BUILD Hardware for FreeNAS build

[Ejay8400]

Hi everyone,

I would love an opinion on the build i'm currently considering:

Case: Fractal Design Define R5
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X150M-PRO ECC
CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 v5
Memory: Crucial 8GB DDR4 PC4-2133 ECC UDIMM (x2)
Power Supply: RMx Series RM650x — 650 Watt 80 PLUS Gold
Flash Drive: Sandisk Ultra Fit 16GB

For HDD's I'm getting WD red's (probably 6)

What I want my build to be able to do is mainly to run Plex. I wan't to be able to use transcoding and subtitles, so need a bit of power(for max 4 people at the same time).

The reason I didn't choose a Supermicro X10/11 board is the pricing, the price of one here is 2-3x of what the Gigabyte board costs, witch my budget simply won't allow.

So if anyone has an opinion or ideas on this build I would love to hear it!

Thank you!

 

[Dice]

Have you considered contacting mullet.se ?

 

[Ejay8400]

Have you considered contacting mullet.se ?

Had not heard of that site before, but considering there is a 25% import fee when buying anything from abroad (+ handling fees), it probably becomes even more expensive in the end.

Also, asking a store about products they don't have seem like a weird thing to do.

 

[Dice]

Also, asking a store about products they don't have seem like a weird thing to do.

It really isn't.
You will be amazed at what efforts certain vendors are willing to do for their customers.
Ask.

 

[Ejay8400]

It really isn't.
You will be amazed at what efforts certain vendors are willing to do for their customers.
Ask.

Sent Muleet.se a message yesterday, lets see what they say if they reply.

Also, sent a message to Gigabyte asking about compatibility to FreeNAS and if the board will be able to run without a video card.

 

[Ejay8400]

So, I got a reply from Gigabyte.
What they said was this:

"1. Sorry but this board doesn't support boot up without GPU.
2. We do not guarantee FreeNAS OS on Gigabyte motherboard. "

Is obvious that they would not guarantee that FreeNAS would work, few would, but that I need a GPU made me look for a different card.

The mobo I first noticed then was the Supermicro X11SSL-F.
- The memory I chose is compatible with this one too.
- Built in GPU, so no need to spend more.
- CPU is compatible wth the board.

Gigabyte board cost €150 (+ what a GPU would cost, probabl €40)
Supermicro board above cost €253

Is probably worth the extra money for less hassle.

Any opinions on that motherboard?

 

[joeschmuck]

I'd stay clear of the USB flash drive you listed but it's up to you. These typically die early due to the inability to dissipate enough heat. I would shoot for a boot device such as a small SSD if your final motherboard supports enough SATA ports, but if not, then stick with a good USB 2.0 model, and Sandisk does have a Fit which is USB 2.0.

 

[Ericloewe]

So, I got a reply from Gigabyte.
What they said was this:

"1. Sorry but this board doesn't support boot up without GPU.
2. We do not guarantee FreeNAS OS on Gigabyte motherboard. "

Is obvious that they would not guarantee that FreeNAS would work, few would, but that I need a GPU made me look for a different card.

The mobo I first noticed then was the Supermicro X11SSL-F.
- The memory I chose is compatible with this one too.
- Built in GPU, so no need to spend more.
- CPU is compatible wth the board.

Gigabyte board cost €150 (+ what a GPU would cost, probabl €40)
Supermicro board above cost €253

Is probably worth the extra money for less hassle.

Any opinions on that motherboard?

It's a perfectly good board. However, the X11SSM-F is generally better value, since it has 8 SATA ports instead of 6.

 

[Ejay8400]

It's a perfectly good board. However, the X11SSM-F is generally better value, since it has 8 SATA ports instead of 6.

€100 extra for 2 SATA ports is quite steep. Also, paying twice as much for the components compared to storage seems to defeat the whole purpose of building a NAS in my view.
+ Already blew up my initial budget plan

I'd stay clear of the USB flash drive you listed but it's up to you. These typically die early due to the inability to dissipate enough heat. I would shoot for a boot device such as a small SSD if your final motherboard supports enough SATA ports, but if not, then stick with a good USB 2.0 model, and Sandisk does have a Fit which is USB 2.0.

Thanks for the heads up, will switch them out, probably with "SanDisk USB Cruzer Fit" witch are USB 2

 

[Dice]

paying twice as much for the components compared to storage seems to defeat the whole purpose of building a NAS in my view.
+ Already blew up my initial budget plan

Welcome to FreeNAS.
If you stay onboard and commit, it will be rewarding.

 

[Ericloewe]

€100 extra for 2 SATA ports is quite steep.

Yeah, at that point, might as well get an HBA when/if needed.