First Build Help: Budget Plex server + CouchPotato, Sonarr, NZBGet

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the unRAID community, but it looks like this software will be the best solution for what I'm trying to accomplish. I currently have an aging Core 2 Duo Mac mini as my Plex/CouchPotato/Sonarr/NZBGet server with an (also) aging 2nd-generation Drobo. I want to replace both of these devices with a single machine.

I use an Apple TV (4th gen) for 1080p playback of (usually) mkv files through the Plex client, and occasionally will also stream to the Plex client on an iPad. Very rarely both at the same time, though. Thinking ahead, if I can stay in budget I wouldn't mind having enough processing power to open up sharing my library remotely with a friend or two for very occasional use, but wouldn't require 1080p transcoding performance.

Size and noise are not a concern at all as the unRAID box will be tucked away in a utility room.

I'm hoping to keep the build around $400 CAD before hard drives and software. I'll be reusing four drives from my Drobo, all 5400 rpm drives (2x2TB, 2x3TB), plus a small SSD for the cache drive and docker apps. I'm also thinking about adding another 3 or 4 TB drive or two for more storage and to make moving the data from the Drobo to unRAID more easy, but if there's a way to do that without buying more drives that would be ideal.

How does something like this look? In particular, I'm wondering if the CPU, motherboard, and PSU are sufficient for my needs and future expansion. And beginner tips of any would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Celeron G1840 2.8GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($66.10 @ Vuugo)

Motherboard: Asus Z87-Plus ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($123.18 @ NCIX)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($62.13 @ NCIX)

Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($78.81 @ Vuugo)

Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts  350W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($65.81 @ DirectCanada)

Total: $396.03

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-21 12:28 EST-0500

That PSU has two +12V Rails, so some of the power will not be available for the drives. See the Power Supply Thread

That PSU has two +12V Rails, so some of the power will not be available for the drives. See the Power Supply Thread

So maybe better to go with something like this? http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

It's really hard for me to recommend a Celeron for an application server.  A Celeron would be the lowest I'd recommend as a new purchase for basic NAS duties so I think it's the weak link here when you throw in Plex/CP/Sonarr etc. even if you aren't doing 1080p transcoding.  I'd recommend a Pentium at a minimum, and if it were me I'd go up to a Core i3.  The rest of your kit looks pretty nice - case, memory, etc - don't short yourself on the CPU.

It's really hard for me to recommend a Celeron for an application server.  A Celeron would be the lowest I'd recommend as a new purchase for basic NAS duties so I think it's the weak link here when you throw in Plex/CP/Sonarr etc. even if you aren't doing 1080p transcoding.  I'd recommend a Pentium at a minimum, and if it were me I'd go up to a Core i3.  The rest of your kit looks pretty nice - case, memory, etc - don't short yourself on the CPU.

Thank you. I wondered if I was cutting too close on the CPU. I'll see what I can find without paying too much more.

edited to add: What I might do to stay closer to budget is buy less storage but get an i3. Storage is easy to add later.

If you're willing to consider buying used, you can find some 2U 12-bay servers on eBay in your price range. Something with 2x Xeon 5520/5620, 16-32GB, and a SAS2 card should be just about the right price incl. shipping, but you might be happy with something that costs less. Either way, you'd get a lot more transcoding power, the ability to remote manage through IPMI, and more headroom to expand your storage.

Not trying to discourage you from building, it's good experience, but having a box tucked away somewhere without IPMI ends up being a pain in the butt.

If you're willing to consider buying used, you can find some 2U 12-bay servers on eBay in your price range. Something with 2x Xeon 5520/5620, 16-32GB, and a SAS2 card should be just about the right price incl. shipping, but you might be happy with something that costs less. Either way, you'd get a lot more transcoding power, the ability to remote manage through IPMI, and more headroom to expand your storage.

 

Not trying to discourage you from building, it's good experience, but having a box tucked away somewhere without IPMI ends up being a pain in the butt.

That's an interesting idea. I'm not married to the idea of building my own; I just didn't think of buying anything in my price range.

