interconnect Intel® QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) up to 8.0 GT/s; DMI 2.0 (20 Gb/s full duplex)
Memory Subsystem Channels & Slots Quad-Channel memory bus across 8 × 240-pin DIMM slots
Max Capacity (RDIMM/LRDIMM) Up to 256 GB ECC Registered DDR3 (using 32 GB modules)
Max Capacity (UDIMM) Up to 64 GB ECC / Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR3 (using 8 GB modules)
Frequencies & Voltages 1600 / 1333 / 1066 / 800 MHz; 1.5V standard and 1.35V low-voltage DDR3L
Expansion Slots Slot 6 (PCIe 3.0 x16) 1 × PCI-Express 3.0 ×16 physical & electrical (CPU root port)
Slot 4 (PCIe 3.0 x8 in x16) 1 × PCI-Express 3.0 ×8 electrical in ×16 physical slot (CPU root port)
Slot 5 (PCIe 2.0 x4 in x16) 1 × PCI-Express 2.0 ×4 electrical in ×16 physical slot (PCH C602 port)
Storage Ports SATA 3.0 (6.0 Gb/s) 2 × SATA 3.0 ports (I-SATA0, I-SATA1; White headers), RAID 0, 1, 5, 10
SATA 2.0 (3.0 Gb/s) 4 × SATA 2.0 ports (I-SATA2 to I-SATA5; Black headers), RAID 0, 1, 5, 10
SATA DOM Support 1 × Disk on Module (DOM) 5V Power Connector (JSD1)
Networking & IPMI Host Ethernet Dual Intel® Powerville Gigabit Ethernet controllers (LAN1, LAN2 RJ45)
Out-of-Band Management Integrated IPMI 2.0 with Dedicated LAN port (Realtek RTL8201N PHY)
Baseboard Management (BMC) Nuvoton WPCM450 Server Management Controller with Virtual Media & KVM-over-IP
Graphics & Super I/O Integrated Video Engine Matrox® G200eW 2D graphics core embedded in Nuvoton BMC (1 × rear DB15 VGA)
Super I/O Controller Winbond / Nuvoton NCT6776F Super I/O for LPC hardware telemetry and COM UART

2. Motherboard Architecture & Chipset Profile

Intel C602 PCH Architecture

  • Platform Controller Hub: Intel® C602 (Patsburg) dedicated server chipset.
  • Interconnect: Direct Media Interface (DMI 2.0) operating at 20 Gb/s full duplex to the processor.
  • Virtualization: Full hardware support for Intel® VT-d (Directed I/O) and Intel® I/O Acceleration Technology (I/OAT).
  • Security: Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) support.

Firmware & Power Regulation

  • BIOS Device: 64 Mb SPI Flash EEPROM with AMI BIOS®.
  • Standards: UEFI, SMBIOS 2.3, ACPI 1.0/2.0, PCI 2.2, DMI 2.3, Plug-and-Play (PnP).
  • Console: Serial Console Redirection via COM1 / COM2 for headless rack control.
  • Power Inlets: 24-pin ATX Main Power (JPW1) plus 8-pin 12V CPU Power (JPW2).

3. Processor Support & Socket R (LGA 2011)

Processor Compatibility & Socket Topography

The Supermicro X9SRi-F utilizes a single Socket R (LGA 2011) socket designed for high-density enterprise computing. It accepts Sandy Bridge-EP (Xeon E5-1600 / E5-2600 v1) and Ivy Bridge-EP (Xeon E5-1600 v2 / E5-2600 v2) processors, featuring integrated quad-channel memory controllers and 40 direct PCI Express 3.0 lanes from the processor die.

Processor Series Microarchitecture Lithography Core Range Max Memory Speed
Xeon E5-1600 / E5-2600 (v1) Sandy Bridge-EP 32 nm 2 to 8 Cores (4 to 16 Threads) DDR3-1600
Xeon E5-1600 v2 / E5-2600 v2 Ivy Bridge-EP 22 nm 4 to 12 Cores (8 to 24 Threads) DDR3-1866 / 1600

4. Memory Subsystem & Quad-Channel Architecture

Max Registered Memory (RDIMM)

256 GB

8 × 32 GB DDR3 Registered ECC / LRDIMM

Max Unbuffered Memory (UDIMM)

