BUILD First build: need critique and suggestions

[Kapurai]

Hello everyone:

For the past three weeks here and there, I've been doing research about NAS systems, and have narrowed my choice of hardware. But I still have a few questions.

Proposed build:
CPU: Intel Core i3-4130T - stock cooler should be fine?
RAM: Crucial 16GB (2x8GB) Unbuffered ECC DDR3 - I read about Supermicro supporting Hynix and Samsung... but would this RAM work with the Supermicro board as well?
Motherboard: Either ASUS P9D WS or Supermicro X10SLL-F - I'm leaning towards the Supermicro. I don't see anything in the ASUS that I would particularly want. The supermicro also has IPMI support, which seems like a nice bonus. I heard about some reason not to go with ASUS but couldn't find why exactly. I need convincing. Supermicro it is.
PSU: Seasonic SSR-450RM - what's the difference between this one and the S12G-450? The latter says "Haswell ready" but I can't find any significant difference.
HDD: 4 x Western Digital Red 4TB (in RAID-Z2)
UPS: Need one. I saw the CP850PFCLCD from CyberPower mentioned in another thread, but any other recommendations? I'll need to go a little shopping to see more choices.
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 - still need to do a little shopping to see if there's a cheaper option with similar quality/drive bays.

That should be it. I've kept a little room for expandability (2 extra DIMM slots open and 8 drive bays) in case I ever want to put four more 4TB drives in another RAID-Z2 vdev. (although I'd have to go get a M1015)

This will mainly be used for file sharing/storage, as well as media streaming/transcoding.

 

[Hyperion]

You pretty well have all boxes ticked.

I3s are low powered and r compatible with ECC mem, they run at max 55 watts.

Id go with the supermicro.
IPMI is a bit of a gimmick, unless u have heaps of them on your network. Plus its on all the time (even when shut down). Only cool thing, u can alter the BIOS and mount discs remotely.

PSU, Id go for Corsair, these things don’t thrash about under low load. And run quiet. 350 would be more than enough.

Good Luck
You crazy bastard

 

[Ericloewe]

Hello everyone:

For the past three weeks here and there, I've been doing research about NAS systems, and have narrowed my choice of hardware. But I still have a few questions.

Proposed build:
CPU: Intel Core i3-4130T - stock cooler should be fine?
RAM: Crucial 16GB (2x8GB) Unbuffered ECC DDR3 - I read about Supermicro supporting Hynix and Samsung... but would this RAM work with the Supermicro board as well?
Motherboard: Either ASUS P9D WS or Supermicro X10SLL-F-O - I'm leaning towards the Supermicro. I don't see anything in the ASUS that I would particularly want. The supermicro also has IPMI support, which seems like a nice bonus. I heard about some reason not to go with ASUS but couldn't find why exactly. I need convincing.
PSU: Seasonic SSR-450RM - what's the difference between this one and the S12G-450? The latter says "Haswell ready" but I can't find any significant difference.
HDD: 4 x Western Digital Red 4TB (in RAID-Z2)
UPS: Need one. I saw the CP850PFCLCD from CyberPower mentioned in another thread, but any other recommendations?
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 - still need to do a little shopping to see if there's a cheaper option with similar quality/drive bays.

That should be it. I've kept a little room for expandability (2 extra DIMM slots open and 8 drive bays) in case I ever want to put four more 4TB drives in another RAID-Z2 vdev. (although I'd have to go get a M1015)

This will mainly be used for file sharing/storage, as well as media streaming/transcoding.

CPU is fine, if you won't be transcoding more than one, maybe two streams at once. Stock cooler is fine (if you despise its mounting system, consider something with screws, but stick with something cheap like the Cooler Master Hyper 212).

Crucial lists the memory as compatible, but Supermicro doesn't. I believe a few people have used Crucial without issues with Supermicro X10 boards.

Don't underestimate the benefits of IPMI, since, besides the obvious, it means you don't need some kind of graphics solution (the controller has a good enough VGA adapter) for local access.
For a Workstation, the Asus would probably be better (lots of extra stuff like audio), but for a server, the Supermicro is a better option.

The PSU is an excellent choice. The G-series are better than the cheaper S12G-series (better components and power quality). Seasonic just has no competition in the low-wattage segment. Everything else is crap in comparison (Corsair sells some decent low-end PSUs, but they're not as good as Seasonic). If you don't mind not having modular cables, the G-360 is more than enough (up to ~10 HDDs).

Disk selection is fine.

Given NUT's somewhat cryptic compatibility list, word of mouth is your best option for finding a UPS.

As for the case, it's a very personal choice.

I'd say you're well on your way towards a nice server

 

[Kapurai]

-snip-

Thanks. I couldn't find a corsair 350W PSU that had 80Plus gold efficiency, though.

-snip-

Thanks. I won't be transcoding that much video, but maybe 2-3 CD quality flac/wav audio streams at once? I'm guessing the i3 should be sufficient for that.

I seem to have a hard time finding a good-priced/decent Hynix or Samsung kit of 16GB for the X10SLL-F-O.

So the Supermicro it is. It takes $60 off the price. IPMI looks nice, maybe I'll play with it someday. This is my first "server-grade" build, so lots of new stuff I've never heard of.

I need to do more research on the UPS. Anything with a capacity of 450W or so (or less because I'm sure that my system won't use that much even under maximum load) should suffice, right? Does the UPS signal the NAS to turn off in case of a longer power outage, or will I have to do that manually? And in case of a smaller power supply, the NAS will just keep running?

 

[Mortadelo52]

Excuse my ignorance, but, what would be the difference between the X10SLL-F-O and the X10SLL-F-B mobos?
Thanks

 

[Ericloewe]

Excuse my ignorance, but, what would be the difference between the X10SLL-F-O and the X10SLL-F-B mobos?
Thanks

B is for bulk (which I assume means you only get the motherboard with no extras, like manuals or cables) and O is a more retail-oriented package.

 

[Kapurai]

B is for bulk (which I assume means you only get the motherboard with no extras, like manuals or cables) and O is a more retail-oriented package.

In that case, it would probably be more proper if I put X10SLL-F as they are the same board.

 

[Kapurai]

Ok - I'm obtaining the parts now. Building and testing will commence after that. See my post on LinusTechTips for further build information.
http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/167913-