Bandit Build
I have been using FreeNas 8 on my desktop PC through Virtual Box and spent some time playing around with it. However, whilst everything was working fine, the whole point of NAS is to have it online 24/7 (most of the time anyway), so that meant my desktop PC was online 24/7 - not good. My desktop is power-sapping machine (I use it play games, video encoding, work etc everything its a powerful machine). So I wanted to have dedicated NAS, a few options were there - build it myself or buy one. The prices for built NAS's were I thought pretty expensive, so I just decided to build one.
Purpose/Goals:
- It needs to be small and quiet.
- Online 24/7 (most of the time)
- I have 3 desktop pcs, 2 netbooks, a PS3, a PS Vita, 2 laptops and 3 smartphones, thus everyone will be need to be able to access
- Store all my media files
- Backups of important files
- Be able to stream media to all the devices
I am able to do this currently, however as I mentioned I need to keep my desktop PC on 24/7 - it saps power and it is fairly noisy (not that noisy though :p). It is going to be summer soon, so its gonna be hot and really I would not my desktop PC running 24/7!
Parts:
All new parts except HDDs and all prices in AUD.
Motherboard: Asus P8H77-I $129
Mini ITX Intel motherboard with 6 SATA ports, onboard video. This was main feature I was after, there aren't too many ITX M/B out there and not many support 6 SATA ports. I am not a computer geek, so I don't want to hunt around for RAID or SATA cards etc. Other benefits of this board is that its supports LGA1155 2nd and 3rd generation cpus, important if you plan on upgrading the cpu maybe use the system for another purpose in the future.
CPU: Intel G550 $45
Dual Core, 2.6ghz. To be honest I didn't really research the CPU much, I am hoping it does good job transcoding video to stream to PS3. However I am not too fussed if it can't, because I dont use the PS3 to watch videos that much and if I do I can always turn on desktop PC and let it handle the grunt. Intel CPUs generally use less power and currently the new processors are much better than AMD's new processors. There cpus with lower TDP, but they cost more. I dont think you need much grunt for Freenas.
Memory: G.Skill Ares (2x 4gb kit) $45
Memory has always one of the most importants parts in a computer. Freenas 8 recommended 8gb so I got that. This model is low-profile version, really otherwise I think you can get any brand, not much difference. Low-profile because I am building a small unit, I thought it might be better to work with.
PSU: Seasonic 430W $75
For a system that is going to be online 24/7, you want to get yourself a quality PSU. I have never heard or read any negative reviews about Seasonic and 430w is the lowest I could get my hands on. They are supposedly quiet and power efficient too, hopefully it is. For my build 300w is enough, but I couldnt find any 300w ones. I advise researching your PSU and getting the right one. There are few cheaper ones than this one, but with Seasonic I know I am getting a good product. BTW I have read negative reviews about the new Corsair PSUs, the olders are good though.
Case: Fractal Node 304 - $129
Cases are a personal thing. I wanted a very simple case which was easy to work with. Plenty of Mini-ITX cases out there, but I liked this one and price was good too. The other option was the Fractal Design Mini which included a 300w PSU and cost $250. I read it wasn't to worth with and plus it cost an extra 50 odd bucks. This case supports up to 6 HDDs, supports ATX PSU, most cpu coolers and USB 3.0. So it has all the nice features.
HDDs: I have 4 2tb WD HDDs (not sure exactly what type they are in my desktop PC at the moment). I also have 2 2.5inch HDDs, 250gb and 320gb. The 250gb drive is not very reliable (making noises :(, will test it out but most likely just use it as portable drive). Will probably use the 320gb to install the OS.
The Plan
I intend to install Ubuntu 12.10 and then use Virtual Box to setup FreeNas, it would be good if I can transfer my existing setup (on my desktop) to the new build. I am backing up the files now and will give it shot. If it works it will save me sometime, otherwise I will have to set it up again and copy over my files.
