First Attempt at TrueNAS Build - Recommendations and Advice Appreciated

[rmckay]

Hello,

I'm another noob to TrueNAS. I purchased an old Dell Optiplex 3010, loaded TrueNAS 12 onto it, created a pool, added some datasets, and setup Plex. I've read through the FreeNAS 11.3-U5 manual a couple of times to get the big picture. It's now time to purchase the parts and start assembly (first attempt at a computer build). The system is going to be used for:
1) Repository for backups for a couple of desktops and laptops.
2) Daily OBS screen capture videos of stock market activity.
3) .mp4 videos to be viewed in Plex
I'll be the only user. Secondary backup will be a cloud based facility which has yet to be selected.

Here is a list of the parts that I've selected but pending any advice I've yet to purchase.

Case: Fractal Design 804
Mother Board: MicroComputer X11SCH-F
CPU: Xeon E2224
RAM: Crucial 32gb 2666 UDIMM ECC - 1 stick. Will add more later if system is slow
HDD: 8 x WD Red Plus 4TB NAS Hard Disk WD40EFZX (4TB)
SSD (boot drive): Intel Optane 16 GB Internal SSD - M.2 2280
Power Supply: Seasonic Focus PX 750W

I'll use a RAIDZ2 configuration. At the present time the recommended RAM providers (Crucial, Kingston, and SuperMicro (Samsung)) are all showing 'Out of Stock - possible 3 week to 2 month delay'. Looks like I'm not going to complete the project this weekend.

I ran the numbers for suggested PSU wattage. Results seemed low - in the 400 - 500 range. After looking at several forum members setups a 750w unit looked like enough overkill for the present. I've been able to find forum posts or manufacture recommendations on nearly all of the topics I could think of except whether I need to use a cooling device for the CPU. I expect to add at least one more fan to the Fractal box.

Any and all comments appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

 

[jgreco]

I ran the numbers for suggested PSU wattage. Results seemed low - in the 400 - 500 range. After looking at several forum members setups a 750w unit looked like enough overkill for the present. I've been able to find forum posts or manufacture recommendations on nearly all of the topics I could think of except whether I need to use a cooling device for the CPU. I expect to add at least one more fan to the Fractal box.

"ran the numbers" and came up in the 400-500 range? What was your methodology?

It is entirely possible to run the numbers and come up with realistic numbers. We have a fantastic guide to this that explains the why and how:

https://www.truenas.com/community/threads/proper-power-supply-sizing-guidance.38811/

 

[Etorix]

The part list looks sound, but generally overkill: Optane as boot drive, a Xeon E-2224 where a Core i3-9100(F) would perform the same for half the price, 750 W for 8 drives.
The only part which seems curiously underspecced are the drives: 4 TB is quite small. I'd rather use a smaller number of larger drives and either make a smaller system or keep the 804 half-empty so another vdev could be added later.

 

[rmckay]

Hi jgreco and Etorix,
I used the guide
https://www.truenas.com/community/threads/proper-power-supply-sizing-guidance.38811/
you referenced. In fact, I found your guide to be extremely useful and well written. I've been through it repeatedly because I don't want to cheap out on the PSU and deal with the potential problems. Here's a screen shot of the spread sheet calculations:



A couple of WAGs because I couldn't find exact numbers on the manufacture's spec listings (fans in 804, CPU cooling fan, and the HDD numbers seemed low). I actually assumed that 650W would suffice but my plan is to get the unit constructed and probably swap out the drives for larger ones - 8T or larger depending on what seems like a reasonable estimate.

The part list looks sound, but generally overkill: Optane as boot drive, a Xeon E-2224 where a Core i3-9100(F) would perform the same for half the price, 750 W for 8 drives.
The only part which seems curiously underspecced are the drives: 4 TB is quite small. I'd rather use a smaller number of larger drives and either make a smaller system or keep the 804 half-empty so another vdev could be added later.

Etorix, I listed the Optane drive because the size was close the recommendation. The Xeon as opposed to i3 because I don't have a clue as to how much difference there will be in the performance between the two and again I chose the conservative option. My logic for the the 4T drives is that 8 in a RAIDZ2 will give me 24T of useable storage as opposed to 16T using 8Ts if I understand the formula. I don't know yet what I'm going to consider an optimum amount and I thought that 24T would probably be on the small side. If so, I could swap them out for 8T or larger. I'm completely flexible with all of the choices I've made. I just want to go through all of this planning and learning a minimal number of times. I know that everyone's needs are unique but do you note that forum members tend to increase the size of there original NAS's by a fairly common amount, say 100% or 200%?
I really appreciate all of the advice and suggestions because I'm very much in uncharted territory.
Thanks

 

[rmckay]

Hi jgreco and Etorix,
I used the guide
https://www.truenas.com/community/threads/proper-power-supply-sizing-guidance.38811/
you referenced. In fact, I found your guide to be extremely useful and well written. I've been through it repeatedly because I don't want to cheap out on the PSU and deal with the potential problems. Here's a screen shot of the spread sheet calculations:

View attachment 46297

A couple of WAGs because I couldn't find exact numbers on the manufacture's spec listings (fans in 804, CPU cooling fan, and the HDD numbers seemed low). I actually assumed that 650W would suffice but my plan is to get the unit constructed and probably swap out the drives for larger ones - 8T or larger depending on what seems like a reasonable estimate.

Etorix, I listed the Optane drive because the size was close to the recommendation. The Xeon as opposed to i3 because I don't have a clue as to how much difference there will be in the performance between the two and again I chose the conservative option. My logic for the the 4T drives is that 8 in a RAIDZ2 will give me 24T of useable storage as opposed to 16T using 8Ts if I understand the formula. I don't know yet what I'm going to consider an optimum amount and I thought that 24T would probably be on the small side. If so, I could swap them out for 8T or larger. I'm completely flexible with all of the choices I've made. I just want to go through all of this planning and learning a minimal number of times. I know that everyone's needs are unique but do you note that forum members tend to increase the size of there original NAS's by a fairly common amount, say 100% or 200%?
I really appreciate all of the advice and suggestions because I'm very much in uncharted territory.
Thanks