BUILD First time server class builder looking for advice on proposed build

[Derek Renfro]

I have built many normal computers but never anything in a server chassis or with a controller card. I have read the stickies and i think i have put together a good build, but i would like any advice that you are willing to provide.

I am only putting 6 drives in it at this time 4 6TB and 2 3TB that i have laying around. Is it worth putting the smaller drives into the mix or will it reduce the available space from my 6TB's?

I chose the chassis because i figure that will last me forever. I know the backplane/fans will go out sooner or later, but i cant always replace those. I chose this super micro case over the one that is around $179 since i have seen reports that the back plane on that chassis will not support the larger 6TB drives.

I saw on the hardware guide that you should check you ram with the manufactures website, but i wasn't sure which manufacturer you meant. I am assuming the MOBO but could someone clarify this for me?

I wanted to go with the dual processor board since this is mainly going to be a plex server and i need some serious cpu power to transcode those 1080p movies to family and friends and i want the option to add the additional processor if needed.

The build is clocking in at about 2200 right now and i not really seeing anything i could reduce. If you have any recommendations on getting the same bang for less bucks i am of course open to suggestions. I am looking at getting the controller card and chassis second hand and the rest of the part new.

SYSTEM:

Mother Board--SUPERMICRO MBD-X10DRL-I ATX Server Motherboard Dual LGA 2011 R3 Intel C612

Processor-Intel Xeon E5-2620 v3 Haswell 2.4 GHz 6 x 256KB L2 Cache 15MB L3 Cache LGA 2011-3 85W

Controller Card-$99.99-IBM LSI ServeRAID M1015(Crossflash)

RAM-Samsung M393A4K40BB0-CPB 32GB DDR4-2133 Memory MEM-DR432L-SL01-ER21

Chasis -SUPERMICRO 846E16-R1200B

PSU- Comes with 2 1200W PSU. I will probally sell these and get the new quiet ones.

Boot Device- 60GB Sata SSD(already have this lying around)

Disks-

4 WD Red 6TB NAS Desktop Hard Disk Drive - Intellipower SATA 6 Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD60EFRX “already have two”



EDIT: Updated to compatible parts....final update i hope

 

[JJT211]

Yea, dont add the extra 3TB drives, it will shrink your overall capacity.

Skip the RAID card as FreeNAS uses a software RAID. It will actually cause problems. There's like a bazillion threads with a more detailed explanation.

The PSU is wayyyyy overkill. See top sticky thread in this forum for proper PSU sizing

I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to use ECC Registered. Look for ECC Unbuffered. Double check me on that one though.

 

[Derek Renfro]

Yea, dont add the extra 3TB drives, it will shrink your overall capacity.

Skip the RAID card as FreeNAS uses a software RAID. It will actually cause problems. There's like a bazillion threads with a more detailed explanation.

The PSU is wayyyyy overkill. See top sticky thread in this forum for proper PSU sizing

I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to use ECC Registered. Look for ECC Unbuffered. Double check me on that one though.

Thanks i figured that might be true on the 3TB drives. I was going to flash the card to use as a HBA(I think this is the right term) so that i can connect the backplane to my MOBO. Is this not the correct way to do this? I was going to use those PSU's since they come with the case and I will add more drives as time goes, but you do have a point ill see if i can find a case that doesn't already come with the PSU's. Ill check on the RAM. Thank you for your response!

 

[JJT211]

Also, you wont need a dual processor and anything like that for transcoding. See my build below in my sig. I can transcode at least 4+ devices simultaeously and my CPU is nowhere near that Xeon in your build. Your network will most likely be the bottleneck anyway. There's no transcoding when streaming locally on LAN.

 

[JJT211]

Thanks i figured that might be true on the 3TB drives. I was going to flash the card to use as a HBA(I think this is the right term) so that i can connect the backplane to my MOBO. Is this not the correct way to do this? I was going to use those PSU's since they come with the case and I will add more drives as time goes, but you do have a point ill see if i can find a case that doesn't already come with the PSU's. Ill check on the RAM. Thank you for your response!

What do you mean connect backplane to your mobo?

 

[Derek Renfro]

What do you mean connect backplane to your mobo?

I would like to be able to transcode 10 108p videos outside my network at some point in time. From my research i have found you need about 2000 per vid from the passmark test and that CPU has around 12000 which would give me 6 with an additional 6 with another CPU. That is the reason i went with that config. Am i wrong on that point? I have 20Mb up right now but hopefully *crosses fingers* i should have gigabyte internet by the end of the year. The backplace has sas connectors on the back of it which i assumed you needed to connect card, but now that you mention it the board has two of the as well, so i guess i dont need that part until i run out of spaces.