64 GB

8 × 8 GB DDR3 Unbuffered ECC / Non-ECC

Memory Bus Architecture

Quad-Channel

4 Channels × 2 DIMMs per Channel

Physical DIMM Slot Layout (Quad-Channel Topology)

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    SUPERMICRO X9SRi-F QUAD-CHANNEL MEMORY LAYOUT                      |
|                                                                                       |
|   [ CHANNEL 1 (CH A) ]               [ CHANNEL 2 (CH B) ]                             |
|    - P1-DIMM1A (Primary Blue)         - P1-DIMM2A (Primary Blue)                      |
|    - P1-DIMM1B (Secondary Black)      - P1-DIMM2B (Secondary Black)                   |
|                                                                                       |
|                             [ CPU SOCKET R (LGA 2011) ]                              |
|                                                                                       |
|   [ CHANNEL 3 (CH C) ]               [ CHANNEL 4 (CH D) ]                             |
|    - P1-DIMM3A (Primary Blue)         - P1-DIMM4A (Primary Blue)                      |
|    - P1-DIMM3B (Secondary Black)      - P1-DIMM4B (Secondary Black)                   |
|                                                                                       |
|   Population Order: Populate Blue slots first (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A) for Quad-Channel mode. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                MAX CAPACITY: 256 GB ECC RDIMM / LRDIMM (8 x 32 GB)                    |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Memory Type Supported Module Sizes Max Theoretical RAM Operating Voltage
Registered DDR3 (RDIMM) 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB 256 GB (8 × 32 GB) 1.5V / 1.35V (DDR3L)
Load-Reduced DDR3 (LRDIMM) 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB 256 GB (8 × 32 GB) 1.5V / 1.35V (DDR3L)
Unbuffered DDR3 (UDIMM) 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB 64 GB (8 × 8 GB) 1.5V / 1.35V (DDR3L)

5. PCI Express Expansion & Bus Topology

The Supermicro X9SRi-F features three full-length PCI Express slots designed for enterprise add-on cards, high-speed storage controllers (HBAs), and compute accelerators. Unlike the legacy-focused X9SRE variant which incorporates 64-bit PCI-X slots, the X9SRi series is purely PCI Express:

Slot Label PCIe Generation Physical Form Electrical Lanes Controller Source
Slot 6 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Full Length x16 Direct Direct from CPU Root Complex (8.0 GT/s)
Slot 4 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Full Length x8 Electrical Direct from CPU Root Complex (8.0 GT/s)
Slot 5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Full Length x4 Electrical Intel C602 PCH Downstream Link (5.0 GT/s)

6. Storage Subsystem & Drive Ports

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                         INTEL C602 PCH STORAGE TOPOLOGY                               |
|                                                                                       |
|  [ SATA 3.0 (6 Gb/s) Ports - White Headers ]                                          |
|   +-- I-SATA0 (6.0 Gbps AHCI/RAID) ----> Primary Fast SSD / High-Throughput Storage  |
|   +-- I-SATA1 (6.0 Gbps AHCI/RAID) ----> Secondary Fast SSD / Mirror Member           |
|                                                                                       |
|  [ SATA 2.0 (3 Gb/s) Ports - Black Headers ]                                          |
|   +-- I-SATA2 (3.0 Gbps AHCI/RAID) ----> HDD / Bulk Storage Array                     |
|   +-- I-SATA3 (3.0 Gbps AHCI/RAID) ----> HDD / Bulk Storage Array                     |
|   +-- I-SATA4 (3.0 Gbps AHCI/RAID) ----> Optical Drive / Backup HDD                   |
|   +-- I-SATA5 (3.0 Gbps AHCI/RAID) ----> Optical Drive / Backup HDD                   |
|                                                                                       |
|  [ SATA DOM Power ]                                                                   |
|   +-- JSD1 (Disk on Module 5V Power) --> Direct Power for SATA Boot DOMs              |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Port Name Interface Standard Connector Color Bandwidth RAID Support
I-SATA0 / I-SATA1 SATA Revision 3.0 White 6.0 Gb/s (600 MB/s) RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 (Intel RSTe)
I-SATA2 to I-SATA5 SATA Revision 2.0 Black 3.0 Gb/s (300 MB/s) RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 (Intel RSTe)
JSD1 SATA DOM Power White 2-pin Header +5V Power Delivery Direct DOM boot module support

7. Network Controllers & IPMI 2.0 Out-of-Band Management

Host Ethernet (Dual GbE)

  • Controller: Dual Intel® Powerville Gigabit Ethernet controllers (82574L / i350 family).
  • Ports: 2 × RJ45 connectors (LAN1 and LAN2) located on rear I/O.
  • Features: Wake-on-LAN (WOL) support via header JSTBY1; PXE network boot ROM; 1.5A power design.

