Do I need an external GPU for my FreeNAS ?

[vn_mnm]

Hello everyone,

I plan to build a FreeNAS rig with the specs as below :

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RzK3RT

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700 3.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($372.84 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L12S 55.44 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.90 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Noctua NT-H1 3.5 g Thermal Paste ($28.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI B450M BAZOOKA PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: Kingston 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 CL17 Memory ($47.00 @ Walmart)
Memory: Kingston 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 CL17 Memory ($47.00 @ Walmart)
Storage: Intel 540s Series 180 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Corsair Air 240 MicroATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 450 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply
Case Fan: ARCTIC F12 PST 53 CFM 120 mm Fan (Purchased For $0.00)
Case Fan: ARCTIC F12 PST 53 CFM 120 mm Fan (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $545.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-23 06:59 EST-0500

I plan to use my build at first as a WebDAV & video streaming server, and later in the future may add a 10TB+ 3.5" hdd drive for hosting a Unifi Video server on an Ubuntu VM for some 32 CCTVs.

 

[diedrichg]

Save yourself $29 and skip the thermal compound, the NH-L12S comes with the same compound. And no, you don't and can't use a GPU with TrueNAS, the only way to utilize that would be through a hypervisor for use in a different operating system. Read the pinned posts here: https://www.truenas.com/community/forums/will-it-freenas-freenas-build-discussion.70/

 

[HoneyBadger]

The question is "will the motherboard boot headless" - many consumer motherboards won't proceed past the POST/BIOS/EFI boot stage unless they have an output device. You may be able to hook one up temporarily and configure it to ignore this to complete the boot, but I wouldn't entirely count on it.

Also note that Ryzen CPUs have a known issue under FreeBSD requiring you to disable the C6 power saving.

 

[rvassar]

This is one of those cases where I keep a fanless GeForce 210 or some other trivial video card on hand to give me a VGA/HDMI port. But it looks like this one may have an onboard port. So the question is "can FreeNAS use it, and will it boot"?

But Note: That motherboard is pretty much a dedicated gaming motherboard, I'm going to guess you're going to run in to other compatibility problems. It has a PCIe x16 and a couple x1's for expansion and that's it... You will have no option for HBA expansion if you configure a x16 video card. Maybe one of the odd-ball x1 boards, I think the GeForce 710 used to be available in PCIe x1. Understand, you won't be using the console for much, and until recently FreeNAS did very little with GPU hardware.

 

[Arwen]

It appears that the on-board port only works if a CPU with on-board video is used. The AMD Ryzen 7 2700 CPU does not include on-board video.

 

[Dan Tudora]

hello
gooood point

 

[ThreeDee]

GPU in sig was about $10 shipped off of ebay