 

[Mirfster]

As long as the card is a M1015 and not a M5015, you can cross-flash it without issue. I would think that the dual 1200w is too much as well. My PowerEdge C2100/FS12-TY Servers have dual 750w PSUs and no problems at all with running 12 drives.

There is a Proper Power Supply Sizing Guidance thread that you may want to check out (it is on my list of "To Do"s as well); which may help.

As far a ECC Registered vs ECC Unbuffered, I am unsure about. I am sure others may chime in and I am interested in that discussion myself. As far as I know though, usually you can get more Registered Memory on a system than you can Unbuffered.

Lastly, from the parts you mentioned I would think that $2,400 is looking a little high (especially since you already have the drives). I have not price checked anything but I am a C2100/FS12-TY fanboy and don't venture outside of my comfort zone. Guess others may chime in on that as well.

 

[Mirfster]

gigabyte internet

If this is true, I want to come live with you.

 

[Derek Renfro]

As long as the card is a M1015 and not a M5015, you can cross-flash it without issue. I would think that the dual 1200w is too much as well. My PowerEdge C2100/FS12-TY Servers have dual 750w PSUs and no problems at all with running 12 drives.

There is a Proper Power Supply Sizing Guidance thread that you may want to check out (it is on my list of "To Do"s as well); which may help.

As far a ECC Registered vs ECC Unbuffered, I am unsure about. I am sure others may chime in and I am interested in that discussion myself. As far as I know though, usually you can get more Registered Memory on a system than you can Unbuffered.

Lastly, from the parts you mentioned I would think that $2,400 is looking a little high (especially since you already have the drives). I have not price checked anything but I am a C2100/FS12-TY fanboy and don't venture outside of my comfort zone. Guess others may chime in on that as well.

agreed on the PSU's i just need to find a super micro that doesnt already come with the PSU's in it. I am just going with the super micro case since that was what was recommended on the sticky. I had originally planned on a norco, but after reading it i decided that is the part that will last the longest so might as well get the good one. As for the price i only have 2 of the 4 drives so there is ~500 of it right there lol. Let hope somone can chime in and educate us on the RAM. It is a good time to live in OKC.

 

[pirateghost]

It is a good time to live in OKC.

No. It's never a good time to live in this backwoods state. ;)

Source: I live in Moore

 

[Derek Renfro]

No. It's never a good time to live in this backwoods state. ;)

Source: I live in Moore

lol this is kind of true but if you have to live here at least you can get gigabit internet soon. This way i can just stay at home and connect with the rest of the civilized world.

 

[SweetAndLow]

Build looks good, my suggestions are:

1. Registered memory is required for e5 processors so your selection is OK. I prefer Samsung or crucial memory though.
2. You know that case is very loud and you will need to put it in a basement or at least a room you don't use.
3. If you add the 3TB drives you will lose space in the 6TB drives if they are in the same vdev.
4. Power supplies are overkill but they come with the chassis so stick with them and maybe look into the 900 watt super quiet ones they sell.

 

[Derek Renfro]

1. Ill look at those brands i was just trying to keep cost down and that set was decently cheap.
2. Is it the fans or the PSU that are loud in the case?
4. I read somewhere the 1200w were the quiet ones. Are the 900W the same ones that come in this case? SC846E1-R900B

 

[religiouslyconfused]

I have built many normal computers but never anything in a server chassis or with a controller card. I have read the stickies and i think i have put together a good build, but i would like any advice that you are willing to provide.

I am only putting 6 drives in it at this time 4 6TB and 2 3TB that i have laying around. Is it worth putting the smaller drives into the mix or will it reduce the available space from my 6TB's?

I chose the chassis because i figure that will last me forever. I know the backplane/fans will go out sooner or later, but i cant always replace those. I chose this super micro case over the one that is around $179 since i have seen reports that the back plane on that chassis will not support the larger 6TB drives.

I saw on the hardware guide that you should check you ram with the manufactures website, but i wasn't sure which manufacturer you meant. I am assuming the MOBO but could someone clarify this for me?

I wanted to go with the dual processor board since this is mainly going to be a plex server and i need some serious cpu power to transcode those 1080p movies to family and friends and i want the option to add the additional processor if needed.

The build is clocking in at about 2400 right now and i not really seeing anything i could reduce. If you have any recommendations on getting the same bang for less bucks i am of course open to suggestions. I am looking at getting the controller card and chassis second hand and the rest of the part new.

