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RAMPAGE IV EXTREME and XEON E7-8880 Build?

dmadzhitov
Level 7
HI all,

Ive got Rampage IV Extreme x79 motherboard wich is 2011-1 (v2) socket, I also got E7 8880 v2 chip. I wonder if it is possible to marry them both into something that will work? Right now the chip cover is not closing on E7 as it has tabs that press on heat lid. I know that E5 will work just fine. I just wonder if it is possible for E7 if I will file off those tabs (Plus BIOS update?)?

Thanks.
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Korth
Level 14
I think E7v2 used LGA2011-2 socket (for C60x) ... different from the LGA2011-1 (for X79) ... I could be wrong.

I do remember that the Xeon sockets and Express sockets of the time generally had different pin layouts and dimension specs for their IHS. You couldn't plug the wrong CPU onboard, the pins just wouldn't line up. You couldn't use the wrong CPU cooler, it just wouldn't fit (although many non-Intel coolers used generic LGA2011 dimensions which might or might not fit, albeit with suboptimal mating geometries).

I'm thinking that Xeon part won't work on X79 just because it's an 8S8 QPI thing, not a DMI thing. And no E7v2 parts on the R4E CPU compatibility list (which technically only means that it's not a mobo/CPU combination ASUS actually tested ... but also strongly implies it's not a mobo/CPU combination ASUS supports in firmware).
"All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others." - Douglas Adams

[/Korth]

HiVizMan
Level 40
Think the only board that I know that can use that CPU is the SuperMicro board range. But further than that can not help you mate.
To help us help you - please provide as much information about your system and the problem as possible.

dmadzhitov
Level 7
Thank you guys,

you just confirmed my worst thoughts. It seems like my excitement about that 15 core piece was premature:(((((

So basically I need to find mobo with c60x chipset rather than x79. Or get rid of E7... or both .....

HiVizMan
Level 40
c602j motherboards are expensive not even sure where to get one besides ebay.
To help us help you - please provide as much information about your system and the problem as possible.

Korth
Level 14
E7-8880v2 (the whole E7v2 family) is compatible with all C600 chipsets - C602, C602J, C604, C606, C608 - and with X79 "when supported by motherboard vendor's BIOS".

I honestly don't think your R4E X79 is compatible, but it wouldn't hurt to contact ASUS, get a proper official response (or maybe even a one-off custom BIOS) before ruling it out.

If R4E won't work then I think C606 and C608 are the best of your options (comparison here). And ASUS doesn't offer any of these mobos now, I can't tell if they ever did.

So I think your best option for this CPU would be a Gigabyte GA-X79S-UP5-WIFI (rev1.1 or rev1.0) ... name implies X79 but descriptors say C606 and several internet sources confirm it should be compatible.

There are also many (many) Supermicro C606 mobos but they're a confusing lot, more than a dozen models with nearly identical part numbers and different regional compliance/brandings, all used (ebay/etc) these days, and you'd have to be careful to choose one with the correct CPU socket and DIMM slots, haha, good luck with that (you'll need it).

I couldn't find any X79 mobos which explicitly listed E7v2 compatibility. I couldn't find any C608 mobos at all.

That is a beast CPU - worth $5K or more (or at least it was, once) - if you can't match it with a compatible mobo then consider selling it ASAP to get a good price while you can.
"All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others." - Douglas Adams

[/Korth]