New First Time Build - Garabato

Thanks ahead of time for all your help. I have been going back and forth on going ahead and making myself an unRAID server. At first it will just be media storage but I want in the future to expand to use some of the other plugins (sab, etc). I looked through the Greenleaf Prototypes, and various posts trying to mix and match.

 

Problem: WD RED drives and CPU sale ends tomorrow (4/3) need to decide to order by then

 

  What is your budget?  ~$1000 with drives, but want to get the best bang for the buck

  Capacity? Medium expandability (starting with 3x3TB+cache=6TB useful to start but able to expand perhaps 3-4 times larger as needs arise)

  unRAID Add Ons? SABnzbd, SickBeard, and CouchPotoato, UnMenu (whatever is useful but not too complicated)

 

Other targets:

1) Silent (its going to be in my room, I don't want any fancy LED and want it to be almost silent)

2) Flexibility on CPU/RAM to handle some of the basic apps, I have XBMC so I don't think I'll ever need trans-code

 

Proposed Build:

 

CPU: Intel Pentium G860 SB 3.0GHz LGA 1155 65W ($69-$10=$59) (Looked at G540 first-$45, seems like for just $15 more I get a much more powerful CPU, though unsure on Watt consumption or if there is any point)

Intel Pentium G2020 Ivy Bridge 2.9GHz LGA 1155 55W ($65) (Same passmark as the G860 but for $5 I upgrade to a lower TDP and Idle consumption and its Ivy Bridge, still has GPU included which I don't know any other way other than playing by putting in a video card to set up and then pulling it out later, more of a PITA)

Motherboard: SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCM-F-O LGA 1155 Intel C204 Micro ATX Intel Xeon E3 Server Motherboard ($200) (This is painfull, some post recommended this as the must have board due to IPMI, do y'all think its worth it? I rather not have to lug around a keyboard/screen to deal with the server but this is on the high side)

ASRock B75 PRO3-M LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX ($78)

RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 ($37)

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 ($37) (Same price as before, but at the lower correct speed for CPU, also runs at 1.5V instead of 1.65V, I don't want issues where ram doesn't get enough voltage as I've seen over the years)

Controllers: (no idea what this means, I guess its for fans or maybe SATA cards? neither needed at this point)

Cables: 4 x Silverstone Tek 180 Degree SATA III Cable with Non-Scratch Locking Mechanism ($7ea) (Couldn't find non-locking ones at mono price per recommendation on greenleaf, these are expensive, suggestions? I think i need 180deg, is that right for a cage? do I need other cables?)

Case: ZALMAN MS800 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ($90-$30Rebate=$60)

Power Supply: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE ($40-$10Rebate=$30)

Flash: Kingston Digital DT Micro 8GB USB Flash Drive (~$

Parity + Data Drives: 3 x WD Red WD30EFRX 3TB Bare Drive ($160-$20=$140ea) (Just $10 more than current listed green for longer warranty. Tracker shows that $140 has been the lowest price on amazon last 3 months)

Cache Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS 320GB 7200RPM SATA2 (Spare drive unused from gaming PC)

Cage: Cooler Master 4 in 3 HDD Module Device ($25) (Decided to move away from SS-400, I don't think I need to spend an extra $40 for it, also would bring me down to 80mm fan. Still need to find a silent 120mm fan replacement since I hear these are noisy but easy to switch)

 

System price = ~$450 $333

System + HDD = ~$870 $753

Initial Capacity = 6 TB

 

Other questions:

1) I want to mount the USB flashdrive inside the case, any suggestions on best way to do this?

2) I saw some problems between corsair power supplies and supermicro boards, anyone know much about it? will I have a problem? Should I just give up on Supermicro and go for an inexpensive board and just settle with the management of the server through unRaid website?

3) Does anything not match (ie wrong ram for motherboard, etc)?

 

Thanks

 

I believe that the X9SCM will not work with the CX series Corsairs.  In any case, that psu will be a little low on power if you increase the number of drives.  If you're looking to expand to 10 or 12 drives, you should consider a good 650W unit (I prefer Seasonic, but many here use Corsair HX or TX).

 

Also, opting for a Gold or Platinum rated psu will save on power costs.

 

The processor you have chosen includes an embedded GPU which will not be used in this application, but may consume power.

 

The Sandy Bridge processor will only run the memory at 1333MHz, so your 1600MHz memory is over-specified.

 

The motherboard has an onboard USB A socket so you will be able to plug your flashdrive straight in.  If you are concerned about the weight/strain provoking the drive to fall out, I would recommend using a short USB extender cable so that the drive can be secured to the case somewhere.

Motherboard: SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCM-F-O LGA 1155 Intel C204 Micro ATX Intel Xeon E3 Server Motherboard ($200) (This is painfull, some post recommended this as the must have board due to IPMI, do y'all think its worth it? I rather not have to lug around a keyboard/screen to deal with the server but this is on the high side)

IPMI is worth at least a $100.00 premium to me.

