Another SuperMicro X11, Xeon E3, ECC RAM, WD Red build.

[bar17]

Hello everyone, I am building a FreeNAS system with the first and foremost goal of having a reliable file server. I thought it might be nice to do a few extra things such as a ubuntu server or 2, a torrent server, and possibly a plex media server.

I have read quite a few posts and feel that I will probably go the X11/E3/ ECC RAM route with a goal of reliability and data integrity. I thought at first with a bit of extra RAM and a slightly more powerful CPU than necessary for a fileserver I could also run a virtual machine or 2 and possibly run a plex media server that would stream 1 movie at a time max. However, now that 4k is upon us I am thinking that it is probably not worth trying to stream video from this machine and my primary purpose of a reliable file server should be my #1 goal.

I have read:
Discussion of X10/X11 supermicro boards.
https://www.ixsystems.com/community/resources/supermicro-x10-and-x11-motherboard-faq.5/
https://www.ixsystems.com/community...o-buy-a-supermicro-x11-xeon-e3-v5-6-board.13/

Brian Moses discusses ECC vs non ECC
https://blog.briancmoses.com/2014/03/why-i-chose-non-ecc-ram-for-my-freenas.html
I have also read over many of his various builds

Another ecc vs non ecc
https://www.ixsystems.com/community/threads/ecc-vs-non-ecc-ram-and-zfs.15449/

Nice overview of hardware design, no real discussion on CPU. Makes me wonder more about SAS vs SATA...
https://www.ixsystems.com/blog/a-co...are-design-part-i-purpose-and-best-practices/

So far I am thinking for the motherboard:
https://www.newegg.com/supermicro-m...h-gen-core-i3-intel-pentium/p/N82E16813182996
The LN4 is not necessary for me, but right now the price is the same as lower tier models. The only thing this does not have is SAS.
https://www.newegg.com/supermicro-x...3-1200-v5-intel-6th-gen-core/p/1WK-0010-002M5
This has SAS x8 with an LSISAS3008 controller, but doesn't have the additional networking ports. I am not really sure that I need the extra networking ports but I am not sure if I need the extra money for SAS vs SATA either. What type of scenarios will extra networking ports really be useful? Will SAS really confer that much an advantage? I am planning on getting a few WD SATA reds right now.

I am then thinking of a Xeon E3 v6 processor, probably the 1240.
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Xeon-E...on+E3-1240+v6+@+3.70GHz&qid=1571953231&sr=8-2

Is there any point in getting a 1245, the version with the GPU? Can the GPU do anything if I am not planning on connecting this to a monitor? It won't help with video transcoding or something will it? Can I still store media in an already transcoded form anyway and then have no problem serving 4k video even without a powerful CPU or GPU? Should I look at completely different CPUs for any reason?

32 GB of ECC Crucial RAM
https://www.newegg.com/crucial-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820148840
Seems like a great deal right now.

HD, will probably pick up 2 WD red 4TB HD and mirror them for now. When I want to increase my pool size I will add a couple more larger drives, then down the road replace the 4TB drives with something larger.

Do you all think I am getting reasonable value with this system, or is it a lot of extra money for nothing? Clearly, I could go with a Asus Desktop motherboard and CPU and build a much faster computer for qutie a bit cheaper. For a rock solid file server is this a way to go? And/or, should I spend less money with a different type of server motherboard and much older CPU if all I want to do is serve files? How important is SAS? Probably not worth debating ECC here, as that is debated elsewhere ad nauseam.

Main questions:
Is GPU going to do anything on this E3? 1245 vs 1240? Should I look at a completely different CPU? Do I need something better for running a virtual ubuntu computer or 2 with low resource requirements.
Should I really be looking into SAS? Or is SATA fine?
This system is much more expensive than a normal desktop could be, am I getting good value for this build, or do any of you have an idea of a completely different direction?

Thanks for the consideration everyone. I know my questions could be more specific, but despite building computers over the years, very careful consideration of hardware with respect to servers is brand new to me.