SYSTEM:

Mother Board--Supermicro DDR3 800 LGA 2011 Server Motherboard X9DR3-F-O

Processor-Intel Xeon E5-2630 v3 Haswell-EP 2.4 GHz 8 x 256KB L2 Cache 20MB L3 Cache LGA 2011-3 85W BX80644E52630V3 Server Processor

RAM-Mushkin Enhanced Proline 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM ECC Registered DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Server Memory Model 994142

Chasis -SUPERMICRO 846E16-R1200B BAREBONE SERVER CHASSIS WITH 24x TRAYS

PSU- ? (trying to get the seller to sell me the chassis without the PSU's in it. If he will i will use the sticky to calculate the needed watts for this.)

Boot Device- 60GB Sata SSD(already have this lying around)

Disks-

4 WD Red 6TB NAS Desktop Hard Disk Drive - Intellipower SATA 6 Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD60EFRX “already have two”



EDIT: removed items that were not needed

Wrong mobo for that CPU. You have a Haswell chip (LGA 2011-3) on a LGA2011 socket (which are not compatible). Also, that CPU requires DDR4 memory not DDR3. So you will need a different Supermicro mobo and ram.

You will need an X10 board and DDR4 or find a v2 chip which is compatible with that board and ram.

 

[tvsjr]

Make sure you buy RAM that's on the approved hardware list for whatever mobo you select. I don't believe Mushkin is a typically-approved model.

Also keep in mind that "quiet" is a relative term when dealing with a real server-class system like this. You're going to want this thing in a closet, basement, somewhere away from you... if you value your sanity.

 

[SweetAndLow]

1. Ill look at those brands i was just trying to keep cost down and that set was decently cheap.
2. Is it the fans or the PSU that are loud in the case?
4. I read somewhere the 1200w were the quiet ones. Are the 900W the same ones that come in this case? SC846E1-R900B

As someone else noticed, which was a great catch, your CPU and motherboard are not compatible.

I built a similar system for about $1375 usd. I have
Motherboard: X10srl
CPU: e5-1620 v3
Heatsink: Supermicro SNK-P0048AP4, server CPUs usually don't come with one.
Memory:
Samsung DDR4-2133 16GB/2Gx72 ECC/REG CL15 Server Memory

Part: D42116G4S

Controller: lsi 9211-8i

Case: used 846e16-r1200

You mention the 846e1 but you don't want that, it has sas1 backplane which is very old and can sometimes have strange compatibility issues. Also the SQ power supplies are different and only come in the new cases. You would have to buy them separately later on.

Also I keep mine in the crawl space under the house and with fans on full you can hear it in every room of the house. I have to keep the fans no more than 50% and you can only hear it when in the room directly above it.

 

[Mirfster]

Also keep in mind that "quiet" is a relative term when dealing with a real server-class system like this. You're going to want this thing in a closet, basement, somewhere away from you... if you value your sanity.

Once had a company in GA where the owner's wife was the President. When setting up their network, she demanded that the Server not only be placed in her office, but also used as her primary workstation. Seems like she was thinking that due to the cost and components; she wanted to have this monster as her's. After many warnings and back-and-forths, she would not be swayed and we had to give in. Needless to say within a week we were filling out an order to get her a new workstation and re-locate the Server.

While funny, I look back and kinda see it as a failure on our/my part because I couldn't sway her from the beginning.

 

[tvsjr]

Once had a company in GA where the owner's wife was the President. When setting up their network, she demanded that the Server not only be placed in her office, but also used as her primary workstation. Seems like she was thinking that due to the cost and components; she wanted to have this monster as her's. After many warnings and back-and-forths, she would not be swayed and we had to give in. Needless to say within a week we were filling out an order to get her a new workstation and re-locate the Server.

While funny, I look back and kinda see it as a failure on our/my part because I couldn't sway her from the beginning.

You could've been mean... write a script to SSH into the box and run the fans up to "full speed" mode for 15-30 seconds on a random basis :)

 

[Mirfster]

You could've been mean... write a script to SSH into the box and run the fans up to "full speed" mode for 15-30 seconds on a random basis :)

Lol, should have but couldn't if I wanted... That one company provided lots horror stories. They did not want to include an ISDN connection (yeah that long ago), even though it was explained to them in the original proposal. So, we get a call after the network was setup (they were using MS SBS) and complaining that they could not get to the Internet. Seems like the "President" didn't get it that a Network does not equate to Internet; of course that was re-added and then they were mad because it would take time for the provider to get out there. Many, many lessons learned from that one company...

 

[Derek Renfro]

See this is why I knew I needed to ask. You guys just saved me a butt load of heartache and cash. I'll retool my design off what you have above this evening. Thanks!