ilovegoodnugz FINALLY complete build! (New Pics, Server pRon!)

OS:

5.0b6a

CPU:

Sempron 140 Sargas http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103698

Motherboard:

BIOSTAR A760G M2+ http://www.chipsdigitalpc.com/products/Biostar-A760G-M2%252b-Socket-AM2%252b%7B47%7DAM2-mATX-Motherboard.html

RAM:

2x 1GB KINGSTON ValuRam http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134488

Case:

Zalman MS1000-HS2 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5689823&CatId=1509

Drive Cage(s):

3x Zalman ZM-HDR1 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6459463&CatId=109

1x Mobile Rack for 3.5 inches SATA HDD - Open Frame http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10407&cs_id=1040702&p_id=3581&seq=1&format=2

Power Supply:

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

SATA Expansion Card:

2x 2 port SATA2 Serial ATA II PCI-Express RAID Controller Card (Silicon Image SIL3132 http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10407&cs_id=1040702&p_id=3581&seq=1&format=2

Cables:

Plain normal Sata Cables 0.5M http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022602&p_id=4863&seq=1&format=2

Fans:

3x Zalman ZF3 120MM http://www.buy.com/prod/zalman-zm-f3-case-cooling-fan-120mm-1800rpm-sleeve-bearing/q/loc/101/206741322.html

3x Zalman ZF2 92MM http://www.buy.com/prod/zalman-zm-f2-cpu-cooling-fan-92mm-2800rpm-sleeve-bearing-zalman-zm-f2/q/loc/101/203063484.html

Zalman Super Flower AlCu 92mm Cooler w/fanmate controller http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118048&cm_re=zalman_alcu-_-35-118-048-_-Product

OS Flash Drive:

2GB Sony Microvault Tiny http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=micro+vault+tiny&hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=ivns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1966&bih=1210&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=13513808275056766955&sa=X&ei=O5XuTfWIB4XJgQfwofjxAQ&ved=0CFUQ8wIwAA#ps-sellers

USB Header:

Koutech USB Header to Female USB adapter http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815201028

Vibration Reduction:

Ultra ULT40450 Power Supply Vibration Dampener http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4473419&CatId=1107

Ultra Anti-Vibration Rubber Fan Mounts - 8PK http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4948338&CatId=340

Total Price with Rebates less shipping and tax: $494.61

This gets you 10 hotswap bays, all necessary cables, badass aftermarket CPU cooler, all OCD compliant Zalman matching fans to fill every fan slot, Anti-Vibration for every mounting point, internal USB mounting. You can save significantly by going stock CPU cooler, and stock fans. With Raj prototype 10 bay server running $575 this might be a good alternative. Remember this is a 10 bay design not 9.

Parity Drive: 2TB WD Green EARS

Data Drives: 5x 2TB WD Green EARS

Cache Drive: none

Total Drive Capacity: 18TB

No drive has gone above 32 degrees ever.

Primary Use: HD pRon storage, Air Video, Torrent, ps3mediaserver

Likes: Quiet, Doesn't look like a server

Dislikes: Whining from PS might have to RMA, anyone else have this problem?

Add Ons Used: PS3Media Server, AirVideo, Transmission

Future Plans: Add HDD as needed

Comments on build: Using all 120mm case fans I set all fans with included Zalman resistor to run at 1100 RPM so its near silent 1 foot away. The 92mm fans on the drive cages have a built in switch for low 1100rpm or high 2400rpm with it set on low it is near silent will see how the drives fare once the array is up. CPU is hooked up to fanmate controller set to 1200rpm so it is also incredibly quiet, I can switch it higher if I ever beat on the CPU for airvideo transcoding.

Real handy tip: If you have leftover ATX Mobo boxes the foam inside is nearly identical to the dust filter that came with my case so I cut 3 to put in the doors of the drive bays so all incoming air is flitered.

Some questions for members:

Do I need to put filters on outgoing air?

