Advice on the rest (CPU, RAM, etc...)

Building a server base on Rajahal's 24 Drive Budget Build (rackmount). I would like some advice/input on some of the components.

Here's my preliminary build:

Motherboard:

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

 

CPU:

AMD Sempron 140 Sargas 2.7GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 45W Single-Core Processor SDX140HBGQBOX

 

RAM:

Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR1333D3N9K2/2G

 

PSU:

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

 

Case:

NORCO RPC-4224 4U Rackmount Server Case with 24 Hot-Swappable SATA/SAS Drive Bays

 

SATA Expansion Cards:

SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 PCI Express x4 Low Profile SAS SAS RAID Controller x 2

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

 

Cables:

House Brand Molex 79576-3007 Mini SAS / SATA Cable x 2

NORCO SFF-8087 to SFF-8087 Internal Multilane SAS Cable x 4

 

Fanplate:

Maybe NORCO 120mm fan wall bracket for RPC-4224, RPC-4220, RPC-4216, RPC-4116, RPC-4020

 

Fans:

TBD

 

Hard Drives:

TBD but all green drives

 

 

UPS:

APC BR1000G 1000 VA 600 w 8 Outlets Power-saving Back-UPS

 

Unraid Addons:

UnMENU

Apcupsd

SNAP

Preclear Disk

Monthly parity check

Directory Caching

FEMUR (Firefox extention)

 

I'll be using J. River Media Center to access/manage most of the files in my Unraid server.

CPU:

Is there any reason to upgrade to AMD Athlon II X2 255 Regor 3.1GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX255OCGMBOX. I won't be using anything like AirVideo, just utilities to make it easier to use unRaid. I don't think I will need it but I was wondering if there will be any advantages to upgrading the CPU.

RAM:

It seems that Directory Caching uses a lot of memory, so I was planning on upgrading to G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT

PSU:

It doesn't look like anyone has any problems hooking up the PSU but I wanted to ask how the connections worked out? I was looking at this, this and also this photo. One says it needs 10 4-pin molex power connectors another says 12. The photo looks like it needs 12 just for the hard drives not including the fans. The PSU only seems to come with only 8 4-pin molex power connectors.

Fans:

I was reading Norco 4224 120mm fan orientation and Rajahal seems to like Scythe SY1225SL12H 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan. Can anyone suggest good 120mm and 80mm fans?

Addons:

Any recommendations to help run unRaid better?

CPU:

Is there any reason to upgrade to AMD Athlon II X2 255 Regor 3.1GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX255OCGMBOX. I won't be using anything like AirVideo, just utilities to make it easier to use unRaid. I don't think I will need it but I was wondering if there will be any advantages to upgrading the CPU.

A dual core CPU will benefit add-ons that deal with video encoding and transcoding such as air-video, handbrake (video encoding), PS3MS, etc.  It will also benefit VMs.  If you aren't using any of these add-ons, then stick with the single core.

RAM:

It seems that Directory Caching uses a lot of memory, so I was planning on upgrading to G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT

I use Directory Caching on just 2 GBs of RAM, but the more RAM you have, the better Directory Caching will work.  4 GBs might be a good idea.

PSU:

It doesn't look like anyone has any problems hooking up the PSU but I wanted to ask how the connections worked out? I was looking at this, this and also this photo. One says it needs 10 4-pin molex power connectors another says 12. The photo looks like it needs 12 just for the hard drives not including the fans. The PSU only seems to come with only 8 4-pin molex power connectors.

You only need 6 4-pin molex plugs to power the drive backplanes.  The second set of connections is for a redundant power supply, which generally isn't needed for a home server.  The stock fan plate aggregates all 4 middle fans into a single 4-pin molex.  The two rear fans each have a single 4-pin molex, but they can be hooked together to take up only one connection.  So it is possible to power everything with just the 8 molex connectors on the PSU, you don't strictly need any power splitters.  Some people still choose to use power splitters just to help with cable management.  Try it with the built in connectors first, then decide for yourself.

Fans:

I was reading Norco 4224 120mm fan orientation and Rajahal seems to like Scythe SY1225SL12H 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan. Can anyone suggest good 120mm and 80mm fans?

There's a whole thread dedicated to replacing the rear fans, as many models don't fit without modifications:

Norco 4224 rear fans

I like the Slipstreams, but there are plenty of other options as well.  Noctua is a very high quality brand, but they are also very expensive.

Addons:

Any recommendations to help run unRaid better?

Directory caching will help keep disks spun down.  unMenu offers lots of packages and extra features.  MyMain (part of unMenu) offers a much better and more powerful interface.  That's all I use...