I'm not familiar with server hardware or software at all, so I have some newbie questions: Do I need a rack to hold one of these, or can I just set it up on a shelf somewhere? What are the advantages of IPMI as opposed to the normal unRAID web GUI? What should I be looking for in general for this kind of hardware?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

The Celeron will run Plex/CP/Sonarr/etc  just fine, ask me how I know...(hint, read the link in my signature).

Plex transcoding a High bitrate 1080p to 480p will not work. Transcoding audio from DTS/DD to something else when needed works fine.

As long as the video quality does not need to change (i.e. only change containers from mkv to mp4) it'll work just fine.

I'm not familiar with server hardware or software at all, so I have some newbie questions: Do I need a rack to hold one of these, or can I just set it up on a shelf somewhere? What are the advantages of IPMI as opposed to the normal unRAID web GUI? What should I be looking for in general for this kind of hardware?

I used a shelf for quite a while until I got a rack, but it needs to be around 2' deep and able to support 80-90 lbs comfortably. A 15U open frame 4-post rack with locking rollers runs about $150 USD and is a solid investment once you start adding to your setup. I have my server, 1U rack mount power strip, 1U 48-port GBE switch (wiring the whole house), and a 2U shelf for my UPS and ISP router in one with plenty of room to add a TIVO Pro and whatever else.

IPMI is just like being in front of the server. Toggle the power, flash the BIOS, configure drive controllers, install an OS from an ISO or USB on your workstation, literally anything that doesn't absolutely require touching the hardware can be done remotely.

It's one of those things where if you've never had it, you don't think it's a big deal, but once you've experienced it, you'll never consider a server that doesn't have it. Like if you're traveling and there's an extended power outage and your server doesn't come back up afterward, or the wife updates the Plex app on her iPad and it needs a newer server version, or something is just generally stuffed up and the wife is bitching because she can't watch Plex and the web GUI isn't working. IPMI makes these easy to fix remotely.

EDIT: A shelf for a 2U needs to support about 50 lbs. I was thinking of mine which is a 4U 24-bay. Which you can get for as low as ~$500 CAD if you want to spend a little more. Just be sure you either get one with a TQ (24 SATA ports) or a SAS2 backplane. The SAS1 backplanes don't play nice with drives over 2TB.

I'm looking at server listings in Canada on eBay.ca (I don't want to deal with cross-border shipping and the exchange rate is terrible right now). I'm so unfamiliar with the hardware compared to desktop PC's, though, that I don't think it's necessarily the best way to go. In a lot of cases, it looks like I'd need to buy a bunch of additional components? I don't know - do you see any listings here that you'd buy in this price range ($300-$500 CAD)?

I should also add that I need one that uses 3.5" hard drives, as I want to re-use my existing drives.

I decided to go with hardware I know, and ordered these components:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($159.57 @ Vuugo)

Motherboard: Asus Z87-Plus ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (Purchased For $127.93)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($51.17 @ Newegg Canada)

Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($56.48 @ Canada Computers)

Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($158.19)

Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($158.19)

Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($82.77 @ Newegg Canada)

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($46.64 @ NCIX)

Other: unRAID Plus (89 USD) ($123.00)

Other: Kingston Technology DataTraveler Micro 8GB USB Flash Drive ($9.02)

Total: $972.96

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-25 10:59 EST-0500

As a final check, does anyone see anything that would be a problem here? Not listed are 4 older drives I'll use in my array.(2x3TB, 2x2TB, all 5400 rpm "green" drives from Seagate or WD)

Looks like a good build, good luck!

Looks like a good build, good luck!

Thanks tdallen!

Do you think I should be worried about the PSU? I'm reading now that it's not a very good unit (though it seems to have sufficient amperage on a single 12V rail) and it only has 4 SATA connectors. I'm not sure how to connect my other drives.

Same question as here. I'm starting to wonder if I need to cancel my order. http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=12219.msg428878#msg428878

EDIT: With some more research, I think I've answered my own question: Looks like it should be fine with some molex-to-SATA adapters.

It's Corsair's lowest end PSU, which is still better than many others. You should be fine with your current requirements.