BUILD Yet another Build check

[s1nemesis1s]

I appreciate this so much in advance. I don't have a ton of money but need a decent box. Here is what I am thinking

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case


I already have this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042


ASRock Q87WS-DL ATX Server Motherboard LGA 1150 Intel Q87 DDR3 1600/1333


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157415


Intel Pentium G3258 Haswell Dual-Core 3.2GHz LGA 1150 53W BX80646G3258 Desktop Processor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117374


I could go i3 - I just want to spend money on HDD's - Is this a decent enough processor - if not could you reconmend a good cheap i3 you think would be better

Kingston 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM ECC Registered DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Server Memory Model KVR16R11S8K4/16

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239793

I already have this on hand:

CORSAIR RM Series RM750

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...39055&cm_re=cosair_750-_-17-139-055-_-Product

Western Digital Red NAS Hard Drive WD30EFRX 3TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" NAS Hard Drive

- THIS X6

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236344&cm_re=wd_red-_-22-236-344-_-Product

Can you guys reconmend any good USB header to usb stick converter so I can have that inside the server?


Thanks!

 

[s1nemesis1s]

Not sure if I should go with the reds either - it seems to be whatever one else goes with. I looked over the forums and saw some interesting connectors for the internal USB stick - so scratch that - unless there is one you guys really think that shines. I have run this build through my mind and I think it will work well. I appreciate the check, and again, if you think the reds are not worth it I am open to drive options - heck I am open to all suggestions.
Thanks much!

 

[mattbbpl]

People around here don't like Corsair power supplies. Since you have it on hand though, that might tip the scales.

Reds are universally recommended, although I've been told by a number of people who know their stuff that, for home use, just about any reasonable hard drive will do (although some configuration may be necessary in the case of specialty drives like WD Greens). I myself am running some 6TB Seagates (non-NAS specific). Some others are even using 8TB archive drives, although those entail some significant trade-offs in sustained write performance.

Why'd you choose the Asrock board? The cautious side of me would steer clear of it without a specific reason to choose it, but I don't know anything specific with that particular board that would preclude it's use, though. Are you sure it's compatible with FreeBSD? I quick and dirty Google search didn't turn up information specifically stating that it was, but the search wasn't very deep, either.

 

[s1nemesis1s]

Hey thanks for the reply!

I chose the asrock board because I like their other stuff and it's full size. Hmm...corsair has always done fine by me - but I'm curious as to what the other options are? I see seasonic and others talked about. I'm not totally sure it's compatible - thanks for checking, I'll look more. What else would you guys suggest? What about my CPU choice? Any guidance would be much appreciated.

 

[mattbbpl]

Hey thanks for the reply!

I chose the asrock board because I like their other stuff and it's full size. Hmm...corsair has always done fine by me - but I'm curious as to what the other options are? I see seasonic and others talked about. I'm not totally sure it's compatible - thanks for checking, I'll look more. What else would you guys suggest? What about my CPU choice? Any guidance would be much appreciated.

You're welcome!

Your CPU choice is fine. I see it used in builds around here commonly, although be warned that it won't do well with certain features like encryption or Plex transcoding. If those are part of your planned used case, you may want to get something with a little more oomph (such as an i3 or a Xeon - don't use an i5 or i7 as they don't support ECC RAM), but for a general purpose NAS server it will be fine.

As for Corsair, I'll defer to the experts as I've only used one in an old desktop (not FreeNAS). People around here swear they're sub-par and have fried components. For me, if I'm stuffing two grand worth of components into a box, I don't want to risk it by trying to save twenty bucks on a power supply.

Which brings up the fact that you may want to consider a UPS. FreeNAS interfaces with them for programmable protection during power outages/brownouts, and it could protect your pool from a sudden loss of power. It's not a requirement, but it's certainly recommended. Just something to consider.

Edit: Oh, and that ASRock board - Just make sure it's FreeBSD compatible. One of their boards that are common around here has some SATA ports that aren't FreeBSD compatible. NICs are another common problem, but I see the ones on here are Intel so they should be fine. I think it will be fine - just make sure you consider the details. If you can flat out confirm FreeBSD compatibility then that would be ideal.

 

[diedrichg]

I was going to suggest the G3420 but according to the ARK, there are virtually no differences between the two processors other than the G3258 is limited to 1333MHz RAM. This is a non-issue for this kind of computer though.

As for the PSU, I say if it works, then use it.

 

[diedrichg]

Also on Intel's ARK, check out the Q87 chipset. It says maximum 6x6Gb/s SATA ports. So what controller is running the other two? You will need either a VGA cord and monitor or a VGA adapter for your video cord to set up the motherboard. I just confirmed that the G3258 is on the compatibility list but I'm having a hard time confirming whether or not the Q87 chipset supports ECC as per a comment by a Newegg reviewer. I seem to remember from other posts on this board that you would need a motherboard with the C226 chipset and therefore change to the G3420.

 

[diedrichg]

Alright, yet another update. After looking at the specs on that ASRock the two additional SATA ports are Asmedia AM1061 and are apparently not supported in FreeBSD and therefore FreeNAS. https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/6117/
So your drives will not even show up if you are trying to use the ports.

