GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H

What do you think of this motherboard? Reckon it'd be supported in unRAID 5?

Has good chipsets - 6 SATA and 2x PCI Express slots..

Will want to expand up to 12 disks.

Make sure you can disable HPA

Sure can - disabled by default on this one.

No issues with chipsets as far as anyone can see?

I'm building up a system around this motherboard as we speak. A few people have complained about the Realtek 8111 NIC being unreliable, but no definitive word on that. I'll try it out, but have an Intel NIC to drop in if need be.

My build thread is here, but I don't have anything definitive yet.

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=12523.0

Cheers - be good to know!

I recently built a system using GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H board which is similar, I believe (it is full ATX and has 8 SATA ports, but AMD based as well).  I had no problems setting things up using five 2TB drives, but I am using unRaid 4.7 and have not included an SATA extension.  The HBA was disabled by default.

You can find a list of components I used at http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=12425.0.

I have this motherboard in my unRaid server. You can search on the forum and see a couple of the threads I wrote. A couple of notes to consider:

1. Mobo overall works fine with unRaid. HPA is off by default.

2. I have 2x SuperMicro expansion cards for extra SATA ports. There are some issues with these and 880 series motherboards. There is a workaround and you can read more on my previous posts so it is not a major issue so long as you are aware.

3. The mobo only has FIVE (5) onboard internal SATA ports. The sixth SATA port is an eSata port on the back of the motherboard.

4. Run your preclears with the onboard SATA rather than a SuperMicro SATA (assuming you are using these expansion cards)

5. I have had no issues with the Realtek network and my system has been rock solid for several months now.

hth

Alex

Just as an update to users of this motherboard (GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H).

5 months on and my UnRaid server has been very stable (v4.7), however now that 3TB HDDs are supported in v5 beta there are some additional considerations. With 3TB HDDs you need to use the .21 firmware, which means many of the AMD motherboards using the 880 chipset we are going to have an issue as they will not boot successfully if using 2 x AOC-SASLP-MV8 and the .21 firmware:

- .15 firmware = dual AOC-SASLP-MV8 works but no 3TB support

- .21 firmware = dual AOC-SASLP-MV8 does NOT work however there is 3TB support

I've noticed Gigabyte have released an updated Beta Bios (F6E) for this motherboard which is a little smaller in size (0.70MB v 0.81MB download size). If I get time this weekend I will flash the Motherboard to this new BIOS and the AOCs up to .21 firmware and see if the server successfully boots with .21 firmware and dual AOC-SASLP-MV8 cards.

Alex

Just a quick update for anyone using this motherboard. I noticed last week that Gigabyte had posted a new BIOS for this motherboard in September 2011 (version F6f) that showed a smaller file size and a couple of features removed. I wondered if this would provide sufficient space for the .21 firmware version on the AOC-SASLP-MV8s so....

1. I flashed the Motherboard BIOS from F5 to F6f. UnRaid successfully booted.

2. I removed one SASLP-MV8 and flashed the remaining SASLP-MV8 to .21. Server successfully booted

3. I removed the .21 SASLP-MV8 and flashed the remaining SASLP-MV8 to .21. Server successfully booted

4. I installed both .21 SASLP-MV8, confirmed motherboard was set to AHCI and server successfully booted

Looks like the F6f Gigabyte BIOS for this specific motherboard has resolved the issue and I can now successfully use .21 firmware (and hence 3TB/4TB support)

note: I haven't actually tried a 3TB or 4TB HDD yet, however others have used them successfully with firmware .21

YEAH YEAH YEAH - this removed my only issue with the GA-880GMA-UD2H

Alex

Wombat,

Thanks for posting the latest info on your experiences iwth the GA-880GMA-UD2H.

I just started shopping for a board that can handle dual  Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8.  Unfortunately, the  Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H comes up as "Deactivated" on NewEgg's website.  Just my luck. 

The  GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H is an older motherboard that Gigabyte have now replaced with a newer model, however I know a few of the forum users have them so it is good to see that it finally works with the dual SAS cards and firmware .21 thereby allowing 3TB+ HDDs.

GreenLeaf (Rajahal) has successfully tested the ECS A885GM-A2 (V1.1) which is available on NewEgg for $64.99. If you're taking the AMD route then you won't get much cheaper than that and it is known to work.

good luck

Alex