Should I use the  Mobile Rack for 3.5 inches SATA HDD - Open Frame for the parity even though does not have a fan?

Does the Parity get hotter than Data drives because it is constantly being written to, if so should I use it as a dedicated preclear and if I do should it be on a MOBO SATA header or can I connect to the last SATA header on the add-on card?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks you EVERYONE for your help. My path to 18TB of pRon is now clear!

**Updates**

Rewired all the wires to put the parity on the main MB SATA Header, also cleaned up wiring a bit. Replaced all screws with anti-vibration mounts, and one for the power supply as well. Using apple automator scripts and dropbox to torrent over the internet from my iphone. This is the ultimate pRon server!

**New Pictures**

Looks Good!

Dislikes: Whining from PS might have to RMA, anyone else have this problem?

Think your pushing the limit of the 430 PSU, I never go more than 5 drives on it and your at 6 and adding more.

Do I need to put filters on outgoing air?

No, you don't want to trap dust inside, let it out if it is in there.

Should I use the  Mobile Rack for 3.5 inches SATA HDD - Open Frame for the parity even though does not have a fan?

Does the Parity get hotter than Data drives because it is constantly being written to, if so should I use it as a dedicated preclear

I wouldnt trust a production drive not being actively cooled, but if you wanna throw it in there and monitor the temps, thats an option.

I appreciate your comments the whine actually happens when the PS is plugged in but the server is not ON. Don't know why I only have 3 drives connected to it ATM. Thanks

Hope rajahal will reply because 99% of this build was based off his prototype designs

I can't see why he would have a power problem with 5 Green Drives.

I am not saying he should be having the issues now, but he states that he is going to be having 6 drives now and adding more in the future. The 430w just doesnt have to power for that. Even Raj stops using them after his 5 drive systems and bumps up to the 500w psu.

The fact that it is making noise right now indicates it is a bad psu. Even if it did not have enough power for the equipment hooked up to it, it should not be making noise, especially when the system is not on.

I would RMA it myself.

Rajahal uses the cx430 up until the 15 drive builds? Am I missing something here?

Nice looking build!

If your PSU is making funny noises, though, that 's not a good sign.  I would look to RMA it if that is the case.

The CX430 should be good for up to 10-12 green or 7 7200 RPM drives.  (See Raj's comments on it HERE).

Make sure to schedule your monthly parity checks, and get a UPS if you don't have one.

Enjoy your new server!!

What happens if the server shuts down due to power outage would it corrupt the drives if I was not copying any data to it?

Nice build nugz!  I like your tip on using the foam as an air filter, that's quite clever.

As long as you are sticking with green drives, I believe the CX430 PSU will be fine to handle your server as you expand up to 10 drives as long as you stick with green drives.  My personal server uses 9 green drives on the CX430.  I also just built a 12 drive server for a client using that PSU and it works fine.  As you said, I use it for all 12 drive or smaller builds.  For the 15 drive or larger builds I use the 500W or larger.

However, as others have said, a loud whining PSU is generally a defective one.  How loud is the whining?  Every PSU will whine if you put your ear right next to it (assuming you have good high frequency hearing as well).  I'm very sensitive to high frequency noises, so I will always notice a PSU running if there's no other white noise to drown it out.  However, in most servers the sound of just one or two fans is enough to drown out the PSU whining.  If you still hear the PSU over the sound of the fans, then I would suggest getting it replaced.  See if Newegg will cross-ship you one so that you don't have to be without your server for an extended period of time.

If the server shuts down hard (such as during a power outage with no UPS in use) then the next time it starts up it will automatically kick off a parity check.  Let the check finish.  It might also take more time to start than normal as the ReiserFS replays journaled entries (you can see this in the syslog).  ReiserFS is good at saving data in this type of circumstance.  There's still a small chance of data corruption in this circumstance, but I personally haven't seen it nor heard about it on these forums.  Still, it isn't a bad idea to re-copy your data and let TeraCopy run CRC checks on it just to make sure.  Ideally you'll want to get a UPS and configure unRAID to shut down cleanly so that you don't ever have to worry about this.

