Need to buy an unRAID Machine in 21 hours


krackato

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Hey,

 

I have to buy an unRAID machine in 21 hours, since the year is ending and I need to buy it 2010 for tax purposes (at least that's what my accountant tells me).  I need a lot of space.

 

Requirements: Lot of Space, Quiet, Light (aka, the case doesn't weight 20000lbs), Pretty Plug and Play, Works with my Mac,

 

1. Do you guys have any suggestions?

 

2. If I buy an "unRAID Server Pro Registration Key 2-Pack for $149", will they upgrade from 4.5 to 5.0 when it comes out for free?

 

3. What do you guys think of this Setup? Will it work?  Is it ideal?  Anything to watch out for?  Overkill? Did I miss anything?

 

Mobo: Biostar TH55B Micro ATX  Intel - $90

CPU: Intel Core i3-540 - $110

RAM: Kingston 2GB DDR3 1066 - $25

PSU: Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-500CX 500W - $55

Case: Antec Twelve Hundred - $170

SATA Expansion Cards:

Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 PCI Express x4 Low Profile SAS SAS RAID Controller - $116

2 port SATA2 Serial ATA II PCI-Express RAID Controller Card (Silicon Image SIL3132) - $15

Cables: 3ware SATA  x 2 - $27 x 2 = $54

Drive Cages: Scythe SCY-HDSX4 - $11x4 = $44

USB: Lexar JumpDrive FireFly 2GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive - $12

 

Total = $691, Capacity = 16 Drives Total

 

4. Anywhere where I could save money?  Wondering what the benefits would be to going with an AMD Sempron solution

 

Drives I Already Have Laying Around

2TB Samsung HD203WI 5400 RPM

2TB Samsung HD203WI 5400 RPM

1TB Samsung HD103SI  5400 RPM

1TB Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 7200 RPM

500GB Seagate 7200 RPM

500GB Seagate 7200 RPM

 

Thank you to anyone who responds.  This just got sprung on me today, so any help is much appreciated.

 

Edit: Sorry I edited this post 1 billion times because I didn't think anyone would answer so fast at 4am.

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2. Yes, that upgrade is free from 4.x to 5.x.

 

3. No, it will not work. Beyond the obvious issue, it's not ideal.

 

3A) You can not mix-and-match CPU/MBs like that. The AMD and Intel CPUs use different sockets; they are not cross compatible. If you're selecting an Intel-series motherboard (H55), you need an Intel series CPU such as the i3 530.

 

3B) The 12V single rail is too low "+12V@34A" if you plan on using all the drives allowed.

 

 

 

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I highly recommend the system I put together...

 

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=9138.msg87249#msg87249

 

With the Icy Doc 5in3, I have capacity for 20 drives...  And with the (ridiculously) loud fan from the IcyDock removed, my system, with 3 drives in it currently, is almost silent from one meter away, and only draws 31 watts with the drives spun down.

 

I HIGHLY recommend a board with IPMI if you're going to run it headerless.  I LOVE being able to just connect in through a web browser and do ALL machine configuration at anytime.  (From the same network port as I'm connecting to the unraid server with...  It's freaking amazing man.  )

 

:)

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I took a lot of inspiration from that post, JB.  You've got some more expensive parts than I do.  Are they all worth it?

 

Motherboard - $100 more for the SUPERMICRO MBD-X8SIL-F-O vs. Biostar

Power Supply - $80 more for the SeaSonic PSU vs. CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W

Ram - $25 more for 4GB Kingston vs 2GB Kingston

Cages - $472 more the Icy Dock ($129 each) vs. the Scythe SCY-HDSX4($11 each) ($516-$44=472)

 

I'll probably forget about the Icy Dock for now since I'm assuming I can always upgrade to those later if I need to.

 

Also, I'm thinking about forgoing these components for now mostly because I'm not sure if I actually need them:

        Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 PCI Express x4 Low Profile SAS SAS RAID Controller - $116

        2 port SATA2 Serial ATA II PCI-Express RAID Controller Card (Silicon Image SIL3132) - $15

 

Thanks for all the help guys.