Motherboard: SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCM-F-O LGA 1155 Intel C204 Micro ATX Intel Xeon E3 Server Motherboard ($200) (This is painfull, some post recommended this as the must have board due to IPMI, do y'all think its worth it? I rather not have to lug around a keyboard/screen to deal with the server but this is on the high side)

IPMI is worth at least a $100.00 premium to me.

I've never needed to use the console in 2 years of using unRAID. Might be necessary for VMs or if you somehow screw up your network so badly telnet doesn't work anymore.

 

After I got the BIOS configured to boot from the flash I have been running headless.

Motherboard: SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCM-F-O LGA 1155 Intel C204 Micro ATX Intel Xeon E3 Server Motherboard ($200) (This is painfull, some post recommended this as the must have board due to IPMI, do y'all think its worth it? I rather not have to lug around a keyboard/screen to deal with the server but this is on the high side)

IPMI is worth at least a $100.00 premium to me.

I've never needed to use the console in 2 years of using unRAID. Might be necessary for VMs or if you somehow screw up your network so badly telnet doesn't work anymore.

 

After I got the BIOS configured to boot from the flash I have been running headless.

I agree I don't need to use it often but anytime (seldom happens) the server appears to be inaccessable I use IPMI to see if system console is still up and working or if it stalled on boot.  Plus I change hardware often enough that I reboot every few months.  With IPMI I can change bios settings or at least watch the boot up without having to put a monitor and keyboard and chair in front of the server for every change.

I believe that the X9SCM will not work with the CX series Corsairs.  In any case, that psu will be a little low on power if you increase the number of drives.  If you're looking to expand to 10 or 12 drives, you should consider a good 650W unit (I prefer Seasonic, but many here use Corsair HX or TX).

 

Also, opting for a Gold or Platinum rated psu will save on power costs.

 

The processor you have chosen includes an embedded GPU which will not be used in this application, but may consume power.

 

The Sandy Bridge processor will only run the memory at 1333MHz, so your 1600MHz memory is over-specified.

 

The motherboard has an onboard USB A socket so you will be able to plug your flashdrive straight in.  If you are concerned about the weight/strain provoking the drive to fall out, I would recommend using a short USB extender cable so that the drive can be secured to the case somewhere.

 

I don't plan to expand all way to 10-12 drives until much later, by which time I really should be using a different power supply anyways. So my plan was to expand a bit at a time and then later on upgrade to a different PSU which increases my reliability from being new.

 

As for the internal GPU on the chip, isn't this the best option? otherwise I would have to buy a cheap video card.

 

Thanks for the reference on the memory, I will adjust it later. And thanks for replying about the USB.

 

As for Gold/Plat, does anyone know the true savings? to jump from a $30usd PSU to $90 (GOLD) - $90 (PLATNIUM) is considerable. Btw, that platinum seasonic seems to be a good deal with the newegg discount and rebate. What do yall think? Would I really save $60usd in power bills over next 2 years? From what I could find, it doesn't seem to be the case.

 

As far as I can see, the use of the supermicro board would actually be ~$240 since it would require me changing to this seasonic at the cheapest (at which point, for 20usd I would proably just go for the Platinum)...

 

If I move away from supermicro, what mobo would ya'll recommend? Doesn't even have to be intel since I can change the CPU too, but what would run what I want down the line and still have a good bang for the buck?

I did some changes moving away from supermicro to test out, also went ahead and upgraded to Ivy Bridge with its lower TDP. Adjusted memory to match.

 

1) What do yall think of the motherboard? can you recommend a better one?

2) Im back to the issue of how do I mount the USB flashdrive inside, is there a way to hook it up inside with a short cable to the header meant to go to the front? where would I buy the cable?

3) Shows as having 3 sata III connectors, and 5 sata II connectors. Is sata II enough on a NAS? I thought only SSD were taking full advantage of the 6Gbps. Do you forsee any issues with hooking all 8 up in long run? ie. issues with not enough bandwitch at the chip?

4) Its showing the NIC as Realtek 8111E, I know the beta builds can handle it, but should I still stay away from it and switch mobo's?

I don't plan to expand all way to 10-12 drives until much later, by which time I really should be using a different power supply anyways. So my plan was to expand a bit at a time and then later on upgrade to a different PSU which increases my reliability from being new.

 

Okay, fair enough.

 

As for the internal GPU on the chip, isn't this the best option? otherwise I would have to buy a cheap video card.

 

The Supermicro mobo includes a simple GPU - no need for processor support or additional card.

 

Thanks for the reference on the memory, I will adjust it later. And thanks for replying about the USB.

Okay, but if you move to Ivy Bridge, that will support 1600MHz memory.

 

2) Im back to the issue of how do I mount the USB flashdrive inside, is there a way to hook it up inside with a short cable to the header meant to go to the front? where would I buy the cable?

here.

I don't plan to expand all way to 10-12 drives until much later, by which time I really should be using a different power supply anyways. So my plan was to expand a bit at a time and then later on upgrade to a different PSU which increases my reliability from being new.

 

Okay, fair enough.

 

As for the internal GPU on the chip, isn't this the best option? otherwise I would have to buy a cheap video card.