Dedicated IPMI 2.0 Subsystem

  • BMC: Nuvoton WPCM450 Server Management Processor.
  • Dedicated PHY: Realtek RTL8201N dedicated Ethernet PHY over independent RJ45 management port.
  • OOB Capabilities: Full KVM over IP, Virtual Media over LAN, remote power cycling, sensory telemetry.
  • Diagnostics: Onboard green blinking heartbeat LED (DP3) and chassis Unit ID (UID) push-button with blue LED.

8. Onboard Headers, Connectors & Internal USB Port

Identifier Header Function Description & Pinout Context
JUSB2 Internal Type-A USB 2.0 Direct onboard Type-A port for hypervisor boot drives (Proxmox VE, VMware ESXi, TrueNAS)
JUSB4/5, 6/7, 8/9 Front Panel USB Headers Three internal 10-pin headers providing 6 front-panel USB 2.0 ports
FAN1 ~ FAN4, FANA 4-Pin PWM Fan Headers Five 4-pin fan headers with tachometer status monitoring and automated PWM thermal speed control
JCOM1 / JCOM2 Serial COM UART One rear DB9 serial connector (COM1) plus one internal 10-pin serial header (COM2)
JTPM1 Trusted Platform Module 20-pin header for hardware cryptographic module and Port 80 debug display
JPI2C1 Power Supply I2C / SMBus Inter-Integrated Circuit bus communication with PMBus compliant redundant server power supplies
JL1 Chassis Intrusion Header Monitors enclosure cover status with hardware event logging in BMC event log

9. Architectural Comparison: X9SRi-F vs. X8DAH Workstation

Feature Supermicro X9SRi-F (Exhibit #2957) Supermicro X8DAH (Exhibit #2894)
Generation & Sockets Single Socket R (LGA 2011) – Romley Platform Dual Socket B (LGA 1366) – Tylersburg Platform
Chipset Architecture Single Intel® C602 Platform Controller Hub Dual Intel 5520 IOH + ICH10R Southbridge
Memory Topography Quad-Channel DDR3 (up to 256 GB, 1600 MHz) Triple-Channel DDR3 per socket (up to 240 GB, 1333 MHz)
PCIe Bus Standard PCI Express 3.0 (8.0 GT/s, direct CPU integration) PCI Express 2.0 (5.0 GT/s, routed via 5520 IOH)
SATA 6 Gb/s Ports 2 × Native SATA 3.0 (6 Gb/s) Ports None native (All 6 ICH10R ports are SATA 2.0 3 Gb/s)
Remote IPMI Engine Dedicated IPMI 2.0 LAN with Virtual KVM (WPCM450) Matrox 2D VGA only (requires add-on SIMLP for IPMI)

10. Curator’s Assessment & Homelab Applicability

  1. Homelab Workhorse Efficiency: The X9SRi-F represents the sweet spot of enterprise server longevity. Its standard ATX dimensions fit standard desktop and rackmount cases without requiring proprietary chassis adapters.
  2. High-Density Virtualization: With support for 256 GB of registered DDR3 RAM in a single-socket configuration, this motherboard delivers exceptional memory capacity per watt for Proxmox VE, TrueNAS CORE/SCALE, or VMware ESXi virtualization.
  3. Native PCIe 3.0 Bandwidth: Direct CPU PCIe 3.0 lanes ensure full bandwidth for modern NVMe adapter cards, 10GbE SFP+ networking controllers, or SAS3 12Gb/s host bus adapters (HBAs).
  4. Headless Out-of-Band Reliability: The onboard dedicated IPMI 2.0 interface and internal Type-A USB hypervisor header make the X9SRi-F an ideal zero-maintenance remote appliance.
Supermicro Specification Dossier compiled for Mateo’s Museum. Source Authority: Supermicro Manual MNL-1284.