BUILD Advise on low power RaidZ2 build

[bramv101]

posted in wrong section before..

Hi,

I have been digging around a bit and here are the things I already decided on.

1. NAS only works as file server and needs good data security,
2. no media server (this load will come on the shoulders of the htpc)
3. torrent/usenet downloading (rar/par should run during the night, so it does not interfere with other use of the NAS)
4. encryption? do i actually need this in a home environment?
5. location will be in the cellar, so can be noisy and cellar is always low temp
6. LOW power! The rest of my home has been built to be very ecofriendly, so i would like to keep all my electronics also low power.

I have decided on a 6 disk RaidZ2 setup with >= 16Gb RAM.
however I am still not clear on the CPU:
AMD vs intel?
Atom vs celeron vs Core?
Is the new Haswell going to be such an increase in power/performance?

thx for your advise

PS: any advise on a good case for this build?

 

[Stephens]

I've been extremely happy with my Asus E35M1-I motherboard, which has an on-board AMD 350 CPU and 6 SATA ports. Unfortunately, I don't believe Asus makes it anymore. The C60M1-I is noticeably slower as are atoms. The E35M1-I took about 20 watts with my too-big power supply and about 60 with all 6 drives. IMO, if you don't need encryption and want a low power machine, it was one of the best options out. It also supports 16GB RAM. But we have to move to the land of the possible.

People here have used the C60M1-I, but don't expect blazing CIFS performance. Maybe around 50-60MB/s or so. Search the forum. There's only 1 slot on the motherboard. You can improve CIFS (LAN) performance somewhat by installing an Intel NIC. For a little bit of a great power imprint, you can go to the Intel low-power chips. One that I've kept my eye on is the Intel 2120T. In exchange for a bit more power usage (say 20 watts max premium), you'll have a chip that has power in reserve if you need it, and will use less power when you don't. You may also want to look at a CPU bang-for-buck chart.

Only you know if you need encryption. If you don't, don't use it. If you do, make sure you get a CPU that support AES-NI.

I wouldn't presume to predict what Haswell's going to do until it's benchmarked and I see results. Besides, you have to ask yourself if you're trying to build a fictional "best" machine, or a machine that meets your needs now. There is plenty of technology ready today to meet your needs. After all, it's a low power NAS not a gaming system.

 

[bramv101]

Ok, clear

I think I go for one of the latest core i3 T versions.