Spaceman Spiff unRAID HTPC

I'm in the planning phase of an unRAID box, mainly for storing and streaming video, and hosting my photographs.

Requirements:

• Must be able to stream 1080p with high-quality audio with XBMC
  
• Runs a torrent client
  
• Possibly encode video if it's easy to setup
  
• Quiet
  
• Expandable to ~15 drives
  
• Relatively future-proof
  
• On-board video
  
• Low power consumption
  

COMPONENT LIST

• Case: Fractal Design Define XL €132.00 http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=4∏=55
  
• Mobo: Asus P7H55-M LX Socket 1156 €62.75 http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?p_id=xgra4qggsktkmjlw
  
• PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro M600 €75.00 http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=4199
  
• CPU: Intel Core i3 540 €97.00
  
• Memory: 2x Kingston HyperX Genesis KHX1600C9AD3/1G DDR3 SDRAM €14.00 x 2
  
• UPS: APC Back-UPS Power-Saving ES 8 outlet 700VA €74.95 http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BE700G-AZ (link to AUS page, the euro version has similar specs)
  
• Total: €469.70
  

I'm guessing it's not the cheapest setup imaginable, but I believe it's not overkill. I originally wanted to go for a Socket 775, but such mobos with gigabit ethernet and 4x PCI-E are rare (phased out) and expensive here in the Netherlands - i3 and Socket 1156 costs around the same as Socket 775 and C2D! Socket 1156 should also allow for better upgradeability and future-proofing, although I'm open for other suggestions. I didn't look at AMD as I'm not familiar with their offerings.

I'm leaning heavily towards the Fractal Design Define XL case mainly due to plenty of HDD slots and noise dampening. I've looked at several others: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=9537.msg105927#msg105927

I will be moving my 6 or so HDDs to the box, and am considering picking up a small SSD for cache - although I'm not entirely convinced about it's need.

Any comments, critique and ideas for improvement are welcome - I'm not new to building computers, but this is my first unRAID box.

I would be very interested in hearing what would be the best way to optimize read speed to roughly 500 gigs of photographs. I'm an amateur photographer and one of the main tasks for the box is to host my photos; I'm editing them in Lightroom and Photoshop. SSD cache should take care of write speed, but I'd like to know how to maximize read speeds. I'm aware it will not be as fast as a plain HDD.

To be honest I'm not sure that unRAID is fast enough for the photo editing work you want to do on it.  I would recommend building a nice desktop PC with a few SSDs for your editing work, then use the unRAID server  for archival backups.  I'm also a photographer and that's what I do.

To be honest I'm not sure that unRAID is fast enough for the photo editing work you want to do on it.  I would recommend building a nice desktop PC with a few SSDs for your editing work, then use the unRAID server  for archival backups.  I'm also a photographer and that's what I do.

Yeah, also having second thoughts about it. I'm considering keeping my photos on my main computer (which as SSD for OS and swap), and using the unRAID box only as a backup for them (one of the many).

To be honest I'm not sure that unRAID is fast enough for the photo editing work you want to do on it.  I would recommend building a nice desktop PC with a few SSDs for your editing work, then use the unRAID server  for archival backups.  I'm also a photographer and that's what I do.

 

Yeah, also having second thoughts about it. I'm considering keeping my photos on my main computer (which as SSD for OS and swap), and using the unRAID box only as a backup for them (one of the many).

Thats what I do.

One copy on my main PC, and back-up on the unraid box. All photoshop, etc. is done on the main PC.

To be honest I'm not sure that unRAID is fast enough for the photo editing work you want to do on it.  I would recommend building a nice desktop PC with a few SSDs for your editing work, then use the unRAID server  for archival backups.  I'm also a photographer and that's what I do.

Raj, what is your unRAID server setup for archival backup?  I am a photographer as well and I am thinking of building a hybrid between a budget and beast build for archival backup.  Here's my planned spec list:

Motherboard:

- JetWay JHZ03-GT-V2-LF AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

  - BIOSTAR A760G M2+ is hard to find!

