Andrew Barnes
Dabbler
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2014
- Messages
- 21
Hi, I'm new to the forum but have been lurking on IRC for the last week.
I'm looking to build a FreeNAS server. Currently, I'm stuck on the case.
Requirements are:
* at least 4 3.5 inch bays for current array
* at least 3 3.5 inch bay for backup
* hot swap would be nice.
* micro / uATX support
* an efficient power supply at 30-80 watts (peak power is expected to be 120 watts) - hard to find!
I thought I had nailed this with a recent spend on a 2nd hand SC745TQ-R800 SuperChassis (£65). It has 8 3.5 inch bays. although it is large, the worst bit by far is the power supplies. They are so in-efficient at the watt range I require, that they pull OVER twice the amount of power required!
FSP 500 watt Bronze 80+ 1U = 40watts
R800 (both of them) = 100watts
800 (one of them) = ~70watts
running exactly the same equipment.
My options so far are:
1) I sell the case and start again (although, I can not find many other cases that have front loading drives)
2) I buy the platinum or gold rated PSU's for this case - however, they are rated even higher wattage (920w) - and so I imagine that efficiency curve will still be lacking under 10% loads (where I expect my server to be most of the time) even if they are "efficient" at 80% load.
3) I customise the case to fit another PSU, I do have some bronze 80+ PSU's, but they are 1U and will not fit (at all) in the PSU slots of this case. But would fit underneath the PSU cage, if I fabricated some method of supporting the PSU.
4) what else can I do?
I didn't expect to have such a headache over the case and PSU. I've learn't a lot about PSU's recently, having first thought the R800's must be broken...nope, they are just not designed for efficiency at such low loads :(
Please give me some encouragement...
I'm looking to build a FreeNAS server. Currently, I'm stuck on the case.
Requirements are:
* at least 4 3.5 inch bays for current array
* at least 3 3.5 inch bay for backup
* hot swap would be nice.
* micro / uATX support
* an efficient power supply at 30-80 watts (peak power is expected to be 120 watts) - hard to find!
I thought I had nailed this with a recent spend on a 2nd hand SC745TQ-R800 SuperChassis (£65). It has 8 3.5 inch bays. although it is large, the worst bit by far is the power supplies. They are so in-efficient at the watt range I require, that they pull OVER twice the amount of power required!
FSP 500 watt Bronze 80+ 1U = 40watts
R800 (both of them) = 100watts
800 (one of them) = ~70watts
running exactly the same equipment.
My options so far are:
1) I sell the case and start again (although, I can not find many other cases that have front loading drives)
2) I buy the platinum or gold rated PSU's for this case - however, they are rated even higher wattage (920w) - and so I imagine that efficiency curve will still be lacking under 10% loads (where I expect my server to be most of the time) even if they are "efficient" at 80% load.
3) I customise the case to fit another PSU, I do have some bronze 80+ PSU's, but they are 1U and will not fit (at all) in the PSU slots of this case. But would fit underneath the PSU cage, if I fabricated some method of supporting the PSU.
4) what else can I do?
I didn't expect to have such a headache over the case and PSU. I've learn't a lot about PSU's recently, having first thought the R800's must be broken...nope, they are just not designed for efficiency at such low loads :(
Please give me some encouragement...