Supermicro SYS-510P-WTR 1U 1P Intel Xeon Server Review

Supermicro SYS-510P-WTR Internal Overview

Inside the system, we are going to work from the front to the rear.

First, we see the storage backplane that enables SATA/ SAS as well as NVMe storage. Our system is a cost-optimized SATA-only system.

The NVMe cables add cost so those are optional but one can see the open ports for them here. Upgrading this system to NVMe is a configurable option but can also be done later in under two minutes. Here are the most likely SlimSAS ports one would use for that NVMe cabling on the other side of the fan partition.

Next, we get five internal fans. There is also an optional sixth fan in the system for those that need extra cooling due to the add-in card configurations.

These fans cool the next feature we are going to look at which is the CPU. Here, we have a 3rd generation Intel Xeon Scalable Ice Lake generation socket. You can see our Installing a 3rd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable LGA4189 CPU and Cooler guide for more on the socket, as well as our main Ice Lake launch coverage.

Since we get many questions around the SKU stack, we have a video explaining the basics of the various Platinum, Gold, Silver, letter options, and the less obvious distinctions.

Around the CPU socket, we get a total of eight DIMM slots. These can accept up to DDR4-3200 so long as the CPU supports it (see our 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Ice Lake SKU List and Value Analysis piece for more on that.)

One can also add up to four DDR4 DIMMs alongside four Optane PMem 200 modules. We have more on how Optane modules work, since much of the documentation is not clear on that, here.

With this platform, the fact that we only have eight DIMM slots is important. Technically, an Ice Lake Xeon can handle up to 16 DIMMs. In this platform, the WTR motherboard is a WIO motherboard and so it must be thinner than the chassis dimensions to leave room for power supplies and PCIe expansion on either side.

In the external overview, we looked at the PCIe slots and how having three in this chassis is a differentiator. Here we can see how that was accomplished with the motherboard staying slim. As a result, the entire expansion slot area has from the top of the chassis to the bottom without a motherboard PCB below. This is what allows the dual expansion slots in a WIO form factor.

Behind the CPU and memory, we get the Intel C621A Lewisburg Refresh PCH. There is also a heatsink for the X550 10GbE controller.

For internal storage, we get dual SATA DOM slots that can provide power to the SATA DOM. We also get a single M.2 slot that can be either PCIe Gen3 x4 or SATA. There is even an internal USB 3 Type-A header.

Overall, one can see some of the trade-offs made here to pack a maximum amount of functionality into such a small chassis. For those who prefer dual-socket systems, Supermicro has other options for those markets. Still, the single-socket platform is quite unique.

Next, we are going to check out the block diagram as well as the management before moving on with our review.