 

[Jessep]

FreeNAS doesn't use iGPU.
SATA is fine, get SSD before thinking SAS.
Consider used enterprise gear.

 

[Jailer]

Sounds like you've thought this out well, done your homework and selected some nice hardware for your server. Your plan of a mirror now with aditional mirrors later is a solid one for future growth while keeping costs in control. Alternatively you could get more drives now and replace them with larger ones down the road but that's entirely up to you.

However, now that 4k is upon us I am thinking that it is probably not worth trying to stream video from this machine

Why not? Streaming isn't an issue, transcoding is what puts the hurt on a CPU. With Plex this can be mitigated by choosing client devices that support the format of media on your server and don't require transcoding.

Is GPU going to do anything on this E3?

No, unless you activate GPU acceleration for Plex in a future release of FreeNAS where it is supported. The board you have selected has IPMI so there is no need for an integrated GPU.

Should I really be looking into SAS? Or is SATA fine?

Depends on how many hard drives you plan on running. If you know you will be adding more hard drives beyond the number of SATA ports on your motherboard you can go with the SAS adapter or add one in at a later date if needed. It's up to you.

This system is much more expensive than a normal desktop could be, am I getting good value for this build, or do any of you have an idea of a completely different direction?

This system you have chosen is a solid one for reliability and data protection. A very good one in fact. Once you have it set up and running just make sure you set up periodic SMART tests and scrubs and make sure your email notifications are set up and working so you can be notified if something does go wrong.

 

[anmnz]

Should I really be looking into SAS? Or is SATA fine?

Sorry if I'm wrong, but from reading your message it seems you might not be aware that SAS controllers work with SATA disks. Arguably the mainstream approach around here is to use SATA disks, and add a SAS controller when you have enough disks to need one.

 

[bar17]

Why not? Streaming isn't an issue, transcoding is what puts the hurt on a CPU. With Plex this can be mitigated by choosing client devices that support the format of media on your server and don't require transcoding.

This is very helpful, thank you. I have no reason to transcode on the fly.

No, unless you activate GPU acceleration for Plex in a future release of FreeNAS where it is supported. The board you have selected has IPMI so there is no need for an integrated GPU.

Perfect, I'll probably save the $$ then.

Depends on how many hard drives you plan on running. If you know you will be adding more hard drives beyond the number of SATA ports on your motherboard you can go with the SAS adapter or add one in at a later date if needed. It's up to you.

Sorry if I'm wrong, but from reading your message it seems you might not be aware that SAS controllers work with SATA disks. Arguably the mainstream approach around here is to use SATA disks, and add a SAS controller when you have enough disks to need one.

Seems like there is not a very qualitative benefit. I won't worry about SAS now.

This system you have chosen is a solid one for reliability and data protection. A very good one in fact. Once you have it set up and running just make sure you set up periodic SMART tests and scrubs and make sure your email notifications are set up and working so you can be notified if something does go wrong.

Thank you for the reassurance. I will make sure I setup testing when I build the server!

Additional questions. I was getting close to buying these components, but started looking more at the various Xeon CPUs. It seems for a bit more I can get 6 cores.

What do you think about this instead?

Motherboards:
$280 - X11SCH-LN4F
SCH /w c246 chipset that supports E series 21xx and 22xx instead of e3 xeon's. m2 interface is pci 3.0 x 4
https://www.wiredzone.com/supermicro-components-motherboards-single-processor-x11sch-ln4f-10028855
$230 X11SSH-LN4F
SSH /w 236 chipset supports E3 xeons. m2 interface is pci3.0 x2
https://www.newegg.com/supermicro-m...h-gen-core-i3-intel-pentium/p/N82E16813182996

CPU:
$300
Xeon E 2136 - 6 cores, 12 threads, 3.3 Ghz, 4.5 Ghz Turbo. Its hard to find E Series 21xx and 22xx cpus it seems, so this is really the only option.
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16819118007
$288
Xeon E3 1240 v6 - 4 cores, 8 threads, 3.7 Ghz, 4.1 Ghz Turbo
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16819117787

Are these additional cores going to be worth a lot if I want to run a virtual machine or do anything other than serve files? Will this difference in clock speed matter much? Any other thoughts or considerations that I am not thinking of?