 

[s1nemesis1s]

This is awesome - I really appreciate it. I'm very new and trying to learn as much as possible. I have a dual Intel nic that I will be using so I should be okay there...i think.

How about this - is their a board and CPU you guys recommend? I don't want to spend a ton of money - max 200 on the board really.

I have a ups ready to go so I should be good there. Thst is awesome advice though - don't want to loose my pool for sure.

I'm open to suggestions, just on a budget. What did you all think of the kingston ram I picked?

I am ready to jump in - maybe the asrock board isn't the best idea afterall. I've been looking at other people's builds as well for ideas.

Hmmm...

 

[mattbbpl]

Alright, yet another update. After looking at the specs on that ASRock the two additional SATA ports are Asmedia AM1061 and are apparently not supported in FreeBSD and therefore FreeNAS. https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/6117/
So your drives will not even show up if you are trying to use the ports.

Nice sleuthing! I'm impressed.
I think he only intends to use 6 hard drives at the moment (unless I'm reading that wrong), but that's still good to note.

 

[s1nemesis1s]

Oh boy - glad I asked!!! Thank you for that save. What is a good board to throw my stuff at - and cpuwise...I'm open to change as well. I'm reading, and researching as well but it's a great deal to take in - I defer to the experts because it seems like I'm headed down a bad road if I'm not careful.

 

[s1nemesis1s]

Yeah - 6 drives is probably where I want to stay - I'm not seeing any info related to the other ports and freebsd....making me a bit nervous. Any suggestions are welcomed and again - the information is fantastic - means alot to help out this newbie.

 

[s1nemesis1s]

Just wish I knew more about this asrock board - maybe it's not such a solid idea afterall. Hmmm... I'm looking around - and I will have my own Intel dual nic - was hoping to set up aggregation. Buy I need a solid CPU and board to build from. Starting to worry about my choices. I'm thinkin under 200 for a board must be possible.

 

[mattbbpl]

Oh boy - glad I asked!!! Thank you for that save. What is a good board to throw my stuff at - and cpuwise...I'm open to change as well. I'm reading, and researching as well but it's a great deal to take in - I defer to the experts because it seems like I'm headed down a bad road if I'm not careful.

It really is a lot to take in. I lurked this site for nearly a year before finally taking the plunge on my first build, and I took the easy way out - I largely took components that were known by the community to work - many of them on this list: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/hardware-recommendations-read-this-first.23069/

If you want to guarantee compatibility "of all the little things" that's a great way to do it. The best thing about what's on that list is that everything that needs to be done with the hardware is well documented. Need to flash the SAS controller on the board? A dozen threads on it. Need to get that board to recognize the newer 1231 v3 CPU? Ditto. Fast answers from a community who already has them all.

I mean, you can be the guinea pig instead if you'd like - sometimes that's fun - but not everyone has that kind of time, money, and patience.

 

[diedrichg]

I know you mentioned a "full-sized" board but you can go with this beauty SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SL7-F-O uATX Server Motherboard LGA 1150 Intel C222 DDR3 1600 , http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA24G36F9435
It not only has 6 SATA ports but also 8 SAS ports.

 

[s1nemesis1s]

Great advice guys. That's a sweet little board, what CPU would you guys recommend with something like that? Do I need an i3 or can I get away with on of the other G offerings? How about my RAM choice, looks good with that board - what do you all thibk?

 

[diedrichg]

I need to go to bed but I was going to ask you about how you plan to use your server which would determine the processor. If you are going to use it as a steaming media server then you are looking at a i3 or Xeon. If you are going to have it as a storage server then you can simply use the G3420 like I have. My charts say that it has never gone over 10% CPU usage and that's during its bi-monthly scrubs. I don't have the free time to review the RAM but your first stop would be the qualified RAM list for that particular motherboard. For Supermicro you can find that to the right of the motherboard image on their website. Good luck. Take it slow. Read, read, read. And post your final list before you "pull the trigger". Goodnight

 

[mattbbpl]

I need to go to bed but I was going to ask you about how you plan to use your server which would determine the processor. If you are going to use it as a steaming media server then you are looking at a i3 or Xeon. If you are going to have it as a storage server then you can simply use the G3420 like I have. My charts say that it has never gone over 10% CPU usage and that's during its bi-monthly scrubs. I don't have the free time to review the RAM but your first stop would be the qualified RAM list for that particular motherboard. For Supermicro you can find that to the right of the motherboard image on their website. Good luck. Take it slow. Read, read, read. And post your final list before you "pull the trigger". Goodnight

By "streaming" he means "transcoding", BTW (converting the video on the fly into another format/resolution).

 

[diedrichg]

Shoot! Disregard those cables, those are only for expansion cards. And yes, transcoding...I'm tired.

 

[s1nemesis1s]

Hello,

I am so glad I am working with you guys on this. Yes, this will serve as streaming server, so I am going to need an i3 from the sounds of it. I am going to research more of course. Where are you guys finding all this compatibility stuff - I am new here so forgive my lack of knowledge on this. Are you just checking the board's website or is there a database I am unaware of?

I just want a solid build without a ton of money gone.

Thanks!