Worth stashing away some new X99 mobos?

[VirtualLarry]

Just wondering. With the success of the hex-core 1366 Xeon overclocking, what are the odds that the same thing will be possible 5 years from now, and there will be 18-core Haswell-E equivalent Xeons on the market for cheap? Would it be a worthwhile gamble, to stockpile some quality X99 boards now? Would they have BIOS support right now for those Xeons? Would certain mobo mfgrs be more likely than others in the future to add support for those Xeons?

Are there any X99 boards sold today that have advertised support for the higher core-count Xeons? (ASrock and Asus, I'm looking at you.)

 

[cbn]

JWith the success of the hex-core 1366 Xeon overclocking, what are the odds that the same thing will be possible 5 years from now

The situation with E5 v3 and E5 v4 Xeons is different than the LGA 1366 Xeons because we can't overclock them.

So if you are looking to buy some depreciated E5 Xeons down the road it might be better to buy them with a depreciated Workstation (either 1P or 2P) as well.

and there will be 18-core Haswell-E equivalent Xeons on the market for cheap?

I noticed the top SKUs (of various processor families) hold their value the best (re: low volume, but high demand).

However, it might be bulk purchase data center Xeons like the E5-2670 v3 processors used in FB's Open Compute platform are different story (re: high volume):

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9138/open-compute-hardware-tried-and-tested

(E5-2670 v3 is a 120 watt 12C/24T with 2.3 Ghz base clock and 3.1 Ghz turbo.)

 

[cbn]

Are there any X99 boards sold today that have advertised support for the higher core-count Xeons? (ASrock and Asus, I'm looking at you.)

Here is the CPU support list for ASRock X99 Extreme 4:

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/X99 Extreme4/?cat=CPU

I haven't double checked, but that appears to be all the current E5 Xeons.

 

[sm625]

You can buy 1366 systems for cheaper now than you could have bought X58 motherboards back then. It is probably not ever economical to buy parts and stash them for years later.

 

[ShintaiDK]

You can buy 1366 systems for cheaper now than you could have bought X58 motherboards back then. It is probably not ever economical to buy parts and stash them for years later.

^^ This.

And thats assuming the value will even be there and not be 0 for some reason.

 

[rchunter]

You can buy 1366 systems for cheaper now than you could have bought X58 motherboards back then. It is probably not ever economical to buy parts and stash them for years later.

Agreed. Stashing computer parts or any type of electronics is not an investment i'd be willing to do. I can think of much better things to speculate on.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Stashing away expensive x99 boards? No way dude. You'll be able to buy them for cheap on eBay if/when you want to buy a "cheap" x99-compatible Xeon down the line.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I usually go to the 475$ EVGA X58 770 page on ebay for a laugh. I get a kick out of it. Then when I scroll through the other X58 boards for around 200$ I think, hmm possibly, then kick myself and have another laugh

 

[BonzaiDuck]

The last two posters -- Arachno- and BTRY- -- bring up some interesting points, almost in the way of a paradox.

For the high-end boards -- say your Rampage line -- you'll likely find "brand new" priced in the stratosphere at end of the product life-cycle, after they've disappeared from ordinary resellers. For mid-range boards, you can find deals on refurbished units from IT-asset-management folks like AscendTech.

And of course, there would be the used offerings at flea-bay.

And if you buy brand-new now, you can't predict the future too well, and you could regret it when you resurrect the board from storage to use the Xeon. Of course, at that point, you could list the board as "brand-new" at eBay and price it at the same ridiculous level -- hoping to at least break even.

To tell the truth, I've rationalized both intentional and mistaken purchases the same way: "I can use it as a backup/spare motherboard if things go south on a running system." Luckily, my outlays were fairly small. This year, it paid off, because I needed to replace the fam-damn-ily's LGA-775 systems.

 

[cbn]

You can buy 1366 systems for cheaper now than you could have bought X58 motherboards back then. It is probably not ever economical to buy parts and stash them for years later.

Used X58 boards are pretty expensive on ebay now. Some have even increased in value.

Not sure we will see the same thing with X99 though.

 

[XavierMace]

Used X58 boards are pretty expensive on ebay now. Some have even increased in value.

Not sure we will see the same thing with X99 though.

You'll note he mentioned system not board. I can get complete Xeon 5500/5600 servers for the price some people are charging for their X58 boards.