 

[Jailer]

There's not much difference in price but do be aware that the 1240 comes with a CPU cooler and the 2136 does not so there will be that additional cost. I think you would be fine with the 1240 but that's JMHO. I have 11 jails running with mine and it doesn't put much of a load on it at all. The only time I see much load is when scanning new movies that have been added to plex.

 

[bar17]

There's not much difference in price but do be aware that the 1240 comes with a CPU cooler and the 2136 does not so there will be that additional cost. I think you would be fine with the 1240 but that's JMHO. I have 11 jails running with mine and it doesn't put much of a load on it at all. The only time I see much load is when scanning new movies that have been added to plex.

Thanks for helping with the build!

I have now settled on:

Supermicro X11SSH-LN4F
Xeon E3 1240V6
32 GB 2x Crucial ECC DDR4 2666 CT16G4WFD8266
2x4TB WD Red NAS 5400 RPM
2x Crucial BX500 SSD boot drive
SS PRIME 650 Gold
Fractal Design Node 804
Cyberpower CP685 AVR

 

[Jailer]

2x Crucial BX500 SSD boot drive

This is a bit excessive for a boot drive unless you already own them and a re purposing them. If not then I'd go with something smaller and cheaper. My boot drive is a 16GB SATA DOM.

I'm also of the opinion that a single SSD for a boot drive is sufficient unless high availability is a priority or necessity. Keep a copy of your current config and that is all you need to get back up and running in the case of a boot drive failure.

 

[bar17]

This is a bit excessive for a boot drive unless you already own them and a re purposing them. If not then I'd go with something smaller and cheaper. My boot drive is a 16GB SATA DOM.

The BX500 is without onboard DRAM. They are only $23/drive for the 120GB. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G3L3DRK/ref=twister_B07L1MP7KM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I'm also of the opinion that a single SSD for a boot drive is sufficient unless high availability is a priority or necessity. Keep a copy of your current config and that is all you need to get back up and running in the case of a boot drive failure.

Would you just keep the config available on a separate computer, reinstall freenas and load the config on a different drive then pop it in? I haven't used FreeNAS before and don't know the steps to replace the boot drive. I figured a mirrored drive could save me and at only $23 its both cheap enough to add and cheap enough to doubt the drives reliability...

 

[Jailer]

I read that and thought it said 500GB drive. What you have picked out is perfect.

Would you just keep the config available on a separate computer, reinstall freenas and load the config on a different drive then pop it in?

Yes on keeping the config in a seperate location. To restore you re install FreeNAS to a new drive and then upload your saved config in the GUI once it's up and running.

 

[Arixos]

The BX500 is without onboard DRAM. They are only $23/drive for the 120GB. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G3L3DRK/ref=twister_B07L1MP7KM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1



Would you just keep the config available on a separate computer, reinstall freenas and load the config on a different drive then pop it in? I haven't used FreeNAS before and don't know the steps to replace the boot drive. I figured a mirrored drive could save me and at only $23 its both cheap enough to add and cheap enough to doubt the drives reliability...

How do you use two boot drives?

 

[Jailer]

How do you use two boot drives?

It's outlined in the manual.

 

[mimikm]

It's outlined in the manual.

Jailer, what sort of power consumption are you getting from you build in signature? im building something similar

 

[Jailer]

Jailer, what sort of power consumption are you getting from you build in signature? im building something similar

No clue, I've never checked it.

 

[G8One2]

I think the amount of physical drives, have more to do with power consumption, than the rest of the hardware. I could be wrong about that though, but I can tell you my system idles around 200 watts with 18 hard disks ( 3 vdev's )