CPU:

- AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 2 x 1 MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail ADX250OCGMBOX

Power Supply:

- CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

RAM:

- Kingston ValueRAM 2 GB 1333MHz PC3-10600 DDR3 DIMM Desktop Memory KVR1333D3N9/2G

Hot Swap Drive Bay:

- NORCO SS-500 5 Bay SATA / SAS Hot Swap Rack Module

  - Need to buy extra screws to mount the module  according to reviews

Enclosure:

- AZZA Helios 910 CSAZ-910 Mid-Tower Case (Black)

Hard Drives:

- Seagate Barracuda Green ST2000DL003 2TB 5900 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

- HITACHI Deskstar 5K3000 HDS5C3020ALA632 (0F12117) 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

- Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARS 2TB 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

UnRAID OS:

- Current stable release, 4.7

  -  free for now since I’m using only 3 drives

Add On Project:

- SmartHistory, SNAP, FEMUR, UnMENU

Add On Scripts:

- Monthly parity check, Email Notifications

I want to be able to store my images and play video in it.

Raj, what is your unRAID server setup for archival backup?  I am a photographer as well and I am thinking of building a hybrid between a budget and beast build for archival backup.  Here's my planned spec list:

 

Motherboard:

- JetWay JHZ03-GT-V2-LF AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

   - BIOSTAR A760G M2+ is hard to find!

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=13219.0

 

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=13219.0

 

Hmmm.  It's tempting but I rather use a board that I can easily replace...  Thanks for the info though!  I will keep an eye on the deals page more often.

The Jetway board is a fine choice.  It is Level 1 tested and has more expansion options than the Biostar.

The rest of your build looks fine.  The CPU is definitely more than you need for an archival machine, but I know a lot of people like to use a dual core 'just in case'.  I would suggest the Sempron 140 to save you money and power, but it doesn't matter all that much.

These are the screws that ship with the Norco SS-500s (as well as the 4220s, 4224s, etc.).  They are likely to work in your set up.  I have enough spare screws that I generally just search around and find others that work, but if you want to make it easy then just buy those.  Then send me the 90 odd spare you'll have

My personal server that I use for everything (media streaming, photo archival, local backup, etc.) is essentially the same as my 9 Drive Budget Box design in my prototype builds thread.  I don't have any automation set up, I just archive my photos manually.  I know that you could configure your server with SNAP to automatically copy the contents of a camera to a certain directory, but I haven't bothered.

The rest of your build looks fine.  The CPU is definitely more than you need for an archival machine, but I know a lot of people like to use a dual core 'just in case'.  I would suggest the Sempron 140 to save you money and power, but it doesn't matter all that much.

Hehe.  After perusing the forums, it's going to be more than an archival machine.  I also bought it already prior to reading this post today! 

These are the screws that ship with the Norco SS-500s (as well as the 4220s, 4224s, etc.).  They are likely to work in your set up.  I have enough spare screws that I generally just search around and find others that work, but if you want to make it easy then just buy those.  Then send me the 90 odd spare you'll have

Looks like I'll be buying these!  Why couldn't NORCO give some kind of warning, like a red paper with text saying "READ ME!!!" in their box?  I was trying to pull teeth when I used the AZZA screws!  I almost broke the plastic arm on Slot A.  I did a screwy screw install process...don't ask.  I was about to RMA this box with my Seagate HD in it!  After I removed all the mounting screws, I tried one last time to remove the HD and it came off so easily.  >

My personal server that I use for everything (media streaming, photo archival, local backup, etc.) is essentially the same as my 9 Drive Budget Box design in my prototype builds thread.  I don't have any automation set up, I just archive my photos manually.  I know that you could configure your server with SNAP to automatically copy the contents of a camera to a certain directory, but I haven't bothered.

My setup is up and preclears are done on my three drives.    I haven't assigned the drives yet.  I'm debating whether I should do a second preclear cycle.  Attached is my first preclear results.

preclear_results_20110605a_forum.txt

Preclear results look good.

Update: I'm possibly upgrading my desktop, so I could build the unRAID box with my old parts.

Mobo: Asus P5Q SE Plus (Socket 775)

CPU: Intel E6500 (dual core)

memory: 8 gigs DDR2, will probably sell 6 of them since I don't see how all 8 would be useful in unRAID

PSU: 550W, might upgrade later to an 80 Plus

Case and UPS the same as earlier setup.

I googled the Asus mobo, and a few people have successfully used it with unRAID, although I might need to get a NIC as some couldn't get the on-board to work.

I believe this would still be plenty for serving HD movies and running torrents? Anything up there that would be a showstopper?

Be careful about the PSU.  More so than just checking the wattage, you need to check the amps available on the 12V rail(s).  If it has multiple rails, you can assume that the smallest one will power the HDDs, motherboard, and fans.  Make sure you have enough to power all your drives.

2 GBs of RAM is certainly enough to run stock unRAID, but more RAM can be useful in certain add-ons, such as torrents and cache_dirs.