Best build for 6-10 disks

[vabatta]

Hi all,

I'm looking in the forum for some tips about a fresh build for a (free)nas.
I have 6 disks, but I will update it later up to 10 (size may vary from 1 to 2 TB).
I will use that nas as a fileserver and I will use to send films to tablets (in same network) with Plex.
I would like to spend about 200-300$ (200-250€ because I live in EU).
Mainly I was thinking about this config:
CPU: AMDAthlon X4 860K
MB: ASUS A88XM-Plus
Case (already own): Fractal Node 804 server cube
PSU: May vary, probably Cooler Master G450M
RAM: 2x4GB Corsair Vengeance

But after I read this, I have some doubts and I need help.

Thanks and goodbye!

Edit: 30.10, 21:21

 

[sremick]

That motherboard doesn't support ECC RAM, and people seem to have a lot of random, hard-to-diagnose issues with AMD processors and FreeNAS. I'd revisit your motherboard/CPU combo.

 

[vabatta]

My other combo would be:
CPU: 3th gen Celeron G1840 or i3 4130T (or around this, like 4330T)
MB: I'm still looking for it, I need 6x SATA on the onboard controller, then I should learn how to expand storage SATA with exp. card

To stay low with budget, would be better Celeron (passmark is 2848)
or for more power i3 (passmark is 4198)

 

[sremick]

MB: AsRock H97M Pro4

That motherboard doesn't support ECC RAM either. Please re-read this and this.

 

[vabatta]

That motherboard doesn't support ECC RAM either. Please re-read this and this.

Yes, I saw it later

 

[Ericloewe]

Low-power processors are a pure waste of money unless you're thermally constricted (you're not). They'll use just as much power idling as the regular versions and won't have the performance headroom of the regular versions.

 

[vabatta]

Low-power processors are a pure waste of money unless you're thermally constricted (you're not). They'll use just as much power idling as the regular versions and won't have the performance headroom of the regular versions.

Okay, so I wouldn't take a low-power processor, I have free choice. Which is the best combo to get? As I said, I want to use 6x HDD but I will add other in future, up to 10/12 if possible.
To don't have a motherboard controller of 6x, I could try to look for a motherboard with less port and add an expansion card with 8x sata?

 

[cyberjock]

Have you taken the time to read our hardware recommendations... If you had you wouldn't even need to post asking about hardware....

 

[Ericloewe]

Okay, so I wouldn't take a low-power processor, I have free choice. Which is the best combo to get? As I said, I want to use 6x HDD but I will add other in future, up to 10/12 if possible.
To don't have a motherboard controller of 6x, I could try to look for a motherboard with less port and add an expansion card with 8x sata?

There's no motherboard worth buying for FreeNAS with less than 6 ports. Get an LSI SAS HBA for the additional ports.

 

[sremick]

Start here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...odeId=1&name=Mini ITX&Order=PRICE&Pagesize=20

SuperMicro is the favorite brand, although I see people having luck with ASRock too so I ordered one although I haven't tested it yet. With the Node 804 case you are limited to Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX boards. You might want to rule out the boards limited to 16GB RAM (like mine) if you want to be able to expand in the future. Not every board on that NewEgg list is necessarily a good choice (look carefully at network and SATA controller chipsets), but it should help you narrow things down.

I'm not telling you anything you shouldn't already know from reading the FAQ links provided and the requirements of the case you already chose.

 

[vabatta]

After your tips / criticals, what about these:
CPU: IntelCore i3 3240 (no low-power, supports ECC, it's enough powerful for my use case and isn't much expensive)
MB: Super MicroX9SCL-F (ECC supported)
RAM: EDIT: Due to my stupidity I can't take a Kingstone

 

[sremick]

MB: Super MicroX9SCL-F (ECC supported)
RAM: 1x 8GB Kingston Memory KTD-PE316LV/8G (ECC-registered)

Why would you get Registered RAM when A) The guide (which you said you read) explicitly warns you about compatibility issues, and B) your motherboard doesn't support it?
Why would you get Kingston RAM when the guide (which you said you read) advises against using it in SuperMicro (or really any) motherboard?

Please read the guide... for real this time.

 

[vabatta]

Why would you get Registered RAM when A) The guide (which you said you read) explicitly warns you about compatibility issues, and B) your motherboard doesn't support it?
Why would you get Kingston RAM when the guide (which you said you read) advises against using it in SuperMicro (or really any) motherboard?

Please read the guide... for real this time.

Your're right. That's because the only ECC RAMs that my reseller have is Kingstone, and due to my stupidity, I didn't read the entire guide before posting the RAM choice...

And yes, my motherboard X9SCL-F supports ECC RAM:

• Supports up to 32 GB DDR3 ECC Un-Buffered memory (UDIMM)

 

[vabatta]

After all my errors, misreading and everything (yes, you're right, I should read the entire guide before) this is should be okay:
CPU: Intel Core i3-3240 Ivy Bridge Dual-Core 3.4GHz LGA 1155 55W -> Middle-of-the-road: i3 with ECC support
MB: SUPERMICRO X9SCL-F LGA 1155 Intel C202 Micro ATX -> Supermicro X9
RAM: Crucial 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) -> ECC RAM, Unbuffered matching my motherboard chipset, no Kingstone
PSU: CORSAIR RM550 550W ATX12V v2.31 and EPS 2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply -> Rule #1, Rule #2 and 80Plus Gold rated supply

 

[Fraoch]

With 6-10 disks you should be looking at 16 GB of RAM at least.

The rest should be OK, but is there a reason you're going with previous generation hardware? The X9 and i3-3XXX? Current equivalents are usually priced the same and perform slightly better - a Core i3-4XXX will have lower idle power consumption, run cooler and be slightly faster.

If you can get previous-generation hardware at a good price because the retailer is discounting it, go for it. But if you're paying the same you might as well get the most current.

 

[danb35]

I have the X9SCL-F, and it works well for me. You will probably want 16 GB of RAM as discussed (especially of you're going to be using Plex), but you can add 8 GB sticks over time to reach whatever level you want/need. You may want to look at the X10SL7-F, though, as it has a built-in HBA which will give you 14 SATA ports on the motherboard. Yes, the board costs more than the X9SCL-F, but you save the cost of the HBA.

 

[Ericloewe]

I have the X9SCL-F, and it works well for me. You will probably want 16 GB of RAM as discussed (especially of you're going to be using Plex), but you can add 8 GB sticks over time to reach whatever level you want/need. You may want to look at the X10SL7-F, though, as it has a built-in HBA which will give you 14 SATA ports on the motherboard. Yes, the board costs more than the X9SCL-F, but you save the cost of the HBA.

6 SATA plus 8 SAS, so it's an even better deal.