The entire AMD EPYC 3000 lineup is fascinating. With four single-die SKUs, AMD offers different looks at the lower-power options in terms of cores and features. Onboard the Supermicro M11SDV-4C-LN4F is an AMD EPYC 3151 SoC. Sporting 4 cores and eight threads, the EPYC 3151 provides a lot of value on this sub $500 street price platform.
We have done a lot of work with the Supermicro M11SDV platform, and therefore have some great perspective on it. With security vulnerabilities like Foreshadow that only impacted Intel CPUs, having a second option qualified can help mitigate future vulnerabilities. It also can help to keep pricing competitive. In the embedded space where this platform is targeted, that is a big deal.
The CPU itself supports up to 512GB of RAM, in a 4x 128GB configuration. That is as much as the Intel Xeon D-2100 series platforms and more than both the Intel Xeon D-1500 and Intel Atom C3000 series embedded platforms.
We have already reviewed the other M11SDV platforms. These include the Supermicro M11SDV-8C-LN4F (its active cooler variant is the M11SDV-8C+-LN4F), M11SDV-8CT-LN4F, and M11SDV-4CT-LN4F that are all very similar. We have a short video overview of the family.
You will see this test setup more in the future and it is similar to our Intel Xeon D review platform. We also spent time plugging in devices to ensure the NVMe and PCIe lanes worked as advertised. We also tried up to 128GB of RAM in 4x 32GB configurations in our testing.
Measuring 6.7″ x 6.7″ the Supermicro M11SDV-4C-LN4F is a compact mITX motherboard like the other M11SDV platforms.
At the heart of the M11SDV-4C-LN4F is the AMD EPYC 3151 CPU. As a quad-core SoC this part adds eight threads to the AMD EPYC 3101’s four threads as found on the M11SDV-4CT-LN4F. The CPU itself if cooled via passive airflow from front to rear. The passive heatsink requires cooling from fans via the chassis.
Like the other models, this board can still handle four 128GB DDR4 DIMMs for a total of 512GB. That is more than the Intel Xeon D-1500 and newly announced Intel Xeon D-1600 series, and the same as the Xeon D-2100 series. The maximum rated memory speed is 2666MHz, which is above the rated 2133MHz speed for the eight-core AMD EPYC 3201.
For M.2 connectivity there is a PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 2280 (80mm) slot for SSDs. Many SSDs with power loss protection are 110mm. We see this M.2 slot used mostly for a read cache or boot device in systems.
The Supermicro M11DV-4C-LN4F has a standard front panel header, COM port, and USB 2.0 headers. You will not find a Type-A USB internal header nor a USB 3.0 front panel header. From the look of the motherboard, there does not seem to be room for those features.
We also see four 7-pin SATA ports. One is an orange/ gold port for SATADOMs. In that port, a SATADOM does not need an additional power cable to operate which is handy in embedded applications. That white header between the SATADOM port and the battery is a power connector. When on DC power, Supermicro makes cables for that header that can power four hard drives/ SSDs.
The motherboard itself has three 4-pin PWM headers. That allows for a redundant SoC cooling path as well as a peripheral fan. You will also notice a single 8-pin power header. Like the other initial members of the M11SDV family, Supermicro sacrificed the traditional ATX 24-pin connector to save space. The company already did this on some of their Intel embedded motherboards.
The rear I/O is comprised of a legacy VGA port on the right side and two USB 3.0 ports plus a management port on the left. Overall I/O pinout is compatible with a wide range of Supermicro embedded products so those that have systems based on Intel embedded products can likely use the same I/O shields and chassis with the Supermicro M11SDV-4C-LN4F and other M11SDV motherboards. That gives four AMD-based CPU levels in a similar appliance.
Networking is provided by an Intel i350 quad port NIC. This is a 1GbE NIC that supports higher-end features like SR-IOV. At the same time, Supermicro is not leveraging the AMD EPYC 3151’s quad 10GbE NIC.
While we wanted to see a 10GBE solution, and our readers have responded accordingly in our previous reviews, we understand the conservative design decision for a first-generation embedded product. The Intel i350 is well supported by every major OS vendor and there are many firewalls and embedded appliances that do not need 10GbE. We still have not found a current-generation OS that did not work with the platform out-of-the-box.
Next, were are going to look at the Supermicro M11SDV-4C-LN4F management and system topology. We will then show performance figures along with power consumption and our final thoughts.