 

[cbn]

You'll note he mentioned system not board. I can get complete Xeon 5500/5600 servers for the price some people are charging for their X58 boards.

Yes, The LGA 1366 pre-built systems are an awesome deal for people that need multi-thread (I am specifically thinking of the 2P Workstations).

In contrast, I think the reason why the used X58 boards command so much money has to do with higher single thread due to overclocking. This is something we can't do with the pre-built systems.

 

[ShintaiDK]

How many X58 boards actually sell at those prices. And what was the original price. ( I can see 100$ X58 boards on ebay).

And did it ever happen since or after. How is X79 selling for example?

 

[cbn]

How many X58 boards actually sell at those prices. And what was the original price. ( I can see 100$ X58 boards on ebay).

These $100 X58 boards were consumer overclocking boards?

And they were not listed as "broken, for parts only"?

 

[ShintaiDK]

Its working boards.

Example:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gigabyte-GA...System-Board-Motherboard-Tested-/381304363504

And remember, 380$ from new.

 

[cbn]

Its working boards.

Example:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gigabyte-GA...System-Board-Motherboard-Tested-/381304363504

$99 is the starting bid (with $15 shipping), I wonder how much that board ends up going for?

However, with that mentioned, I did find a listing with working Intel Extreme edition DX58SO boards for $115 shipped (4 sold, 2 left):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-X58-E...565?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56765df535

 

[ShintaiDK]

And for the DX58SO we talk about a 299$ initial price.

 

[cbn]

And for the DX58SO we talk about a 299$ initial price.

Apparently some boards are worth more than others.

ASUS X58 Sabertooth is supposed to be one of the better ones.

AFAIK, its MSRP was low $200 range, but it can sell for more than that used on ebay.

P.S. Some info from overclock.net:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1489955/official-x58-xeon-club/1350#post_22711374

I noticed that the L5639 prices spiked back in late 2013 \ early 2014 and I saw that my Asus Sabertooth X58 MB was worth over $200 overnight. Sabertooth's were going for $119.99-$149.99 used and new all day long. The word spread fast and they skyrocketed.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1489955/official-x58-xeon-club/1350#post_22711631

I was bidding on a Asus Sabertooth manufacturer refurb and lost, it sold for $255.00 with $12.35 shipping LOL. Just Crazy.....

http://www.overclock.net/t/1489955/official-x58-xeon-club/1350#post_22715868

Never thought I'd see Sabertooth X58's sell above MSRP .

 

[ShintaiDK]

So if you bought the right board you could maybe make some money. If you bought stocks in 2010 or so instead in an investment fund you have twice the money or more today.

The idea of this concept is just plain silly at best.

 

[cbn]

Nvm.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I don't think this would be a good idea. The situation with the X58 systems was you had 45nm desktops and they produced alot of heat and were fair overclockers at best. Jumping from that situation to a 32nm chip for the same board not only offered a bunch of different 6 core options but they clocked higher, from the X5650 and >, and they ran cooler. Unless these X99 boards will be able to use the next nm die shrink and can produce the same values that came from 45 to 32nm chips then it isn't worth it. And even then you'll have to wait n see how the next xeons from the die shrink will perform IF they work on the X99 board. So there is alot of "if" involved.

 

[cbn]

Larry,

I think if you can find a X99 on closeout or bundle sale, your plan could be worth it.

Reason: With a closeout or bundle sale (depending on price) the board will probably already be at used condition depreciated price (but still be in new condition).

 

[Denithor]

Motherboards as an investment is just a bad idea. Very, very bad idea.

The phenomenon with the X58 boards is a number of factors aligning perfectly to create value. Six core, 32nm chips that were of the final generation that could be freely overclocked. Just not going to happen again.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Motherboards as an investment is just a bad idea. Very, very bad idea.

The phenomenon with the X58 boards is a number of factors aligning perfectly to create value. Six core, 32nm chips that were of the final generation that could be freely overclocked. Just not going to happen again.

This. if you wanna make an investment, find a good stock

 

[dark zero]

Motherboards as an investment is just a bad idea. Very, very bad idea.

The phenomenon with the X58 boards is a number of factors aligning perfectly to create value. Six core, 32nm chips that were of the final generation that could be freely overclocked. Just not going to happen again.

Not for now.. Maybe in later generations or from AMD it might happen.