Basic FreeNAS build

[Russell Coight]

Hello all,

I'm looking to build a basic FreeNAS box, it won't be used for anything fancy. Storage, occasional miniDLNA or equivalent use and TransmissionBT is all it will be doing. I currently have a Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v1 SPARC, so anything will be an improvement! A drive has died and only old drives are compatible so it's time to upgrade.

I'm after low power use and a small case foot print. I'm also in Australia so parts availability is limited.

What I've come up with so far:

Case - Fractal Design Node 304
Motherboard/CPU - Supermicro A1SAI-2750F
HDD's - WD Red
RAM - 8GBx2 Crucial Unbuffered ECC SODIMM
PSU - Seasonic 520W fan-less. Or a cheaper Seasonic

Boot drives will be probably be 2 USB drives mirrored or if I can get one a Supermicro SATADOM. 4 x 3-4TB drives in RAIDZ2 will be plenty of space for many years.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[enemy85]

it looks ok

 

[MrToddsFriends]

In a Node 304 the airflow induced by the case fans doesn't cover the PSU and the CPU heat sink of a A1SAI-2750F. So better use a fan-equipped PSU (like the Seasonic G-450) and be prepared to stuff the CPU heat sink with a 60mm fan (for example Noctua NF-A6x25 PWM or NF-A6x25 FLX).

 

[Russell Coight]

Thanks fellas.

Do you mean attach the 60mm fan to the heat sink? Is there a mini-itx case you can recommend that has better air flow?

 

[Russell Coight]

Decided on the Seasonic G-550, can get it here and is modular.

https://www.pccasegear.com/products/21502/seasonic-g-550-gold-550w-power-supply

 

[MrToddsFriends]

Do you mean attach the 60mm fan to the heat sink?

That's what I meant. Here you can see a Noctua 60mm fan "sitting" unsecured on a board with a very similar looking heatsink:
https://www.servethehome.com/near-silent-powerhouse-making-a-quieter-microlab-platform/

On my A1SAI-2750F I used zip ties to fix the NF-A6x25 FLX fan, threaded through the bottom side of the heat sink.

 

[Russell Coight]

I found a Reddit post saying that this fan/heatsink will fit, can anyone confirm if it works?

 

[Ericloewe]

Maybe, but expect it to void the board's warranty.

 

[Stux]

Safer/Cheaper option is really to just cable tie a fan to the heat sink.

 

[Russell Coight]

I was hoping to avoid that, seems dodgy or something but might have to.

 

[Russell Coight]

On my A1SAI-2750F I used zip ties to fix the NF-A6x25 FLX fan

I noticed this fan isn't PWM, is it relatively quiet?

 

[Russell Coight]

Actually ignore that, Noctua page says it is PWM.

 

[Russell Coight]

Actually it isn't PWM, but under 20dB.

 

[MrToddsFriends]

I noticed this fan isn't PWM, is it relatively quiet?

Well, the NF-A6x25 FLX isn't while the NF-A6x25 PWM is. Back then when I bought one the PWM model didn't exist. The FLX is very quiet when used together with the U.L.N.A adapter (standard accessory) at 1500 rpm and more than sufficient to cool a C2750 at high load (all CPU cores running prime95).

 

[Stux]

I was hoping to avoid that, seems dodgy or something but might have to.

Certainly a bit MacGyver/Ghetto, but needs must.

Ask me about the drive packing foam and scotch tape keeping my server cool and quiet ;)

 

[Huib]

Ask me about the drive packing foam and scotch tape keeping my server cool and quiet ;)

I'm tempted to ask for a photo... But I'm slightly afraid it might trigger a tia.

 

[Stux]

I'm tempted to ask for a photo... But I'm slightly afraid it might trigger a tia.

https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...o-x10-sri-f-xeon-e5-1650v4.46262/#post-315996

 

[Huib]

That's actually an excellent and very functional modification to the case and an interesting read on how you got your HD temps down.
Thanks for sharing!
I hadn't come across that post yet.

 

[GertVanderstukken]

Hello all,

I'm new on this forum, but I'm preparing for building a FreeNAS appliance myself.

I am looking into the same sort of components (Supermicro A1SAI-2750F in a Fractal Design Node 304) and I am very concerned about power usage.

MrToddsFriends: as you have one running: do you happen to know the idle power consumption it draws?

I am also looking into a 2550 board as I intend to only run NAS, so no jails.
Is there a good reason you choose the 2750?

Thanks...

 

[Huib]

Hi Geert.

I would recommend you start your own thread if you didn't do that already. You can reference this one if you think that will help you but if you want any kind of decent advice you should include more info.....

How much storage do you intend to have?
What kind of data?
How many concurrent connections?
Etc. Etc.

Describe how the nas will be used and how intensely and I'm sure you'll get much better advice.

Groetjes Huib