CPU:

Is there any reason to upgrade to AMD Athlon II X2 255 Regor 3.1GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX255OCGMBOX. I won't be using anything like AirVideo, just utilities to make it easier to use unRaid. I don't think I will need it but I was wondering if there will be any advantages to upgrading the CPU.

 

A dual core CPU will benefit add-ons that deal with video encoding and transcoding such as air-video, handbrake (video encoding), PS3MS, etc.  It will also benefit VMs.  If you aren't using any of these add-ons, then stick with the single core.

Another thing you might want to consider when making the decision, is what kind of person you are. Are you a set-it-and-forget-it sort, or do you like to tinker/mess about/tweak?

I'm more of a tinker-er, and initially bought the Sempron (As all I was doing was server content). Once I got comfortable with UnRaid, I started running more apps and doing some encoding/transcoding and decided a multi-core cpu was necessary. Looking back, I probably should have gone straight to the multi-core cpu and save myself the $40 I spent on the Sempron...

If, on the other hand, you're going to build it to serve files primarily, and then move on, the Sempron would be more than enough. A faster CPU will just cost you more up front $, and use a bit more electricity...

Of course, now I have an extra CPU that is just begging to be put to use, so I suppose it's my duty to build another UnRaid server

CPU:

Is there any reason to upgrade to AMD Athlon II X2 255 Regor 3.1GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX255OCGMBOX. I won't be using anything like AirVideo, just utilities to make it easier to use unRaid. I don't think I will need it but I was wondering if there will be any advantages to upgrading the CPU.

 

A dual core CPU will benefit add-ons that deal with video encoding and transcoding such as air-video, handbrake (video encoding), PS3MS, etc.  It will also benefit VMs.  If you aren't using any of these add-ons, then stick with the single core.

 

Another thing you might want to consider when making the decision, is what kind of person you are. Are you a set-it-and-forget-it sort, or do you like to tinker/mess about/tweak?

 

I'm more of a tinker-er, and initially bought the Sempron (As all I was doing was server content). Once I got comfortable with UnRaid, I started running more apps and doing some encoding/transcoding and decided a multi-core cpu was necessary. Looking back, I probably should have gone straight to the multi-core cpu and save myself the $40 I spent on the Sempron...

 

If, on the other hand, you're going to build it to serve files primarily, and then move on, the Sempron would be more than enough. A faster CPU will just cost you more up front $, and use a bit more electricity...

 

Of course, now I have an extra CPU that is just begging to be put to use, so I suppose it's my duty to build another UnRaid server

I want to learn how to use unRaid and will mess around with add-ons to find apps that will help run unRaid better. But I don't need any type of transcoding/encoding or VMs. So I'll stick with the single core.

I use Directory Caching on just 2 GBs of RAM, but the more RAM you have, the better Directory Caching will work.  4 GBs might be a good idea.

Looks like I'll get 4 GBs

You only need 6 4-pin molex plugs to power the drive backplanes.  The second set of connections is for a redundant power supply, which generally isn't needed for a home server.  The stock fan plate aggregates all 4 middle fans into a single 4-pin molex.  The two rear fans each have a single 4-pin molex, but they can be hooked together to take up only one connection.  So it is possible to power everything with just the 8 molex connectors on the PSU, you don't strictly need any power splitters.  Some people still choose to use power splitters just to help with cable management.  Try it with the built in connectors first, then decide for yourself.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

There's a whole thread dedicated to replacing the rear fans, as many models don't fit without modifications:

 

Norco 4224 rear fans

 

I like the Slipstreams, but there are plenty of other options as well.  Noctua is a very high quality brand, but they are also very expensive.

I'll take a looks

Directory caching will help keep disks spun down.  unMenu offers lots of packages and extra features.  MyMain (part of unMenu) offers a much better and more powerful interface.  That's all I use...

I haven't heard of MyMain, I'll take a look at it

Thanks for the replies, I think all I need to do now is find some good deals 

Just a question but how much of a difference does a Sempron and X2 have in regards to airvideo and ps3ms. I have a Sempron running both of those apps and they seem just as good as the ones running native on my Dual Core iMac?

Either one will work, the dual core will just be faster.  I haven't played with those add-ons extensively, but I saw some lackluster performance running PS3MS on a Sempron 140.  It worked, just not terribly well.  The friend who I was helping ended up buying a full HTPC, so PS3MS wasn't needed in the long term and the Sempron stayed in the server.  I've never tried airvideo as I don't have any portable Apple devices.