Regarding your parity drive, as long as you are sticking with green drives I believe you'll be absolutely fine running your parity drive in the top slot with no active cooling.  My personal server uses 9 of those single hot swap bays, all filled and all without active cooling.  The case itself (an Antec 902 V2) has large top and rear fans that pull air throughout, but there are no fans dedicated to the drives.  All drives stay in the acceptable range (30's C).  During the real hot part of the summer I might kick the case fans up to medium, but normally they run at low at all times.

How loud are the fans on the Zalman's drive cages?  Also, do the drive trays feel sturdy?

Thanks for the reply. The cage fans have a built in switch for high (2400)rpm and low(1100)rpm function at low i can't hear them at all especially with the built in Sound deadening foam on the case.  Also switched out all case fans and CPU fans with resistored fans with silicone mounts so the machine sounds like it is almost passively cooled. The whine was just as you said I can't even hear it with the side panel on and no fans running I guess i was just being OCD.

Wow, that's a really nice case. Nice build!

And your wiring job puts mine to shame

Thanks I think based on Raj's advice I am going to mount that top SATA cage to the 1st SATA header on the mobo, and push everything back one spot. I already formatted 2 drives but no parity and transferred no data so I will just have to reformat to line up with the new drive configuration when I swap the sata around.

HOLY CRAP, I just installed transmission, ps3media server, and airvideo with some mover scripts tied to my downloads folder and dropbox this is the ultimate pRon machine!!!! Thanks TOM

Haha, oh jeez.  I had a ridiculous pr0n collection, but then realized I can only watch the same one once, and it was a waste of precious HD movie/tv space

Tube sites suffice

Nugz,

Couple questions for you.  First, I like how you labeled your HDDs, but what are the numbers on the label (ie - 5188 Parity)?

Second question is about the "whine" you're hearing.  I just built a 3 HDD server with that same PS.  When I turn off the server, I hear a faint ringing or beeping.  Sort of like a digital watch alarm.  Is this what you're hearing?

number is last 4 digits of the serial number, this helps me match up drives to the serial in unraid menu. The wine is the faintest whine, not a beep just a very very faint high pitch whine, apparently its normal.

I just went down and listened to mine again.  My noise a high pitched ringing, not really a beep.  Is that what yours sounds like too? 

Sorry, I know this is hard, but I'm a little worried about the noise.  I'm not sure if it's the PS or the mobo making the noise.

Its a whine kinda like interference on a radio very faint and you can't hear it once the side panels put back on. It is probably just OCD

bump for new pics!

Damn, so jealous of that case.  I wish they were sold in the US.

I really want to replace my case. It does the task, but it's plastic-y, has bright blue LEDs, and just isn't generally attractive lol.

Maybe when I figure out my server's drive limits--in terms of how many--I'll figure out a box that fits my needs.

Where do you live? They're available in US and Australia and am sure there is a distributor in EU somehwere? Zalman is based in Korea.

Oh ok, assumed it was Australia, since I think the website was Australian based.

The lower end ones, appear to be just like my Thermaltake, or a Cooler Master.

To get one of the nice ones, pretty much gotta drop $150...you do get what you pay for though.

$150 for 6 built in hotswap, with that thermaltake you would have to buy your own, even the cheapest monoprice option will still run you 6x$15 to even MATCH the six that come with the Zalman. So $60 for the thermaltake and $90 for the monoprice bays and you get 6 hotswap with no fans. Now if you you use icydock or supermicro 3in2, 4in3, or 5in3 the price goes up significantly...I still stand by the high ticket price but look at what you are getting.

No, you're right.  Forgot about the built in.  I never said it wasn't worth it, but at the time, I wanted a 5 in 3 external cage, and an inexpensive case that could hold them all--I spent more than I initially wanted to, but learned I'd be sacrificing proper airflow if I didn't get a larger case.