 

The Supermicro mobo includes a simple GPU - no need for processor support or additional card.

 

Thanks for the reference on the memory, I will adjust it later. And thanks for replying about the USB.

Okay, but if you move to Ivy Bridge, that will support 1600MHz memory.

 

Thanks for the info, per this, it seems not all Ivy bridge support 1600 memory. In this case it still shows as 1333mhz. Funny part is that the processor supports ECC, but the mobo doesn't 

As for Gold/Plat, does anyone know the true savings? to jump from a $30usd PSU to $90 (GOLD) - $90 (PLATNIUM) is considerable. Btw, that platinum seasonic seems to be a good deal with the newegg discount and rebate. What do yall think? Would I really save $60usd in power bills over next 2 years? From what I could find, it doesn't seem to be the case.

 

They will not save you $60, but modular cables are nice. If your power supply goes bad, you do not have to unwire everything.  Simply unplug the connectors, replace the power supply and plug in the cables.  Seasonic does some OEM for other manufactures also so their cables should be compatible.  I know they are compatible with my power supply.

 

They also give you more of the particular type of connector you will need.  For example, if you started off mounting the drives and using the SATA power connector but later go with 4/5 in 3 cages you will need molex connectors.  You can simply swap out the cables for the different connectors vs using adapters.

As for Gold/Plat, does anyone know the true savings? to jump from a $30usd PSU to $90 (GOLD) - $90 (PLATNIUM) is considerable. Btw, that platinum seasonic seems to be a good deal with the newegg discount and rebate. What do yall think? Would I really save $60usd in power bills over next 2 years? From what I could find, it doesn't seem to be the case.

 

They will not save you $60, but modular cables are nice. If your power supply goes bad, you do not have to unwire everything.  Simply unplug the connectors, replace the power supply and plug in the cables.  Seasonic does some OEM for other manufactures also so their cables should be compatible.  I know they are compatible with my power supply.

 

Thanks, didn't think about this side. There is a modular version of that  corsair, maybe its worth those $15 just to switch over.

The savings from a gold or platinum PSU are totally dependent upon how much power your system will use and what the efficiency range will be most of the time.

 

250 W draw with a 80% efficient PSU will need 312.5W from the mains.  The same power draw from a 85% efficient PSU will need 294 W.  In a year that 18.5W difference amounts to 162 kilowatt hours.  If you pay around $0.13 per kWh like me, that amounts to $21 per year.

 

If your system is loaded with hard drives and cranking away on plugins full time, something higher than 250W may be likely for average power draw.  If your system is idle most of the time it may be more like 50W.  For big arrays the gold or platinum is likely to pay for itself in a couple of years.  For a low power server, the economics may not justify the higher cost.  You'll have to run the math on your anticipated needs and cost of electricity to know for sure.

Thanks for the info, per this, it seems not all Ivy bridge support 1600 memory. In this case it still shows as 1333mhz. Funny part is that the processor supports ECC, but the mobo doesn't 

 

Strange - I've seen several references which say that the G2020 does support 1600MHz.  I guess that the only way to be sure is to try it.  With a Sandy Bridge Xeon in my mobo, I found that it was only running the memory at 1333 - believe it or not, this was how I first realised that I'd received the wrong cpu!  When I installed the Ivy Bridge, the memory went to 1600MHz.

For a low power server, the economics may not justify the higher cost.  You'll have to run the math on your anticipated needs and cost of electricity to know for sure.

 

I have always opted to make capital investment, rather than continuing expenditure.  For one thing, your power charges are much more likely to rise than fall, so today's maths may not yield the same result in six months time!

 

I have always opted to make capital investment, rather than continuing expenditure.  For one thing, your power charges are much more likely to rise than fall, so today's maths may not yield the same result in six months time!

 

And servers only get bigger, not smaller!  I'm pretty much sold on the Seasonic gold, just wish I'd done that math myself before buying a bronze PSU.  The Seasonic also has a seven year warranty.  In any case, I'd buy with some expectation for expansion -- look for a 650W PSU instead of a 450W.

The Seasonic also has a seven year warranty.

 

Indeed, so calculate your power savings over that seven year period, and also factor in the possibility of having to replace your cheaper psu within that period!

I would steer away from making estimates 7 years out, it is well known that performance degrades after the first 2 years and with it goes efficiency as well. Very hard to project true savings this way. But 2 years should make a difference, especially with how cheap that platinum was. As for the rise of power costs, in the near term horizon (5-8 years) it should remain fairly stable. Most of our electricity production is from coal, and that is so cheap that they had to shut down US mines (which they can re-open later so $ per kw wouldnt go much higher) and along with cheap source of natural gas, its very likely we may actually see a drop  (though since its regulated, maybe not on our bills).

 

In any case, I ended up going away from the modular setup because it had only 2 sata power cables instead of 4, which would mean a much higher degree of chaining which I wasn't comfortable with.

As for the memory, I kept it at 1333, its lower voltage and I rather not risk it. Besides, whats the true % improvement these says coming from higher ram speed?