So I am waiting for the backup to finish, get the HDDs out from desktop and then start building. Will posts pics along the way ;)
I have been using FreeNas 8 on my desktop PC through Virtual Box and spent some time playing around with it. However, whilst everything was working fine, the whole point of NAS is to have it online 24/7 (most of the time anyway), so that meant my desktop PC was online 24/7 - not good. My desktop is power-sapping machine (I use it play games, video encoding, work etc everything its a powerful machine). So I wanted to have dedicated NAS, a few options were there - build it myself or buy one. The prices for built NAS's were I thought pretty expensive, so I just decided to build one.
Purpose/Goals:
- It needs to be small and quiet.
- Online 24/7 (most of the time)
- I have 3 desktop pcs, 2 netbooks, a PS3, a PS Vita, 2 laptops and 3 smartphones, thus everyone will be need to be able to access
- Store all my media files
- Backups of important files
- Be able to stream media to all the devices
I am able to do this currently, however as I mentioned I need to keep my desktop PC on 24/7 - it saps power and it is fairly noisy (not that noisy though :p). It is going to be summer soon, so its gonna be hot and really I would not my desktop PC running 24/7!
Parts:
All new parts except HDDs and all prices in AUD.
Motherboard: Asus P8H77-I $129
Mini ITX Intel motherboard with 6 SATA ports, onboard video. This was main feature I was after, there aren't too many ITX M/B out there and not many support 6 SATA ports. I am not a computer geek, so I don't want to hunt around for RAID or SATA cards etc. Other benefits of this board is that its supports LGA1155 2nd and 3rd generation cpus, important if you plan on upgrading the cpu maybe use the system for another purpose in the future.
CPU: Intel G550 $45
Dual Core, 2.6ghz. To be honest I didn't really research the CPU much, I am hoping it does good job transcoding video to stream to PS3. However I am not too fussed if it can't, because I dont use the PS3 to watch videos that much and if I do I can always turn on desktop PC and let it handle the grunt. Intel CPUs generally use less power and currently the new processors are much better than AMD's new processors. There cpus with lower TDP, but they cost more. I dont think you need much grunt for Freenas.
Memory: G.Skill Ares (2x 4gb kit) $45
Memory has always one of the most importants parts in a computer. Freenas 8 recommended 8gb so I got that. This model is low-profile version, really otherwise I think you can get any brand, not much difference. Low-profile because I am building a small unit, I thought it might be better to work with.
PSU: Seasonic 430W $75
For a system that is going to be online 24/7, you want to get yourself a quality PSU. I have never heard or read any negative reviews about Seasonic and 430w is the lowest I could get my hands on. They are supposedly quiet and power efficient too, hopefully it is. For my build 300w is enough, but I couldnt find any 300w ones. I advise researching your PSU and getting the right one. There are few cheaper ones than this one, but with Seasonic I know I am getting a good product. BTW I have read negative reviews about the new Corsair PSUs, the olders are good though.
Case: Fractal Node 304 - $129
Cases are a personal thing. I wanted a very simple case which was easy to work with. Plenty of Mini-ITX cases out there, but I liked this one and price was good too. The other option was the Fractal Design Mini which included a 300w PSU and cost $250. I read it wasn't to worth with and plus it cost an extra 50 odd bucks. This case supports up to 6 HDDs, supports ATX PSU, most cpu coolers and USB 3.0. So it has all the nice features.
HDDs: I have 4 2tb WD HDDs (not sure exactly what type they are in my desktop PC at the moment). I also have 2 2.5inch HDDs, 250gb and 320gb. The 250gb drive is not very reliable (making noises :(, will test it out but most likely just use it as portable drive). Will probably use the 320gb to install the OS.
The Plan
I intend to install Ubuntu 12.10 and then use Virtual Box to setup FreeNas, it would be good if I can transfer my existing setup (on my desktop) to the new build. I am backing up the files now and will give it shot. If it works it will save me sometime, otherwise I will have to set it up again and copy over my files.
So I am waiting for the backup to finish, get the HDDs out from desktop and then start building. Will posts pics along the way ;)
