BUILD Hardware Recommendation: i3, SoC (C2750), miniATX, WD Reds, and some Plex

[techLTE]

I'm struggling with CPU selection.. I've been bouncing from things like the E3-1246 v3, an i3-4160, or i3-4360.. I've got ARK and CPUBenchmark tabs opened everywhere. This is for FreeNAS, PLEX, and a few other plugins.

On The Fence:
CPU: Capable of transcoding 2+ 1080p (15+Mbps) ala Plex
Mobo: Embedded or ASRock E3C224D2I?
RAM: 16GB Unbuffered ECC DDR3 PC1600 (ugh.. RAM got expensive again)
PSU: SeaSonic SSR-360GP 360W

C2550 @ 2.40GHz = 2329 / $250 / 0.107
C2750 @ 2.40GHz = 3929 / $355 / 0.090
i3-4360 @ 3.70GHZ = 5599 / $315 / 0.056
E3-1230 v3 @ 3.30GHz = 9392 / $435 / 0.046

ARK Comparison / CPUBenchmark Comparison
Newegg C2550 & C2750 Board Comparison

Purchased:
HDD: 3x WD Red 2TB HDD - WD20EFRX
Case: Fractal Node 304 (Still upset I missed the BF $35 LianLi PC-Q25B)

Misc Available Hardware:
2x WD VelociRaptor 300GB 10K HDD - WD3000HLFS
3x WD Red 2TB HDD - WD20EFRX
1x Samsung 1TB HDD - HD103UJJ
1x WD Black 640GB HDD - WD6401AALS
1x 30GB OCZ Agility SSD - OCZSSD2-1AGT30G

That's for any time or effort you contribute to this thread.

Shout-out to @sremick, thanks for sharing so much about your build.

 

[sremick]

If you use the Node 304 case I'd suggest using 6 drives from the onset (in RAIDZ2). That'll make it easier to upgrade space later... just upgrade all the 2TB drives to larger. Once you replace the 6th drive, voila: more space. Otherwise you need to get creative with volumes and pools, and the redundancy might not be what you expect.

 

[Fraoch]

CPU: Capable of transcoding 2+ 1080p (15+Mbps) ala Plex

The Core i3s are certainly capable of transcoding two streams to 1080p, but how much of a "+" are you looking at? :)

2-3 streams: Core i3
3-4 streams: low end Xeon (E3-1220 V3)
5 streams+: higher end Xeon (E3-1230 V3)
10 streams (guess) 2X E5 Xeon

The E3-1246 you're looking at seems like overkill - the E3-1230 V3 should be enough but it depends how many streams.

Also with the E3-1246 you may be paying for integrated graphics you don't need - the board's ASPEED AST2300 has integrated video and it's all you need with a server.

 

[techLTE]

If you use the Node 304 case I'd suggest using 6 drives from the onset (in RAIDZ2). That'll make it easier to upgrade space later... just upgrade all the 2TB drives to larger. Once you replace the 6th drive, voila: more space. Otherwise you need to get creative with volumes and pools, and the redundancy might not be what you expect.

Thanks for the advice, I've pulled the trigger on 3x additional 2TB drives. I also decided to grab the Node 304, I'll pay a bit more in the long run.. but the 304 looks to good to pass on.

The Core i3s are certainly capable of transcoding two streams to 1080p, but how much of a "+" are you looking at? :)

2-3 streams: Core i3
3-4 streams: low end Xeon (E3-1220 V3)
5 streams+: higher end Xeon (E3-1230 V3)
10 streams (guess) 2X E5 Xeon

The E3-1246 you're looking at seems like overkill - the E3-1230 V3 should be enough but it depends how many streams.

Also with the E3-1246 you may be paying for integrated graphics you don't need - the board's ASPEED AST2300 has integrated video and it's all you need with a server.

Thanks for breaking it down, specific information is a bit scattered for these chips IMO.. Both opinions and variables started to make my head spin. At this point, I'm leaning towards that i3. Between your insight and the fact it's half the price of the others.. I realized I can always upgrade. I'll take a close look and try to find that sweet spot, thanks again.

 

[techLTE]

OP updated, thoughts on SoC like C2750? The i3 is a better value proposition, but while I gain the ability to upgrade my CPU, I lose the ability to add an SSD (for ZIL). All ports are accounted for, unless I want to purchase another M1015. tia.

 

[Tywin]

OP updated, thoughts on SoC like C2750? The i3 is a better value proposition, but while I gain the ability to upgrade my CPU, I lose the ability to add an SSD (for ZIL). All ports are accounted for, unless I want to purchase another M1015. tia.

IIRC, @cyberjock was able to transcode 3 Plex streams out of the FreeNAS Mini, which uses the C2750. Apparently the Marvell controller on the ASRock C2x50 boards are not playing nicely with FreeNAS (though the six integrated Intel ports work fine).

 

[Fraoch]

Regarding ZIL, have you read Cyberjock's guide?

https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...ning-vdev-zpool-zil-and-l2arc-for-noobs.7775/

Are you sure you need it?

 

[Mlovelace]

OP updated, thoughts on SoC like C2750? The i3 is a better value proposition, but while I gain the ability to upgrade my CPU, I lose the ability to add an SSD (for ZIL). All ports are accounted for, unless I want to purchase another M1015. tia.

Unless you're doing sync writes (doesn't sound like you are) the slog device is a waste.

 

[techLTE]

IIRC, @cyberjock was able to transcode 3 Plex streams out of the FreeNAS Mini, which uses the C2750. Apparently the Marvell controller on the ASRock C2x50 boards are not playing nicely with FreeNAS (though the six integrated Intel ports work fine).

Thanks for that insight, I've been scouring the net for data like that. The C2750 is looking good but those i3 provide so much more value for less money.. though, at the cost of max RAM capacity. I'm just not sure I'd ever need more then 16GB on this build. Researching 16 and 32GB configurations now.

Regarding ZIL, have you read Cyberjock's guide?

https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...ning-vdev-zpool-zil-and-l2arc-for-noobs.7775/

Are you sure you need it?

Unless you're doing sync writes (doesn't sound like you are) the slog device is a waste.

I'll be utilizing NFS

 

[cyberjock]

I'll be utilizing NFS

Ok, so that's only marginally helpful since NFS supports sync writes. But that doesn't tell anyone *if* you are doing sync writes. If you aren't, the slog is still useless.

It's just like I said in my presentation (and was basically quoted here). If you don't know if you need it, you don't.