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I initially took a lot of inspiration from Raj's design as well, specifically the 15 Drive Budget Box:

 

Raj's 15 Drive Budget Box (pics using different 5-in-3s and a different motherboard)

Mobo: BIOSTAR TA785G3HD

CPU: AMD Sempron 140

RAM: Kingston 2GB DDR3 1066

PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CMPSU-500CX 500W

Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

SATA Expansion Cards:

    SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 PCI Express x4 Low Profile SAS SAS RAID Controller

    2 port SATA2 Serial ATA II PCI-Express RAID Controller Card (Silicon Image SIL3132)

Cables: 3ware CBL-SFF8087OCF-05M 1 unit of 0.5m Multi-lane Internal (SFF-8087) Serial ATA breakout cable, forward x 2

Hot Swap Drive Bays: SUPERMICRO CSE-M35T-1B Black 5 Bay Hot-Swapable SATA HDD Enclosure x 3

Hard Drives: Green drives (5400 rpm or 5900 rpm), such as WD Green, Samsung EcoGreen, and Seagate LP

Cost: $715 + shipping + cost of hard drives

Capacity: 28 TB

Expandability: None.

=====

 

However, I wanted an Antec 1200 Case, and I thought going with the Core i3 might give me lower power and more options in the future (I could be wrong about that).

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Alright, I'm going to buy this bad boy in the next 2 hours.  Here's what I think I'm going to get (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery).  Let me know what you guys think.

 

Mobo: SuperMicro MBD-X8SIL-F-O - $198

CPU: Intel Core i3-540 - $110

RAM: Kingston 4GB DDR3 1666 - $54

PSU: SeaSonic X650 Gold - $139

Case: Antec Twelve Hundred - $170

Cables: 3ware SATA  x 2 - $27 x 2 = $54

USB: Lexar JumpDrive FireFly 2GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive - $12

Drive Cages: Scythe SCY-HDSX4 - $11x4 = $44

 

Total = $781, Capacity = 16 Drives Total

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I took a lot of inspiration from that post, JB.  You've got some more expensive parts than I do.  Are they all worth it?

 

Motherboard - $100 more for the SUPERMICRO MBD-X8SIL-F-O vs. Biostar

Power Supply - $80 more for the SeaSonic PSU vs. CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W

Ram - $25 more for 4GB Kingston vs 2GB Kingston

Cages - $472 more the Icy Dock ($129 each) vs. the Scythe SCY-HDSX4($11 each) ($516-$44=472)

 

I'll probably forget about the Icy Dock for now since I'm assuming I can always upgrade to those later if I need to.

 

Also, I'm thinking about forgoing these components for now mostly because I'm not sure if I actually need them:

         Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 PCI Express x4 Low Profile SAS SAS RAID Controller - $116

         2 port SATA2 Serial ATA II PCI-Express RAID Controller Card (Silicon Image SIL3132) - $15

 

 

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner...

 

The IPMI on my motherboard is so freaking amazing - so yes, it was worth it to me.  I can just leave the PC in another room and never have to hook up a keyboard or monitor to it. 

 

I chose the Seasonic for two reasons - I wanted quiet, and the fan is never on :)  But also I have that same PS in my main machine, so if I need to borrow parts, I can...  I got it while it was on sale, but yeah it is not cheap, but look at the newegg rating...  Everyone LOVES this power supply.

 

The RAM isn't really a big deal - could have easily gone with a 2gb...  But this MB is tempermental with RAM and I had seen someone else use that combo. 

 

As far as the Icy Dock - I am NOT in love with them due to:

 

1)  The three "old style" power connectors are a real b1tch to use.

2)  My fan was outrageously loud.  I ended up removing it and just use the case fans to move the air, and it is keeping my drives nice and cool.  (Although I only have 3 drives in there now)

 

 

I was fortunate that when I bought my stuff it was around black Friday.  I got a good deal on the case (not the steal it was a few days later, but reasonably close), a good deal on the PS, the RAM, and the i3.

 

I kept thinking of making sacrifices to save $30 here and $20 there, but in the end...  Things like the quietness of the power supply, the ability to use it in my main machine if needed, having IPMI (did I mention how awesome that is?)...

 

Well the only thing I ended up sacrificing on is using the stock i3 cooler, which is fine since it uses such little power, and my case keeps decent airflow while almost silent.

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Boy o boy...my brain is overloading with too much information! After seeing Raj's proto builds it really gets me thinking why spend $850 is a 5 bay Synology box?

 

I have a question though...I see he uses the AMD 140 chip in most of the systems. Is that chip robust and fast enough to handle as a good high end video server type machine?

 

 

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I have one of the first budget builds that Raj suggested in my signature. I love it and it easily streams multiple video streams. I've even used HandBrake and converted videos with it no problem.

 

Of course you can't get the Mobo any more it appears, but other than that I'm loving it.

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